Luke Tatum Bags the Big Stack on GOLIATH Day 1A
The 2025 GOLIATH is officially underway, and after 18 levels of play on Day 1A, just 111 players made it through from a starting field of 1,384 entries. This has contributed £221,440 into the £2 million estimated prize pool.
Leading the way is Hertfordshire’s Luke Tatum, who bagged an impressive 928,000 and holds a clear chip lead heading into Day 2. Tatum, who has $18,120 in live tournament earnings according to The Hendon Mob, is no stranger to the felt, but this could be the start of the biggest run of his poker playing exploits.
His previous best live cash came back in 2013, when he finished 33rd in the £1,100 UKIPT Main Event at EPT London for £2,970 ($4,815).
More recently, he’s found success on the European circuit, taking down a €150 Pot-Limit Omaha event in June 2025 at the Ola Poker Tour in Rozvadov, banking €3,180 ($3,664) for the win and his first recorded tournament victory.
Tatum has been busy in 2025, with seven live cashes so far, including a pair of results this summer in Las Vegas. He placed 153rd out of 5,667 entries in the PokerNews Deepstack Championship at the WSOP, good for $2,302, and also picked up a cash in a $600 Turbo at the Wynn Summer Classic.
Top 10 Chip Counts – GOLIATH Day 1A
| Player | Chip Count |
|---|---|
| Luke Tatum | 928,000 |
| Adam Bone | 873,000 |
| Richard Howard | 838,000 |
| Sonya Kirkley | 719,000 |
| David Jenks | 668,000 |
| Minvydas Kersulis | 668,000 |
| Laura Davison | 658,000 |
| Joseph Sepede | 645,000 |
| Josh William Bell | 628,000 |
| Lukman Islam | 620,000 |
Day 1B gets underway Sunday at noon, with another massive field expected to descend on Coventry’s Grosvenor G Casino.