2025 PartyPoker Tour London – £150 Mini Main Event

It was a sunny Thursday in London, and perhaps, the extra Vitamin D received from the sunlight had something to do with the joyful atmosphere at Aspers Casino that we experienced today. Mother Nature can’t take all the credit, though, as it was the final day of the £150 Mini Main Event. That should, on its own, put a smile on the lips of all poker enthusiasts!

36 Players on the Hunt

Returning after yesterday’s intense Day 2 flight were 36 hungry poker players, all with a sole mission in mind: emerging victorious, claiming the £17,170 first-place payout and the coveted PartyPoker trophy.

At 18:00 local time, cards were in the air, and it was time for all competitors to enter focus mode. Naturally, there were some players who hadn’t been fortunate enough to bag larger stacks for Day 3. This resulted in nine eliminations within the first hour, which meant that the tournament quickly went down to three tables.

One who had earned himself great presumptions for a deep run, though, was Dost Ghrabie. Entering the day as the chip leader, Ghrabie didn’t slow down and, with an aggressive style of play – and sometimes, a little help from Lady Luck – he managed to extend his lead even further, knocking out one player here, another one there.

Staples Came up Short

Speaking of Ghrabie: as the tournament progressed and closed in on a final table, he’d be the one to knock out PartyPoker Team Pro Jaime Staples. Considering all the PartyPoker lovers we’ve seen at Aspers this week, there’s no surprise many wanted to see the always friendly Staples do a deep run, and one must admit that the Canadian displayed some great poker skills in the tournament throughout. It’ll be interesting to see what wonders he can do in the £500 Main Event.

With his termination of Staples’ tournament life, Ghrabie’s stack grew even more. However, he wasn’t the only one who was accumulating chips during the later stages of what has been a three-day tournament. Grace Smith, who finished Day 1a as the chip leader, proved that she was a force to be reckoned with over and over again, as she managed to pull off some great moves under pressure.

The April Nine

When David Barnu eliminated Danas Gerdziunas with a flush, only nine players remained and it was time for the final table. Shoutout to everyone from PartyPoker and Aspers who’ve worked on creating a top-class venue during this event; the TV-table looks great and elevates the excitement even more, and even though the broadcast won’t start until the Main Event, the finalists of the Mini Main Event seemed to enjoy testing out the prestigious scene.

Jorge Palomino would become the first casualty of the final table, when his 10♥10♣ couldn’t survive against Martin Hellmuth. The next one to go was Liam Trimmer; his kings had to forfeit as Hellmuth hit trips on the river.

Muctarr Jalloh went out in seventh place; he did a decent job surviving two pay jumps on the final table, considering he entered with only three Big Blinds. Like so many others, he became a victim of Ghrabie whose stack never seemed to decrease.

The bad beat of the day belonged to Jeferson Liete. His full house stood no match against the quad sevens of Hellmuth, and there really wasn’t much he could do to dodge a sixth-place finish. He wasn’t the only one who experienced pain, though, as Ghrabie hit a two-outer on the turn, which resulted in him sending Louis Cowen to the rail in fifth place.

And then, there were Three

When David Barbu was eliminated in fourth place by – you guessed it – Ghrabie, only three players remained. Ghrabie, Smith, and Hellmuth had all secured a £8,740-cash at this point. Smith and Hellmuth both wished to make an ICM deal and continue playing for the trophy, but chip leader Ghrabie, who helt roughly 45 % of the chips in play at this point, wasn’t interested in the proposition.

The three-handed play would bring some entertaining and nerve-wrecking drama, like when Smith and Hellmuth clashed all in against each other within a few couple of hands. One thing became certain, though, and that was that Ghrabie was going to play aggressively. Raising big frequently preflop and attacking the Blinds and the Ante proved successful as he claimed more and more chips, and soon enough, he held more than half of the chips in play.

The first victim of the trio would prove to be Hellmuth. Losing all of his chips to Ghrabie in absolute brutal fashion, the latter now held a commanding chip lead going into heads-up against Smith.

Smith and Ghrabie took a short break before commencing the duel between them. Shortly thereafter, they clashed all in, both holding an ace each. Once again Ghrabie came out on the right side of things as he held the superior kicker, and with the board running out clean from his perspective, he knocked out Smith in second place.

That settled it: Dost Ghrabie, who entered Day 3 as the chip leader, managed to hold the chip lead more or less until the very end. After roughly eight hours of play, he was the one who claimed the £18,475 first-place payout and the trophy.

Final Table Results

That concludes our coverage of the £150 Mini Main Event. Thanks to everyone who’s been tuning into the live blog. We’ll be back tomorrow, following all the action on Day 1b of the £500 Main Event. Who knows, maybe we’ll even swing by the Player’s Party at 20:00.

Day 1b kicks off at 12:00, and the live coverage will most likely commence around 13:00.

After a long fought day and over 8 hours of play, Dost Ghrabie has defeated the field to win the £150 Mini Main Event. Ghrabie heated up as the day went on to gain a large stack going into the final table. From there, he bulldozed his way through the competition finding elimination after elimination.

Ghrabie neither cared nor stopped finding a set against Martin Hellmuth’s Aces to bring play to heads-up. Heads-up play was short lived, as the short stacked Grace Smith moved all in with ace-duece. Ghrabie woke up with Kings and didn’t look back to take the event. Stay tuned for a full recap to shortly follow

Final Table Results

*Denotes a deal was made

Shortly after break, Grace Smith moved all in for around 10,000,000. Dost Ghrabie made the call and both players revealed their hands.

Grace Smith: A♠2♣
Dost Ghrabie: K♣K♦

The board ran out 5♣9♥9♠J♣5♠ to send Smith out as the runner-up.

