GUKPT Blackpool Returns With £250,000 Main Event Guarantee
The penultimate stop of the 2026 tour carries more than £500,000 in festival guarantees, though PokerNews’ two listings differ on several buy-ins and dates.
- Blackpool will host the eighth and penultimate GUKPT stop from Oct. 30 through Nov. 8.
- The £1,250 Main Event carries a £250,000 guarantee within a festival offering more than £500,000 overall.
- The schedule includes the final Kav Cup, Mini Main, PLO High Roller, No-Limit Hold’em High Roller and GUKPT Cup.
- PokerNews’ separate October calendar gives conflicting dates and buy-ins for several Blackpool tournaments.
- Konstantinos Patsourakis is the reigning Blackpool Main Event champion after a £67,990 win in 2025.
The Grosvenor UK Poker Tour returns to Blackpool for its eighth and penultimate stop of 2026, with more than £500,000 guaranteed across the festival. The Grosvenor Casino on the South Promenade is due to host the series from Oct. 30 through Nov. 8, led by a £1,250 No-Limit Hold’em Main Event carrying a £250,000 guarantee.
PokerNews’ dedicated Blackpool preview lists a £125 GUKPT Warm-Up beginning on the evening of Oct. 31, followed by the final Kav Cup. Rick Gilby created that event in memory of the late British player Derek Kavanagh; its £40+£20 entry directs the entire £20 contribution to charity, and the cup had raised more than £84,000 to date.
The card also includes a £250 Mini Main, a £1,000 Pot-Limit Omaha High Roller, a £1,650 No-Limit Hold’em High Roller and a £550 GUKPT Cup. Live satellites will run throughout the festival, while online Main Event satellites on GGPoker and Grosvenor Poker start at £1.
Players who win a Main Event seat through GGPoker, or use a GGPoker account to buy directly into the £1,250 live event, receive a 10% cash boost on any Main Event winnings under the companies’ partnership.
Some published schedule details differ across two PokerNews reports. Its broader October calendar lists Blackpool as running from Oct. 29, with a £1,100 Main Event starting Nov. 5 and three opening flights, while also giving lower buy-ins for the Warm-Up, Mini Main, PLO High Roller, No-Limit Hold’em High Roller and GUKPT Cup. That calendar also lists Deepstack, Last Chance and Closer events, plus £1, £5 and £30 satellite feeders that award Grosvenor Live Event Credit.
Last year’s Blackpool Main Event drew 270 entries and generated a £289,560 prize pool. Konstantinos “Kostas” Patsourakis beat Liam McMurray heads-up for £67,990, securing his second GUKPT Main Event trophy after his 2023 GUKPT Leeds win. Harry Sandford won the 2025 £1,650 High Roller for £36,810, while Gilbert Black turned a £250 Mini Main entry into £30,100.
