Two Trophies in Three Days: Ian Simpson Sweeps UKPL Manchester

For a player who came home from Las Vegas frustrated with his summer, Ian Simpson has found a fairly efficient way to change the conversation.

The British 888poker ambassador swept the two biggest tournaments at UKPL Manchester, first winning the £1,100 High Roller and then defeating a 345-entry field in the £560 Main Event. By Sunday night, two trophies and £54,620 had replaced a summer Simpson himself admitted had fallen short of what he wanted.

The Manchester Main Event final table was British poker through and through.

Ali Mallu, Lewis Spencer, Ronnie Marland and Tom Cazaletz were among the players standing between Simpson and a second title of the week, while Scotland’s Gaoyang Yang also reached the final nine.

The field thinned steadily rather than through one defining pot.

Colin Myott finished ninth before Mohammed Ifzail and Yang departed. Callum Morgan followed in sixth, Cazaletz took fifth and Marland’s run ended in fourth for £11,000. 

That then left Simpson, Spencer and Mallu.

Spencer exited in third for £16,700, setting up a heads-up contest between two English players. Simpson completed the job against Mallu and collected £38,000, while the runner-up banked £25,400.

The first half of the double came with considerably more danger.

Nine players remained in the £1,100 High Roller when Simpson three-betA♠K♣ from the button and Josh Manley woke up withK♦K♥in the big blind. Manley four-bet, Simpson continued and the chips went in.

A5♦5♥10♥J♠ runout through the turn left Simpson needing help. TheA♣ river supplied it, giving him the pot and keeping his tournament alive with only six places due to be paid.

Simpson went on to reach heads-up against another established British regular in Andy Wilson. Wilson finished second for £11,400, while Simpson collected £16,620 and the first trophy of what would become an exceptional Manchester weekend.

Simpson did not hide the fact that 2026 had been frustrating before Manchester.

He recorded only one cash during the WSOP in Las Vegas and said the online results after returning to the UK were not much kinder. At Manchester, he suddenly found himself making back-to-back final tables against a mixture of established British regulars and less predictable opponents.

The turnaround gives him momentum heading into the final part of the British live calendar.

UKPL Manchester was the fourth of five league stops in 2026. 

The tour concludes with the Coventry Grand Final from November 10–15, while Simpson has also identified 888poker LIVE London at The Vic as one of the few remaining live stops on his schedule this year.