Dost Ghrabie opened to 900,000 from the button, and Martin Hellmuth raised to 2,500,000. Ghrabie moved all in and Hellmuth called for less (8,550,000). Both players revealed their holdings.

Martin Hellmuth: A♠A♥
Dost Ghrabie: J♥J♣

The board ran out 2♠4♣8♦J♦6♠ to send Hellmuth out in a heartbreaking fashion.

Dost Ghrabie: 32,975,000
Grace Smith: 10,275,000

Grace Smith opened to 1,700,000, and Martin Hellmuth moved all in for 6,345,000. Smith made the call and both players revealed their hands.

Martin Hellmuth: J♥J♣
Grace Smith: 9♦9♥

The board ran out 2♥7♦K♥10♦6♣ for Hellmith to find the double.

Shortly after, she moved all in for 6,795,000, and was called by Martin Hellmuth. Both players revealed their hands.

Grace Smith: J♠J♥
Martin Hellmuth: A♥10♥

The board ran out Q♠9♦7♣4♣Q♥ for Smith to find the double.

Dost Ghrabie: 23,525,000
Grace Smith: 14,390,000
Martin Hellmuth: 6,295,000

Martin Hellmuth opened to 600,000 from the Button. Grace Smith re-raised 1,600,000 from the Small Blind. Dost Ghrabie folded his Big Blind, prior to Hellmuth making the call.

Smith continued for 1,100,000 on the 5♥A♥K♠ flop, and Hellmuth made the call. On the turn 5♦, the action went check-check.

The 8♠ fell on the turn, and Smith fired a 3,200,000 bullet. Hellmuth thought the scenario over for a minute or two before folding, revealing an ace.

Grace Smith: 14,500,000
Martin Hellmuth: 10,400,000

Dost Ghrabie raised to 500,000 from the button, and David-Adrian Barbu called for 480,000. Both players revealed their holdings.

David-Adrian Barbu: A♠10♠
Dost Ghrabie: K♥4♥

The board ran out Q♣4♦2♦8♦5♥ for Barbu to hit the rail.

In a clash between Dost Ghrabie (Cut-off) and Louis Cowen (Button), the board read K♥K♣3♣ with roughly 1,200,000 in the middle. Ghrabie was first to act on the flop, and he forced his opponent all in for 7,770,000. Cowen took some time to make sure he was about to make the right decision before he made the call.

Dost Ghrabie: 10♦10♥
Louis Cowen: K♦J♠

Ghrabie was way behind, and he needed a miracle. A miracle, he got; the 10♣ fell on the turn, making the whole table gasp in shock. The river 6♦ didn’t change anything and Cowen bid farewell in position 5, seeking to collect his £3,940 paycheck.

Dost Ghrabie: 18,500,000
Louis Cowen: 0

Grace Smith sized up and opened to 1,300,000 from UTG. David Barbu made the call from the Big Blind.

Barbu check-called a 1,450,000 bet from Smith on the 5♠3♣4♦ flop. Barbu checked in the dark before the 6♠ came on the turn. Smith announced she was all in for 4,450,000. Barbu used a timebank chip, before he made the call.

Grace Smith: J♦J♥
David Barbu: A♠4♠

Quite the scare for Smith, but she managed to avoid disaster as the board completed with the 10♦ on the river. A huge pot went her way as she took a large chunk out of the Barbu stack.

Grace Smith: 14,750,000
David Barbu: 1,300,000

While discussing the previous hand with Grace Smith, Martin Hellmuth opened to 400,000 from the Cut-off. Jeferson Liete made the call from the Big Blind.

Liete checked the 7♣7♥K♦ flop, and as Hellmuth continued his analysis regarding the previous hand, he continued for 750,000. Dias made the call.

The turn was the 7♦. Liete checked, Hellmuth kept talking, and simultaneously bet 750,000. Once again, Liete made the call.

On the Q♦ river, Liete completed the check trifecta. This time, Hellmuth did not comment about the earlier hand. Instead, he announced he was all in, effectively forcing his opponent to risk his tournament life for his remaining 1,600,000. Liete made the call.

Martin Hellmuth: A♠7♠
Jeferson Liete: K♥4♥

“Quads,” Hellmuth announced as he turned over his hand. Obviously super hard to get away from this one if your name is Jeferson Liete; he was eliminated in position 6 for £3,050.

Martin Hellmuth: 10,400,000
Jeferson Liete: 0

Louis Cowen opened to 400,000 from the Lo-jack. Martin Hellmuth raised to 900,000 from the Button, prior to Grace Smith going all in for 2,750,000 from the Big Blind. Cowen folded, and Hellmuth started doing the math in his head. Eventually, he deemed he was priced in to make the call.

Grace Smith: A♥Q♠
Martin Hellmuth: J♣10♣

Both of Hellmuth’s cards were alive, but he didn’t connect on the 2♠9♥9♣2♥3♠ runout. Ace-high was good enough, and Smith doubled up.

Martin Hellmuth: 6,900,000
Grace Smith: 5,500,000

David-Adrian Barbu raised to 600,000 from the cutoff, and Jeferson Liete made the call from the small blind.

The flop came 7♠6♠J♠, and both players were quick to check.

After the turn peeled the K♦, Liete checked to Barbu. He continued for 900,000, and Liete moved all in having Barbu covered. He called for 3,490,000, and both players revealed their holdings.

David-Adrian Barbu: K♣K♥
Jeferson Liete: A♠Q♥

Barbu faded danger, as the river came the A♦ to receive the double.

