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Renee Xie Makes GUKPT History With Luton Main Event Win

By Mrinal Gujare

07 Sep 2026

Mrinal Gujare 07 Sep 2026

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Renee Xie becomes first female GUKPT Main Event champion.
Won £35,435 at Luton, surpassing her prior best finish.
Made history in GUKPT's 20th season.

Image by Grosvenor Poker

Renee Xie became the first female GUKPT Main Event champion after winning the £560 Luton Main Event from a 396-player field for £35,435, surpassing her previous career-best score from the 2017 Leeds leg.

Renee Xie has made GUKPT history by becoming the first-ever female player to win a Grosvenor UK Poker Tour (GUKPT) Main Event. Xie outlasted a 396-strong field in the £560 GUKPT Luton Main Event, earning £35,435 and a place in the history of the long-running tour.

The milestone came six legs into the 20th GUKPT season. After her victory, Xie described the achievement as hugely significant.

The Luton victory was not Xie's first deep run in a GUKPT Main Event. She previously came close to winning the title in the 2017 Leeds leg, where she finished runner-up and collected £33,000.

That result had stood as Xie's career-best score until her Luton victory. The £35,435 first-place payout now represents a new career high.

The £560 Luton Main Event generated a £188,100 prize pool, with the top 50 finishers receiving a share.

Among the players who reached the money were 2025 GUKPT Luton runner-up Charlie Waters, Adam Wilkinson, John Bousfield, Lorenc Boci, Yucel Eminoglu, Paul Romain, Sinead and Matthew Davenport, and Keith Littlewood.

GUKPT Luton Main Event Final Table Results

Rank	Player	Prize
1	Renee Xie	£35,435*
2	Sanjay Ranchhoddas	£28,545*
3	Christopher Gallagher	£26,930*
4	Gary Nordigian	£12,460
5	Ciaran McCullagh	£8,480
6	Joseph Phillips	£6,110
7	Jay Samani	£4,700
8	Timothy Chung	£3,790
9	Yifei Dong	£3,120

Dong Leads the Final Table Eliminations

Yifei Dong was the first finalist to leave the tournament, finishing ninth for £3,120. Dong's previous two entries on his Hendon Mob profile also came in Grosvenor events.

He won the £300 No-Limit Hold'em event at the 2025 Behemoth for £51,229 before finishing second in the G300 in Coventry in February 2026 for another £26,800.

Timothy Chung followed in eighth place, earning £3,790. Chung was the champion of the 2022 GUKPT London Main Event.

Jay Samani was eliminated in seventh for £6,100, while Joseph Phillips finished sixth for £6,110. The result marked the third-largest live score of Phillips' career.

Ciaran McCullagh finished fifth for £8,480. McCullagh had previously banked $140,000 for a deep run in the 2024 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event.

Gary Nordigian's tournament ended after he committed his final 11 big blinds with ten-five of diamonds and ran into Xie's pocket aces. Nordigian turned two pair, but Xie spiked a set on the river to eliminate him.

The final three players subsequently reached an ICM-based deal. The agreement left an additional £9,100 for the eventual champion.

Christopher Gallagher benefited the most from the deal. He was eliminated in third place but received £26,930, compared with the advertised third-place prize of £18,600.

Gallagher's elimination set up the heads-up battle between Xie and Sanjay Ranchhoddas. Ranchhoddas was described as a relative newcomer to the live poker scene.

Xie ultimately secured the title, the £35,435 first-place prize and her place as the first female GUKPT Main Event champion.