Having spent almost the entirety of Day 2D at the front of the pack, Richard King concluded Level 30 as our official chipleader, with 13,390,000 - almost half the chips that were left in play.
King's journey to an almost-certain chipleader going into the final day was a remarkably easy one, as he busted player after player to bully his way into a lead he never relinquished and only ever strengthened.
Adam Hilton, the nearest challenger to King in the chip-counts, took through 5,025,000 chips, itself a highly respectable amount, but it was all about Richard King.
Play returns to action on Day 2d at 12 noon tomorrow and with an online surge of late entries, there is still every chance for a surprise player to eclipse King's incredible Day 2d effort. It'll take some doing, however.
Stay tuned for live updates from Nottingham tomorrow in the Main Event, £50,000 Gtd side event and of course the spectacular LVL UP Players Party. It promises to be an amazing day on and off the felt!
Chaz Chattha - a man at peace with his game and his stack on Day 1 of the partypoker Grand Prix UK Main Event
With three Day 1 flights at Dusk till Dawn Casino as well as today's Day 2d, there have bee a number of big name players in the most popular casino in the United Kingdom.
Carl Froch is not just a four-time world boxing champion, he's a partypoker ambassador to be reckoned with, and the Nottingham-based man with the golden punch is up to 55,000 at blinds of 1,500/3,000/300. Elsewhere, London-based professionals Chaz Chattha (pictured, 94,000) and Charles Akadiri (95,500) have enjoyed more prosperous evenings at the felt.
Ugo Monye continues to 'try' again with his second entry, and he's been more successful at 'converting' his chances since doing so, 'chipping and charging' to 95,000.
Tom Waters (180,000), Surinder Sunar (150,000) and James Ablott (260,000) are all extremely well placed to make Day 2 in rude health, while Kev Houghton (40,000, "Don't even tell 'em I'm here.") and Kevin Allen (20,000) will be looking to spin it up to survive.
Tony Cascarino ponders another hand at Dusk Till Dawn on Day 1 of the Grand Prix UK Main Event
Tony Cascarino has been taking on the best in the business at poker for many years now, and the former Millwall, Aston Villa and Chelsea man did the same during today's Grand Prix Day 1a Main Event.
Sadly for Cascarino, his efforts did not land him a Day 2 place as he busted a short while ago. He told us exactly how.
"I was busted in exactly the same way I was during the partypoker MILLIONS Main Event. I was all-in with pocket jacks called by pocket nines and he rivered a nine. It's not great, but it's poker, you know?"
Cascarino wasn't going to let busting the Grand Prix end his day at Dusk Till Dawn and he's currently winning in a cash game and as we found out, pleased as punch that his former club Millwall were promoted back to the Championship by winning at Wembley last month.
Lam Trinh opened a can of worms, shoving for 700,000 from the hijack position. Patricia O'sulliven picked this opportunity to move her last 505,000 into the middle and Andrei Frujina made the call as well from the small blind.
Alan Summers closed the action in the big blind also making the call, so we went four ways to a flop, with two players all-in, and around 800,000 behind in Summers' stack.
The flop of saw Frujina check, but Summers instantly moved in. Frujina asked for a count and was told it was 800,000 to call. Frujina folded, so the other cards went on their backs:
Lam Trinh
Patricia O'sulliven
Alan Summers
The turn brought the , which gave O'sulliven an up-and-down draw to go with her top pair, but the river bricked as hard as possible and all the money was sent in Alan Summers' direction. He leaped out of his chair, and screamed, "Yes! I am the champion!" before sitting back down and hugging the big pile of chips in front of him.
Meanwhile, Trinh and O'sulliven both bust, each taking away £700.
Ugo Monye at the felt on Grand Prix UK Main Event Day 1
Ugo Monye sat down on Day 1 of the Grand Prix UK Main Event with a look the determination and focus his 13-year career at Harlequins, England and the British and Irish Lions has prepared him for. However, after just a couple of levels play, he'd been busted and had to re-enter.
"I had pocket aces and raised to four times the big blind pre-flop," Monye told us at the table during a break between hands. "He called me with 6-3. And then guess what the flop is? Five...four...two. I mean, can you believe it? I wished the guy good luck and I was genuine, it's poker it happens. I mean I raised him so big pre-flop and he kept calling."
Monye shoots us the smile that along with his analysis makes him such hot property in the sporting world of television punditry.
"I'm doing OK now, and I'm glad I outlasted Fodes ([Ben Foden]. He's a great guy though."
Monye has done more than outlast Foden. He's now moving up the chipcounts and back into contention for a Day 2 berth.