David-Adrian Barbu: 8,580,000
Jeferson Liete: 3,950,000

The remaining six players are now on a 15-minute break. They are set to return to Level 30 (100,000/200,000 with a 200,000 Ante). Here are the current chip counts:

David-Adrian Barbu moved all in for 975,000 from the cutoff. Dost Ghrabie made the call from the big blind, and both players revealed their hands.

David-Adrian Barbu: A♠9♦
Dost Ghrabie: 4♥5♠

The board ran out 7♠10♣K♠3♣2♦ for Barbu to find the double.

Dost Ghrabie: 7,480,000
David-Adrian Barbu: 2,190,000

A fairly short-stacked Muctarr Jalloh went all in for 1,940,000 from UTG. Dost Ghrabie made the call from the Lo-jack, and as everyone else folded, he was heads up against Jalloh.

Muctarr Jalloh: 9♣9♦
Dost Ghrabie: A♦J♥

We haven’t seen a pair winning a flip against two overcards too many times today. This time would be no different, as the board J♦3♥4♦5♣A♣ secured the win for Ghrabie.

“I need to rush home and get some sleep,” a tired Jalloh said. Hopefully, he had time to collect his £2,415 before he left the building.

Dost Ghrabie: 7,600,000
Muctarr Jalloh: 0

Action was caught after the turn came the 8♥3♠10♠Q♦, and Martin Hellmuth was quick to check. Liam Trimmer fired for 1,100,000 and Hellmuth made the call.

The river was the 8♣, and Hellmuth jammed all in having Trimmer covered.

He took little time to make the call and revealed K♦K♣. Hellmuth showed 7♠8♠ to send Trimmer to the rail.

Seated UTG+1, Louis Cowen opened to 300,000. Action folded all the way to Jeferson Dias, who made the call from the Big Blind.

On the 8♣3♠9♦ flop, Dias check-called a 300,000 bet from Cowen. Action went check-check on the J♠ turn.

On the river 2♣, Dias forced his opponent all in for 1,985,000. Cowen snap-called.

Jeferson Dias: 7♥6♠
Louis Cowen: A♠A♦

A great call under pressure from Cowen, who received a full double-up.

Jeferson Dias: 7,600,000
Louis Cowen: 4,800,000

Martin Hellmuth opened to 250,000 from UTG. Action folded to Jorge Palomino on the Button, who re-raised to 800,000, leaving himself with perhaps 100,000 behind. Hellmuth put in the raise that forced Palomino all in, and Palomino made the call.

Martin Hellmuth: A♠J♠
Jorge Palomino: 10♥10♣

Palomino didn’t win this flip, as the board spelled out A♣Q♦8♠Q♥A♦. He was sent to the rail, earning £1,525 for his finish in position 9.

Martin Hellmuth: 11,400,000
Jorge Palomino: 0

Action folded to a small-stacked Danas Gerdziunas who, from the Small Blind, went all in for 485,000. David Barbu took a close look at his cards and eventually called Gerdziunas’ shove from the Big Blind.

Danas Gerdziunas: J♦8♣
David Barbu: 6♥5♥

Barbu hit a flush on the 9♣3♥A♥K♥6♠ runout, and with that, it was settled; Gerdziunas was eliminated in 10th place for £1,160, and the final table was set.

David Barbu: 2,140,000
Danas Gerdziunas: 0

Action folded to Grace Smith in the Small Blind, who opened to 250,000. Seated in the Big Blind, Jorge Palomino decided to defend and made the call.

Smith led out for 130,000 on the J♦5♣4♥ flop, and Palomino made the call. On the 3♣ turn, Smith checked, and Palomino fired 450,000. Smith made the call.

The river was the K♣. Once again, Smith checked, and Palomino now went big, betting 1,300,000. Smith thought the situation over for perhaps three minutes before she made the call.

Jorge Palomino: 9♦8♦
Grace Smith: J♥10♣

A great call under pressure by Smith, who claimed a big pot.

Grace Smith: 6,500,000
Jorge Palomino: 1,200,000

From the Button, Dost Ghrabie raised to 200,000. The Small Blind folded, and Big Blind-player Rovshan Gasimov turned to over to this reporter.

“Get ready for an all in and call,” he told me, as he moved all in for 800,000. “How did you know?” Ghrabie said as he indeed made the call.

Rovshan Gasimov: 3♣3♦
Dost Ghrabie: A♥4♦

Gasimov was ahead until the river, as the board 5♦6♣6♥K♥K♣ counterfeited him, and Ghrabie had the superior kicker with the ace. Gasimov was sent to the rail and received a £1,160 payout.

Dost Ghrabie: 8,800,000
Rovshan Gasimov: 0

Robert Ayton moved all in from middle position, and Jeferson Leite called from the big blind. Both players revealed their holdings.

Robert Ayton: 10♦10♥
Jeferson Leite: A♥K♠

The board ran out A♠2♠3♣8♥7♦ to send Ayton home.

With bust outs occurring rapidly, another familiar face has bit the dust. Action was caught after the flop of 10♣7♣7♦, and Jaime Staples checked to Dost Ghrabie.

He fired for 200,000, and Staples moved all in. Ghrabie made the call and both players hands were turned over.

Jaime Staples: 9♠8♦
Dost Ghrabie: A♠10♥

The board completed with the 3♣9♥ to send the Alberta ambassador out in 13th place.

Stavros Tsourou moved all in for around 600,000 and was called by Martin Hellmuth. Both players revealed their hands.

Stavros Tsourou: K♠Q♠
Martin Hellmuth: A♠7♦

The board ran out 5♦5♣K♥3♣A♣ to send Tsourou to the rail.

Action was caught after the flop of J♥K♠3♦, and Jeferson Leite checked to Adrian Ming. He moved all in and was called by Leite.

