Yucel Eminoglu Captures First GUKPT Main Event Title in Luton

Yucel Eminoglu is a familiar face for anyone who has played live poker in the United Kingdom during the past 20 years. Known affectionately as "Mad Turk," Eminoglu has been a mainstay on the British poker scene for a couple of decades. 

After coming out on top in the Grosvenor UK Poker Tour (GUKPT) Luton Main Event, Eminoglu can finally call himself a GUKPT champion.

Eminoglu has accumulated dozens of cashes on the GUKPT, including several near misses in Main Events. In 2021, he finished second in the £2,000 GUKPT Grand Final for a career-best £183,650, which was the closest he had previously come to winning a GUKPT Main Event.

The tournament that Eminoglu won, the £1,250 GUKPT Luton Main Event, drew a 190-strong crowd. This attendance created a £236,250 prize pool that the top 25 finishers shared. A min-cash weighed in at £3,240, with a final-table appearance increasing that payout to £5,170. The champion was scheduled to take home £57,640.

An anonymous player calling themselves "P.C." was the first finalist sent to the cashier's desk. Max Burney joined them soon after. Burney put his last 10 big blinds into the middle of the table holding king-nine, needing help against the ace-jack of Constantin Erhan. 

A jack on the flop left Burney drawing to one of the three remaining kings, but none of them appeared on the later streets.

Keith Littlewood fell in eighth place after a clash with Eminoglu didn't go to plan. Littlewood initially limped with ace-eight before three-bet shoving over the top of an Eminoglu raise. Eminoglu held ace-king and quickly called. Eminoglu's hand held, ending Littlewood's day.

Sixth place and the last four-figure prize of £8,830 went to Erhan. He committed his last 17 big blinds with pocket kings and looked in great shape against Pranav Agarwal's ace-jack. However, Agarwal flopped an ace, which remained best through the turn and river.

Eminoglu went into heads-up play against Agarwal holding a colossal 81 to 15 big blind advantage. This proved too much of a gap for the Indian grinder to bridge. A couple of hands into the heads-up clash, Eminoglu opened with jack-seven, Agarwal three-bet all-in with ace-queen, and Eminoglu obliged with a call.

A jack on the flop propelled Eminoglu into the lead, but Agarwal could still catch an ace, king, or queen to win and double up. A seven on the turn gave Eminoglu two pair, meaning Agarwal needed a Broadway straight-completing king to stay in the tournament. 

A burn card later, a deuce landed on the river, busting Agarwal in second place for £39,310 and crowning Eminoglu the GUKPT Luton Main Event champion for £57,640.

Although Eminoglu was the biggest winner of the festival, several other players banked sizable scores during the series. Ajay Kejriwal banked £31,060 for his victory in the £1,650 No-Limit Hold'em High Roller. Meanwhile, Derek Boyle netted £26,775 after coming out on top in the £340 Mini Main Event.

A special mention goes to Craig Sarginson, who won the £250 PLO 4-Card event for £4,710 before taking down the £1,100 PLO High Roller for an additional £19,000.

The GUKPT now goes on a brief hiatus before returning in late July for the 2026 edition of the Goliath. A bustling schedule, highlighted by the £200 buy-in Goliath, is on the cards.