Running to Broadway - David Cohen takes the pot on the river
David Cohen shoved all-in pre-flop from first position for his last 620,000, with everyone folding around to the small blind, where Andrei Frujina seemed to have a decision. After requesting a count and dwelling for a while, he flicked in the call, before Alan Summers quickly folded the big blind.
It was a coinflip, Frujina with the pair, and Cohen holding over-cards with .
Cometh the flop, however, this was no longer a flip. Frujina took a huge equity boost on the flop. He unfortunately made the rookie mistake of celebrating too early and, after the dealer burned and turned the , it was no real surprise to anyone that the poker gods sent the on the river. Observing the table, there were a few whinces and grimaces, excluding Cohen of course, who gleefully pulled in the 1,500,000 chip pot!
Johnny Barr shoved his last 207,000 into the middle from early position with table chipleader Alan Summers attempting to isolate by coming over the top for his entire 1,700,000 stack. David Cohen in the small blind was getting a good price to put his last 273,000 chips in, and all of a sudden we had a three-way all-in. Lam Trinh looked disappointingly at his in the big blind before quickly tossing it into the muck.
Johnny Barr
Alan Summers
David Cohen
Everything got shaken up when the landed, giving Barr the best hand. Trinh leaped out of his seat as he would have flopped a straight. The turn gives Cohen a little sweat and he started chanting for a ten on the river.
The river was the and while Barr turned away in disgust, Summers' face was one of disappointment throughout, while Cohen was absolutely loving life, the almost triple-up heading his way.
Harry Dukes survives on the bubble...never in doubt (honest)!
That bubble was a sweaty one for a number of players!
On table 22, Kfir Ivgi opened UTG+1 to 40,000, before Harry Dukes moved all-in for his last 265,000. Ivgi made the call to put Dukes at risk. The cards remained face down while hands in progress on the other tables were completed. After the dust settled elsewhere, it was revealed that Dukes was an 80% favourite to win the hand with against Ivgi's .
The flop wasn't compliant to Dukes' needs, giving Ivgi a full house on . As Dukes opened up the camera on his phone to take a picture of what was to be his sick bust-out hand, he instantly turned a to put him firmly back in front and needing to fade the case nine. The was close, but no cigar, and Dukes faded the bubble bad beat.
MrPaulSeaton
Who can take down the £1,000,000 guaranteed Grand Prix UK this weekend?
With a million-pound guarantee and a packed house certain to be on the cards , we've jumped into the action on one of two live Day 2's here at Dusk Till Dawn in Nottingham. This weekend sees the climax of the is the £220 entry Main Event, which provides a chance for players to reach Sunday's final and battle for a massive six-figure score for an extremely reasonable buy-in.
With £1,000,000 being paid out as a minimum, the battle for a Day 2 has been intense. Numerous Day 1 flights have been taking place both live and online all week. We'll be focusing on the Day 2 action for our live coverage, but players in the club can play a live Day 1 flight at 12 noon, 5pm and 9pm in a last in-club bid to make Day 2.
Play begins at Level 17, with 45-minute levels throughout Day 2 from 12 noon and blinds rolled back two levels. Those blinds begin at 4,000/8,000/1,000, so anyone making it through to Day 2 will have a more realistic shot at that top prize.
With celebrities such as former world boxing champion Carl Froch, former professional footballer Tony Cascarino and rugby superstars Ben Foden and Ugo Monye all pitching up to play, we expect a lively atmosphere and some fireworks for sure.
The players have their engines ready for the Grand Prix action!
![[user344984]](/img/avatars/avatar.svg){kind=avatar}
saw Frujina check, but Summers instantly moved in. Frujina asked for a count and was told it was 800,000 to call. Frujina folded, so the other cards went on their backs:
, which gave O'sulliven an up-and-down draw to go with her top pair, but the 
river bricked as hard as possible and all the money was sent in Alan Summers' direction. He leaped out of his chair, and screamed, "Yes! I am the champion!" before sitting back down and hugging the big pile of chips in front of him.
and Cohen holding over-cards with 
.
flop. He unfortunately made the rookie mistake of celebrating too early and, after the dealer burned and turned the 
, it was no real surprise to anyone that the poker gods sent the 
on the river. Observing the table, there were a few whinces and grimaces, excluding Cohen of course, who gleefully pulled in the 1,500,000 chip pot!
in the big blind before quickly tossing it into the muck.
gives Cohen a little sweat and he started chanting for a ten on the river.
against Ivgi's 
. As Dukes opened up the camera on his phone to take a picture of what was to be his sick bust-out hand, he instantly turned a 
to put him firmly back in front and needing to fade the case nine. The 
was close, but no cigar, and Dukes faded the bubble bad beat.