Adrian Ming: K♦10♥
Jeferson Leite: J♣8♠

The board completed with the J♦10♣ to send Ming out in 15th place.

The short stacked Krzysztof Michalik moved all in from the small blind for 400,000. Jorge Rebolleda took no time to call and both players revealed their holdings.

Krzysztof Michalik: K♦10♦
Jorge Rebolleda: A♥A♣

The board was scary as it came Q♠7♠5♦J♦6♥, but Rebolleda’s Aces held to find the first elimination fo the final two tables.

Jorge Rebolleda: 4,200,000

From the Button, Jorge Palomino opened to 200,000. Danas Gerdziun decided to raise to 500,000 from the Small Bland. Without any signs of hesitation, Safak Senyuksel called in an instant from the Big Blind, leaving himself with 75,000 behind.

Back to Palomino, who then 4-bet, forcing Gerdziun all in for an additional 850,000. Gerdziun folded, and naturally, Senyuksel threw in his last 75,000 for the call.

Jorge Palomino: A♥K♥
Safak Senyuksel: J♠J♥

The coinflip went the way of Palomino, as the board spelled out 4♦6♥K♦6♣7♣. “Good game,” Senyuksel announced as he hit the rail, earning £760 for his achievements.

Jorge Palomino: 3,800,000
Danas Gerdziun: 850,000
Safak Senyuksel: 0

Liam Trimmer called Peter Flynn’s all in. Both players revealed their hands.

Peter Flynn: A♠J♣
Liam Trimmer: Q♠10♣

The board ran out K♣8♥5♠K♠Q♦ to send Flynn to the rail.

In a Blind VS Blind encounter, Tim Wong and Jeferson Dias got all the money in pre-flop. Playing 1,250,000, Wong was the player at risk.

Tim Wong: A♥J♣
Jeferson Dias: 4♠4♦

Dias is runnin’ hot, and the Q♥4♣2♥ flop is proof of this. The 5♥ on the turn gave Wong the nut flush draw, but no dice, as the board completed with the A♣ on the river. Wong was eliminated in position 22 and earned £760.

Jeferson Dias: 8,100,000
Tim Wong: 0

Danas Gerdziunas opened to 220,000 from middle position, and Vitor Teixeira moved all in for 440,000. Gerdziunas made the call, and both players revealed their holdings.

Vitor Teixeira: A♣J♣
Danas Gerdziunas: J♠J♦

The board ran out 7♦2♦5♠9♥9♠ to send Teixeira out in 24th place (£605).

Action was caught after the board ran out 3♥6♦K♥8♥9♥. Vitor Teixeira fired every street, and moved all in after a river check from Jaime Staples.

Staples went into the tank going over the action of every street in his head.

He slipped a time bank token past the line, and eventually found the call.

Jaime revealed 6♥7♣ to best Teixeira’s A♦2♣.

Jaime Staples: 2,770,000
Vitor Teixeira: 405,000

Mingxin Li opened to 125,000 from the Lo-jack. Daniel Schofield made it 275,000 from the Cut-off, and Li decided to make the call.

Li was first to act on the 6♦A♠K♠ flop, and he checked. Schofield bet 90,000 prior to Li raising to 250,000. Schofield made the call.

The turn was the 9♥, and after using a timebank chip, Li forced his opponent all in for perhaps 500,000 more. Schofield leaned back in his chair, let out a heavy sigh, and made the call.

Mingxin Li: A♣Q♦
Daniel Schofield: A♥J♦

You get the feeling that Schofield knew he was beaten. The 3♠ on the river didn’t help him; he wished good luck to the remaining players as he left the tournament area to collect his £760 payout.

Mingxin Li: 3,400,000
Daniel Schofield: 0

Action folded to Sandeep Chaduvul, who, from the Button, went all in for 545,000. Dost Ghrabie made the call from the Big Blind.

Sandeep Chaduvul: A♥J♠
Dost Ghrabie: A♠Q♦

Chaduvul took the lead on the J♦10♣5♥ flop, but the K♥5♣ runout secured a straight for Ghrabie. Chaduvul was eliminated in position 26 and went to collect his £605 paycheck.

Dost Ghrabie: 7,350,000
Sandeep Chaduvul: 0

We’ve just witnessed what has to be the biggest pot of the tournament so far.

When we arrived at Table 28, the full board read 2♦2♠10♦Q♠10♥. At this point, there were already 2,100,000 in the middle. Jeferson Dias (seated in the Big Blind) and David Barbu (UTG+1) were involved in the hand.

Action was on Dias, who used a timebank chip, before firing a 1,150,000 bet. Barbu was visibly uncomfortable, and he threw in not only one but two timebank chips. Eventually, he threw in the chips for a call.

Jeferson Dias: Q♣Q♦
David Barbu: A♦A♣

Barbu let out a heavy sigh, as the absolutely abnormous pot went the way of Dias, who now has a monster stack.

David Barbu: 8,400,000
Jeferson Dias: 2,100,000

Vitor Texeira opened to 120,000 from middle position. Gang Wang and Rovshan Gasimov called from the blinds.

The flop came 3♦9♥10♣, and both players in the blinds checked.

Texeira fired for 255,000, and was rewarded with the pot.

Rovshan Gasimov: 2,510,000
Vitor Texeira: 2,210,000
Gang Wang: 605,000

Roberty Ayton opened to 120,000 from UTG. Peter Flynn defended his Big Blind.

Flynn check-called a 75,000 bet from Ayton on the Q♠8♣5♣ flop. Both players then checked the 8♦ turn. On the river 10♠, Flynn bet 250,000.

“Good turn for you, huh?” Ayton asked his opponent. “Yes,” Flynn replied in a very sophisticated manner. Ayton sighed as he threw in the chips for a call.

