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Cush Berlyn Wins 2026 GUKPT Leeds Main Event for £43,490

By Mrinal Gujare

2 hours ago

Mrinal Gujare 2 hours ago

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Cush Berlyn won the 2026 GUKPT Leeds Main Event and £43,490.
Started final table eighth in chips and made a three-way deal.
Defeated Niall Duffy heads-up after eliminating James Shaw in third.

Image by Grosvenor Poker

Cush Berlyn won the 2026 GUKPT Leeds Main Event for a career-best £43,490 after entering the final table eighth in chips. Berlyn reached a three-way deal before eliminating James Shaw and defeating Niall Duffy heads-up for the tournament title.

Cush Berlyn overcame a difficult starting position at the final table to win the 2026 GUKPT Leeds Main Event, defeating a 250-entry field and collecting a career-best £43,490.

Berlyn entered the final day eighth in chips among the nine remaining players but worked his way through the final table before reaching a three-handed deal with Niall Duffy and James Shaw.

The British player then eliminated Shaw in third place to establish a 2:1 chip advantage over Duffy entering heads-up play. Berlyn completed the comeback by defeating Duffy for the title and the GUKPT Leeds Main Event trophy.

Berlyn faced a considerable challenge when the final nine players returned to decide the Main Event champion.

He began the day eighth of nine in chips and was listed as a 12/1 underdog at the Grosvenor Leeds sportsbook.

The final table also included Renee Xie, who had recently won the GUKPT Luton Main Event and was pursuing consecutive Main Event titles.

Xie's run ended in ninth place for £4,250. The result represented her 25th GUKPT Main Event cash and moved her into fourth place on Grosvenor's all-time leaderboard.

Berlyn continued advancing as the field narrowed, eventually reaching the final three alongside Duffy and Shaw.

2026 GUKPT Leeds Main Event Final Table Results

Position	Player	Payout
1st	Cush Berlyn	£43,490
2nd	Niall Duffy	£35,960
3rd	James Shaw	£27,610
4th	Martin Byrne	£15,170
5th	Timothy Kenyon	£10,480
6th	Christopher Guertin	£7,690
7th	Michael Howard	£6,050
8th	Garry Smith	£5,000
9th	Renee Xie	£4,250

With three players remaining, Berlyn, Duffy and Shaw agreed to a deal. Play continued for the title, with Shaw eventually eliminated in third place for £27,610.

That elimination gave Berlyn approximately a 2:1 chip advantage over Duffy at the start of heads-up play. Duffy remained Berlyn's final obstacle, but Berlyn converted his chip lead into the Main Event victory.

Duffy finished runner-up for £35,960, while Berlyn claimed £43,490 and the tournament trophy.

The payout represented the largest live tournament score of Berlyn's career to date.

2026 GUKPT Leeds Main Event Final Table Results

Berlyn's route to the GUKPT Leeds Main Event title began from eighth place among the final nine and ended with him holding the trophy.

After surviving the early stages of the final table, reaching a three-way deal and eliminating Shaw in third, Berlyn entered heads-up play with a 2:1 advantage over Duffy.

He completed the tournament by defeating Duffy to secure the £43,490 first-place payout and the biggest score of his career.