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Money Left on the Table as GUKPT Leeds Builds Towards £200K Main Event

2 hours ago

Samantha Doyle 2 hours ago

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£75K Warm Up kicked off with a £20K+ overlay.
£100K Mini Main runs before £1,000 Main Event, starting Oct 1.
Total prize pools exceed £550K at GUKPT Leeds 2026.

GUKPT Leeds hasn't reached its biggest tournament yet, but its opening weekend already produced enough numbers and stories to catch our eye.

The £75,000 guaranteed Warm Up went into its final starting flight with an overlay north of £20,000, while the £100,000 Mini Main has now taken over the tables at Grosvenor Casino Leeds Westgate. All of it is building towards the £1,000 Main Event, where at least £200,000 will be played for from October 1. Across the full stop, Grosvenor has advertised £550,000 in guaranteed prize pools.

Warm Up Opens Leeds With a sizeable Overlay

The first proper tournament of the festival was the £150 GUKPT Warm Up, spread across five starting flights before Sunday’s Day 2.

Day 1A attracted 98 entries, with 11 players surviving the opening flight. By the time the final Turbo flight arrived on Sunday morning, Grosvenor reported that the tournament was still overlaying by more than £20,500 against its £75,000 guarantee.

The Warm Up structure gave players 25,000 starting chips and 30-minute levels through the regular flights, with the final Turbo flight shortening the clock before Day 2 began later on Sunday.

£100K Mini Main Takes Over

With the Warm Up completed, the £250 Mini Main has become the immediate focus in Leeds. Day 1A began on Sunday evening, followed by Day 1B at midday on Monday and Day 1C later the same day.

One final Turbo flight remains on Tuesday before Day 2 begins at 4:00 p.m.

Mini Main	Details
Buy-In	£220 + £30
Guarantee	£100,000
Day 1A	September 27
Day 1B	September 28
Day 1C	September 28
Day 1D Turbo	September 29
Day 2	September 29
Final Day	September 30

The Mini Main was one of the strongest performers when GUKPT last visited Leeds. In 2025, 550 entries created a £113,940 prize pool, with Robert Douras winning £20,830. That gives this year’s £100,000 guarantee a clear benchmark as the remaining flights play out over the coming days.

£200K Main Event Starts October 1

The tournament everyone is ultimately waiting for hasn't even started yet.

The £1,000 GUKPT Leeds Main Event begins with Day 1A on Thursday, October 1 and carries a £200,000 guarantee. Day 1B and a Day 1C Turbo follow on Friday before the survivors combine for Day 2 on Saturday. The champion is due to be crowned on Sunday, October 4.

Main Event	Detail
Buy-In	£900 + £100
Guarantee	£200,000
Day 1A	October 1
Day 1B	October 2
Day 1C Turbo	October 2
Day 2	October 3
Final Day	October 4

As you can see from the schedule, there is no Main Event entry count yet; the opening flight is still several days away.

That said, last year could work as a reference point. Keith Littlewood beat 247 entries in the 2025 Leeds Main Event, earning £40,440 from a £209,940 prize pool. The year before, James Jones won a 192-entry edition for £36,150, while the biggest Leeds Main Event of the modern £1,000 era came in 2023, when 361 entries generated more than £305,000.

Year	Entries	Prize Pool	Winner	First Prize
2023	361	£305,844	Konstantinos Patsourakis	£78,419
2024	192	£160,890	James Jones	£36,150
2025	247	£209,940	Keith Littlewood	£40,440
2026	TBC	£200,000 GTD	TBC	TBC

There is another major tournament between the Mini Main and the Main Event. The £1,500 High Roller begins on September 30 with £100,000 guaranteed, before playing to a winner on October 1. Satellites are scheduled across September 29 and 30.