It turned out that Flynn lied; it wasn’t a good river. “You’re good,” he said as he mucked his hand. Being a good sport, Ayton revealed A♥Q♦ as he scooped the pot.

Robert Ayton: 1,600,000
Peter Flynn: 830,000

Safaak Senyuksel has been facing pressure as his stack is slowing dwindling through a series of small pots. First, Senyuksel defended his big blind after an open to 110,000 from Danas Gerdziunas.

The flop came 4♦10♠3♠, and Senyuksel checked to Gerdziunas. He fired for 80,000 to take down the pot.

The following hand, action folded to Vitor Teixeira from the button.

He moved all in having both the players in the blinds covered.

Senyuksel made the fold, along with the big blind.

Vitor Teixeira: 1,750,000
Danas Gerdziunas: 815,000
Safak Senyuksel: 615,000

Action folded to Mingxin Li who, seated in the Cut-off, went all in for 740,000. From the Small Blind, Daniel Schofield re-shoved for 1,400,000. Big Blind-player Jeferson Dias requested the dealer to count both stacks, but eventually, he wiggled his finger, signaling he was folding. With that, Li and Schofield turned over their cards.

Mingxin Li: A♥K♠
Daniel Schofield: A♣Q♥

Li was set to double up, and the prophecy came true as the board ran out A♦J♥6♥6♠10♦.

Mingxin Li: 1,500,000
Daniel Schofield: 660,000

The player seated in the Hi-jack raised to 300,000, virtually going all in. From the Small Blind, Stavros Tsourou re-shoved in order to isolate himself in the hand against the Hi-jack. He was successful in his mission and the two players went to showdown.

Stavros Tsourou: A♥J♦
Hi-jack: A♦4♦

Tsourou enjoyed the 5♣Q♣7♦8♣8♦ runout. He eliminated the Hi-jack player, and he’s now playing average stack.

Stavros Tsourou: 1,650,000
Hi-jack: 0

Louis Cowen opened to 100,000 from middle position, and Sandeep Chaduvul defended his big blind.

The flop came 6♠5♠6♣, and Caduvul was quick to check.

Cowen continued for 100,000, and was rewarded with the pot.

Louis Cowen: 3,900,000
Sandeep Chaduvul: 795,000

Action was caught after an all in and call occurred between Krzysztof Michalik and Mingxin Li. Both players revealed their holdings.

Krzysztof Michalik: 10♦10♣
Mingxin Li: A♠A♣

The odds immediately flipped, as the flop came 10♥K♠4♠. The board completed with the 6♦J♦ to give Michalik the double.

Krzysztof Michalik: 415,000
Mingxin Li: 200,000

Jorge Palomino opened to 80,000 from the Cut-off. Vitor Maia called from the Button, and after George Alexande folded his Small Blind, action was on James Staples. The PartyPoker ambassador took a close look at his hand before announcing all in. Imtimidated by his move, Palomino and Maia both folded, and Staples picked up some additional chips.

James Staples: 1,150,000

Action folded to Robert Ayton on the Button, who went all in for 1,100,000, to put maximum pressure on the players seated in the blinds. After the Small Blind folded, Boris Otel went into the tank. He used a 30-second timebank chip before making the call.

Robert Ayton: 7♥7♣
Boris Otel: K♠J♣

Otel received some additional hope on the A♥10♦5♠ flop, but the 8♥5♥ runout didn’t secure him the win. He was eliminated in position 34 and cashed for £605, as Ayton’s stack grew.

Robert Ayton: 1,950,000
Boris Otel: 0

Rovshan Gasimov raised to 45,000 from late position, and Adrian Ming made the call from the small blind. The big blind defended as well.

The flop came A♣K♠Q♦, and both blinds were quick to check. Gasimov fired for 70,000, and only Ming made the call.

After the board completed with the 4♦9♥, both players checked their option. Ming revealed Q♣J♦ to take the pot.

Rovshan Gasimov: 1,265,000
Adrian Ming: 815,000

From UTG+2, Wei-Chian Hsu opened to 65,000. Action folded to chip leader Dost Ghrabie, who defended his Big Blind.

Both players checked the 8♦9♣5♥ flop. On the 4♦ turn, Ghrabie bet 75,000 and was quickly called by Hsu. Action went check-check on the 3♠ river.

Ghrabie showed J♥9♥, which seemed to be enough as he took down the pot.

Dost Ghrabie: 3,500,000
Wei-Chian Hsu: 380,000

Cards are in the air, and the 36 players have taken their seats. While they all, naturally, have their eyes on the £18,475 first-place payout, the next milestone to reach is the pay jump from £605 to £760; players eliminated in positions 16-23 will take part in the latter.

It’s the final day of the £150 Mini Main Event! It’s safe to say that the 2025 PartyPoker Tour so far has been an excellent return to the live poker-scene that the organizers hoped for; the event has been stellar thus far in London, and today, we’ll see the culmination of the first major tournament of the series.

Ghrabie on the Hunt for Glory

For those who haven’t followed the tournament until this point, the quick backstory is that roughly 200 players advanced to Day 2 through the initial flights. Day 2 was played yesterday, and the tournament ended around 03:00 with 36 players bagging their chips.

Top 10 Day 3 Chip Counts

Leading the field going into Day 3 – the final day – is Dost Ghrabie. Navigating his way through the field, he managed to back 3,330,000 chips, which translates to roughly 111 Big Blinds. Breathing down his neck is Louis Cowen, who will unbag a 3,210,000 stack.

At position 15 in the counts, PartyPoker Team Pro James Staples appears with 1,185,000 in chips. Staples is looking to capture the £18,475 top prize, and a qualified guess is that we’ll see him in Day 1b of the £500 Main Event tomorrow.

