PartyPoker Tour Manchester: Anwar Kanj Claims Mini Main Event Title

The Manchester235 casino is currently hosting the fourth leg of the 2026 PartyPoker Tour, where eight events have already crowned winners. Among the early highlights is the £150 Mini Main Event, which comfortably surpassed its initial £50,000 guaranteed prize pool.

The tournament attracted a field of 668 entrants, generating an overall prize pool of £84,000. This sum was distributed among the top 100 finishers, starting with a minimum cash of £300. Each of the final nine players secured at least £1,100 for their performance.

David Greenough was the first final table casualty, exiting in ninth place for £1,100, which marked his first recorded live poker score since November 2021. Local competitor Danny Ryder followed shortly after, collecting £1,400 for eighth place. 

Tony Horn finished in seventh place for £1,890, while Nim Rattan was eliminated in sixth place, earning £2,500.

The playing field narrowed further when Matthew Archer busted in fifth place for £3,500. Andrew Mathews finished in fourth place, collecting £5,000. This payout represents the second-largest prize of Mathews' career, falling just short of the £5,300 he secured in March 2016 at the GUKPT Manchester Main Event.

Scotland's Kyle Hamilton exited in third place to earn £7,000, which stands as his third-largest career score. His elimination set up a heads-up match between Manchester native Anwar Kanj and Imran Primihamed for the title and the £15,500 top prize.

With both players guaranteed five-figure scores, play continued without a deal despite a payout difference of £5,500, representing nearly 37 buy-ins. Primihamed ultimately finished as the runner-up, collecting £10,000. Prior to this event, Primihamed held combined lifetime earnings of approximately $7,500.

Kanj claimed the victory to become the 2026 PartyPoker Tour Manchester Mini Main Event champion. The top prize of £15,500 marks a new career-high score for Kanj, eclipsing the £11,500 payout he received for a third-place finish at the 2019 GUKPT Manchester Mini Main.

While eight side events have concluded, they produced only seven distinct champions. Lewis Henderson secured two titles during this stretch, continuing a strong start to his live poker career.

Henderson won the £60 Pot-Limit Sviten Special and followed it with a victory in the £100 PLO Masters NLHE/PLO Mixed event. 

According to The Hendon Mob Database, Henderson recorded his first live tournament cash in July 2025 by winning the £140 APAT Championship in Liverpool. He previously won a £90 R.O.S.E.T event and the £150 PLO Master Big O at the 2025 PartyPoker Tour Birmingham festival.

In addition to the completed side events, the £500 buy-in PartyPoker Tour Manchester Main Event is currently underway with a £100,000 guarantee. Day 1a concluded on June 18, drawing 65 entrants.

From the starting field, 16 players successfully advanced to Day 2. Anthony Owens claimed the chip lead at the end of the flight with 404,000 chips. Only three other players crossed the 300,000 chip mark:

PartyPoker Tour ambassador and poker legend Barny Boatman also advanced to Day 2, bagging 143,000 chips to secure a spot in the top 10 chip counts.