The players will commence play at 18:00 – that’s roughly one hour from now. When play ended yesterday players were 10 minutes into Level 22 (15,000/30,000 with a 30,000 Ante), and they’ll pick up just where they left off. Each blind level is 40 minutes long.

Make sure to tune in frequently to the live blog here at poker.pro as we’ll be here with you all until a winner is crowned in the £150 Mini Main Event. We’ll also return shortly with today’s initial seat draw.

It was another thrilling day of action at Aspers Casino. Wednesday was jam-packed with action as it started with a turbo flight of the Mini Main in the form of Day 1f. Alongside the tournaments ran a group of themed poker panels featuring special guests from all walks of the industry.

Among them was poker.pro CEO Jason Glatzer (with a little help from Alek Gillies) with a live interactive panel about mixed games. Audience members joined and were dealt a hand of various games to learn the rules and joys that often come with playing mixed game events. As well, Asif Warris and Maureen Blochinger shared their experience in “Adventures in Poker Tourism.”

With the final flight of the Mini Main finishing, The prize pool of the tournament totaled £109,200 with the lion share going to first place. The eventual winner will receive £18,475, and the top two finishers will cash for over £10,000. A total of 220 players made it to Day 2 with only 130 of those making the money.

Day 1F is a Star Studded Field

One final turbo flight ran today, giving players a last shot at securing a bag for Day 2. Media mogul Glenn Brown did just that, closing out Day 1d with a healthy 195,000 in chips. Poker.pro’s own Maureen Blochlinger also found a bag in the final flight, though her exact stack is still under wraps for now.

Also bagging up chips in the final flight was local legend Karim Louis. He punched his ticket to Day 2 after a short break, and is perhaps most recognized for his role as a PartyPoker Ambassador—and his eco-minded mission through the Poker Against Plastic Pollution foundation. (Click the link to learn more, and stay tuned for our exclusive interview with Karim.)

Day 2 Finds an Explosive Start

A massive cooler occurred early in the day. John Kelly soared to the chip lead as he picked up pocket kings against his two players pocket queens. Neither could improve to cement Kelly as the first player past the 1,000,000 threshold. Grace Smith (920,000), Peter Flynn (890,000), and John Kelly (800,000) filled out the podium at the first break.

Louis Cowen joined the high society after he flopped a set and was behind. Luck was on his side, as he found a board pair on the river to take the hand. The bubble was brutal as repeated upsets occurred to bring into the money just one player away.

Alexander Mistlin woke up with pocket kings, and was all in against ace-king. An ace on the river spelled his demise, but he found a welcome surprise as the bubble had burst to give him a min-cash.

Staples Bags Decent

PartyPoker Team Pro, Jaime Staples, had successfully moved on from a Day 1 flight and was one of the 866 players battling it out in Day 2. Staples displayed excellent skills in doing two things simultaneously; during the later hours of the flight, his eyes were glued to an iPad, watching the ice hockey game between Washington Capitals and Montreal Canadiens.

His Canadian team may have lost the battle, but he managed to play great poker while railing his team. At the end of the day, he bagged 1,185,000 – i.e., 40 Big Blinds – and will enter Day 3 in position 15 of the chip count.

The James Bond of Poker’s Media Scene, Glenn Brown, also featured in the action-packed Day 2. His early day consisted mostly of folding, and scooping the occasional pot. However, he found a double with pocket jacks in a flip against king-queen.

Brown went from cheering for a jack to dreading it, as the jack would complete a gut shot straight draw for his opponent. He faded danger to double to 570,000. However, jacks have an unfortunate connotation in the poker world and Brown would learn why.

A little while later, he moved all in with pocket jacks and was called off by an opponent’s ace-nine of hearts. The flop gave Brown top set, but was dicey as his opponent had a flush draw. The turn gave his opponent more outs, and the river completed the flush without pairing the board. For his effort, Brown made a few ladder jumps to cash for £425.

A crazy three way all in occurred between pocket fives, pocket eights, and ace-queen. An ace from space gave Muctar Jalloh triple up, while Jobin George hit the rail. Shortly before the end of the day, the biggest pot occurred and was recalled to poker.pro by a dealer. This pot would set up Dost Ghrabie to be the chip leader as the day came to a close.

Day 3 Tomorrow – Here’s What to Expect

Day 2 concluded with 36 players. These will return at 18:00 tomorrow to continue the battle for the trophy and the £18,475 first-place payout. The standings going into Day 3 look like this:

The remaining 36 players are all guaranteed a minimum of £605. Here are all the payouts remaining:

Players will be returning to Blinds 15,000/30,000, with a 30,000 Ante, with 10 minutes of the level having already been played.

With 36 players remaining, play is over for today. The survivors will return tomorrow for Day 3; the final day.

Stay tuned for a recap of today’s action!

As the remaining 40 players are returning for the last break of the day, “a little bird” shared a hand with us that we’ve missed earlier. Get ready, because this was a big one, with the pot being a staggering 2,500,000.

The blinds were 12,000/24,000, with a 24,000 Ante. UTG+1 limped, Hi-jack limped, the Small Blind called, and the Big Blind checked.

With roughly 125,000 in the middle, the flop came 8♠4♥2♦. Action was checked to UTG+1 (the original raiser), who bet 50,000. Small Blind called, Big Blind went all in, UTG+1 went all in, Hi-jack went all in, and Small Blind folded.

At this point, there were 2,500,000 in the middle.

Big Blind: J♠J♦
UTG+1: 8♠8♦
Hi-jack: 7♠7♦

The eights improved to quad on the turn, and nothing could change the outcome on the river.

Jorge Rebolleda opened to 48,000 from the Cut-off. From the Big Blind, Daniel Schofield raised to 165,000. Rebolleda utilized a timebank chip before forcing Schofield all in for roughly 650,000 more. Schofield made the call.

Jorge Rebolleda: A♦8♦
Daniel Schofield: A♠Q♠

No help for Rebolleda on the 5♠9♥4♥6♦4♦ board. Schofield doubled up and took a big chunk out of the Rebolleda stack.

Daniel Schofield: 1,700,000
Jorge Rebolleda: 620,000

Kanchan Rai limped for 24,000 from UTG+1. Action folded to Kaloyan Stefanov, who raised to 80,000 from the Button. Folded back to Rai, who, without any hesitation, immediately put in a 550,000 raise. Stefanov, who only had 270,000 left after he made his 80,000 raise, decided to fold.

Kanchan Rai: 1,150,000
Kaloyan Stefanov: 270,000

At Table 26, Jobin George, Daniel Schofield, and Muctarr Jalloh all clashed all in pre-flop.

Jobin George: 5♠5♦
Daniel Schofield: 8♦8♣
Muctarr Jalloh: A♦Q♦

The board 9♥A♠K♥7♥7♦ saw George being eliminated, Schofield losing some of his big stack, and Jalloh tripling up.

Daniel Schofield: 870,000
Muctar Jalloh: 600,000
Jobin George: 0

UTG, James Miller went all in for roughly 200,000. Adrian Ming made the call from the Small Blind.

James Miller: A♥5♣
Adrian Ming: A♦Q♣

The board ran out K♣3♥3♦Q♦7♦, and Ming eliminated Miller.

Adrian Ming: 830,000
James Miller: 0

Bobby Sky opened to 40,000 from middle position. Glenn Brown moved all in for 260,000, and Sky made the call. Both players revealed their hands.

Glenn Brown: J♣J♦
Bobby Sky: K♠Q♥

Brown was chanting for a Jack, as the flop came 6♥10♣A♣. “I’ll take a Jack now,” joked Sky as the board completed with the 4♥8♦.

Glenn Brown: 570,000
Bobby Sky: 235,000

A somewhat short-stacked Jaime Staples went all in from the Hi-jack for roughly 230,000. His opponent contemplated a call.

“What do you feel like?” Staples asked his opponent. “Let’s gamble,” the response was.

Jaime Staples: A♦Q♣
Opponent: A♣J♠

The board 3♣5♠7♥10♣9♠ brought no funny business for Staples, who doubled up and is still alive, fighting in the tournament.

Jaime Staples: 490,000

Chee Tan opened to 32,000 from under the gun, and John Kelly called from early position. Dost Ghrabie also put in the call from middle position.

The flop came 2♥J♦A♣, and Tan continued for 45,000. He received a quick fold from his opponents.

John Kelly: 915,000
Chee Tan: 534,000
Dost Ghrabie: 416,000

PartyPoker Team Pro Jaime Staples may have lost some of his chips, but he’s found an iPad where he’s currently enjoying the ice hockey game between Washington Capitals and Montreal Canadiens.

Being Canadian, there’s no wonder Staples is a fan of the game, and when asked about the biggest similarity between poker and ice hockey, he simply answers, “Aggression.”

A second 30-minute break is currently happening, and just like that time, we’ve identified what are 10 of the biggest stacks in the room (rough estimates). The players will return to Level 19 (8,000/16,000 with a 16,000 Ante).

Nicholas Secker opened to 27,000 from middle position, and late position made the call. Safak Senyuksel made the call from the big blind.

The flop came 6♣3♦4♦, and Senyuksel checked to Secker. He continued for 27,000, and late position was quick to make the fold. Senyuksel made the call.

After the turn peeled the 9♦, and Senyuksel checked his option. Secker fired for 55,000 and was rewarded with the pot.

Nicholas Secker: 497,000
Safak Senyuksel: 326,000

Glenn Brown limped from middle position, and the small blind made the call. The big blind checked their option.

The flop came 9♥K♥5♥, and all three players checked their option.

After the turn peeled the Q♣, action checked to Glenn Brown. He fired for 25,000, and the small blind made the call.

The river was the A♠, and the small blind checked to Brown. He continued for 50,000, and the small blind snap jammed for 214,000. Brown made the call for less (197,000), and revealed A♥Q♥ to best his opponents 10♥3♥.

Glenn Brown: 500,000
Small Blind: 17,000

After some pre-flop shenanigans, Alexander Mistlin and Peter Flynn clashed all in. They both had monster stacks, but Mistlin was the player at risk, holding 750,000 in chips.

Alexander Mistlin: K♠K♣
Peter Flynn: A♣K♦

Poker can be a brutal game sometimes, and Mistlin would experience this as he saw the brutal river on the 7♥Q♣4♥9♠A♥ runout.

However, as he left the tournament area, a mistake was noticed. The floor discovered that Valentin-Catalini Ardeleanu had been eliminated quite some time ago. Such, Mistlin received a £260 min-cash.

Peter Flynn: 1,800,000
Alexander Mistlin: 0
Valentin-Catalini Ardeleanu: 0

From the Button, Luis Martinez moved all in for 84,000. Joseph Saunders called off from the Big Blind.

Luis Martinez: A♦5♦
Joseph Saunders: A♣9♣

The best hand held up, as the board ran out 9♦2♣5♣Q♥Q♠. With this, we’re now on the stone-cold bubble.

Joseph Saunders: 1,000,000
Luis Martinez: 0

Timothy Eastwood called an all in from middle position and both players revealed their holdings.

Timothy Eastwood: A♥5♥
Early Position: Q♠Q♣

The board immediately favoured Eastwood, as the flop came A♦5♠8♥. It completed with the 2♣6♠ for Eastwood to receive the double. His opponent was left with crumbs and busted shortly after.

Timothy Eastwood: 154,000

When 134 players remained, the floor announced hand-by-hand play would commence.

The first casualty during this somewhat slower stage of the tournament was Aytan Eldarova. She found herself all in with 10♣9♣ against the opponent’s A♥K♠.

Things were looking good for Eldarova all the way up to the river, as the board ran out 4♥8♣9♠Q♣K♦. A brutal river for Eldarova, who was eliminated in 134th place.

Middle position raised to 16,000, and Vladimir Marchevici defended his big blind.

The flop came Q♦J♥A♥, and Marchevici checked to the middle position player. They fired for 10,000, and Marchevici made the call.

After the turn peeled the 8♣, Marchevici led out for 25,000. His opponent moved all in for 97,000 and Marchevici made the call.

Middle Position: A♠K♠
Vladimir Marchevici: 10♦9♦

The board completed with the K♦ to give Marchevici the pot.

Vladimir Marchevici: 295,000

When circling the tournament floor, we got caught by Christoph Knight, who was kind enough to share the story of a 1,000,000 pot with us.

It all started with a six-way pot to the flop that read 9♥6♥7♣. The Small Blind led out for 25,000, which was roughly one third of the pot. Louis Cowen, who’d been the original raiser preflop, raised it up to 110,000. Action folded back to the player in the Small Blind, who went all in for perhaps 350,000. Cowen made the call as fast as the speed of lightning.

Small Blind player: 10♠8♠
Louis Cowen: 7♠7♥

The nut straight of the Small Blind player would prove to be no good in the end, as the board completed with the 5♦9♦. Cowen improved to a full house and won the pot that was just shy of 1,000,000 chips.

Louis Cowen: 940,000

While Day 2 of the Mini Main is heating up, it’s far from the only game in town. The £100 Gambler’s Connect NLH is underway, kicking off with a stacked field right from the jump. Among those in the mix is Matt Staples—one half of poker’s favorite brotherly duo—alongside a blend of both seasoned pros and ambitious amateurs.

As the saying goes (with a little creative license): “To be the best, you’ve gotta beat the best.” PartyPoker London and Aspers Casino are giving players that very chance. With the field currently on break, now’s the perfect time to dive in—or kick back and stay locked in with us as the week builds toward a grand finale.

During one of the first hands after the break, action folded to Mohamm Ullah in the Small Blind. He limped, and Alexande Maskell would allow it has he checked from the Big Blind.

On the 6♣K♦9♦ flop, Ullah checked to Maskell, who bet 18,000. Ullah made the call, and then, both players checked the 10♠ turn.

Ullah checked on the river 4♦, and Maskell bet 40,000. Ullah called in a heartbeat.

Alexande Maskell: Q♥10♦
Mohamm Ulah: J♥10♥

Maskell had the superior kicker, and such, the pot was awarded to him. With 142 players remaining, the money bubble is approaching, as the top 130 players will secure a £265 min-cash.

Alexande Maskell: 640,000
Mohamm Ulah: 152,000

As the remaining 152 players departed for a 30-minute break, we swept the floor, attempting to identify the top 10 biggest stacks in the room. The players will return to Level 16 (4,000/8,000, with an 8,000 Ante).

Action was caught after the flop of 3♥4♦2♦, and early position moved all in for 138,500. Joseph Saunders made a quick call and both players revealed their hands.

Early Position: A♣K♥
Joseph Saunders: 5♦6♦

The board completed with the 8♥9♦ to give Saunders the pot.

Joseph Saunders: 402,000

We’ve just witnessed what could be one of the most brutal hands of the tournament.

Matthew Skeadas limped from UTG. John Kelly called from UTG+1, before Grace Smith raised to 27,000 from the Lo-jack. Then, Howard Bean went all in from the Hi-jack for 400,000. Skeadas folded, and then, Kelly went all in for 290,000.

Smith went deep into the tank, utilizing a 30-second timebank chip. After maybe one minute, she made the call.

Howard Bean: Q♥Q♠
John Kelly: K♦K♣
Grace Smith: Q♦Q♣

Absolutely brutal situation for Bean and Smith. The board J♦5♠2♥2♣7♣ secured the win for Kelly and his Kings, and he may be the chipleader of the tournament at this stage.

John Kelly: 1,350,000
Grace Smith: 900,000
Howard Bean: 90,000

Action was caught after the turn came the 7♦Q♥3♣K♣, and Kalpesh Parmar fired for 22,000 from the small blind. Luke Kennedy called from the big blind.

The river peeled the 6♠, and both players took their time. Eventually, it was checked around. Parmar revealed K♦10♦ to take the pot.

Kalpesh Parmar: 283,000
Luke Kennedy: 177,000

One final turbo flight ran today, giving players a last shot at securing a bag for Day 2. Media mogul Glenn Brown did just that, closing out Day 1d with a healthy 195,000 in chips. Poker.pro’s own Maureen Blochlinger also found a bag in the final flight, though her exact stack is still under wraps for now.

On top of that, Blochlinger snagged second place in the Tennessee Hold’em event, earning herself a silver plaque and a special care package to go with it.

Also bagging up chips in the final flight was Will Kassouf, joined by fellow Brit Karim Louis. Both players punched their ticket to Day 2 after a short break, with Louis perhaps most recognized for his role as a PartyPoker Ambassador—and his eco-minded mission through the Poker Against Plastic Pollution foundation. (Click the link to learn more, and stay tuned for our exclusive interview with Karim.)

Day 1f featured 18 levels of action, with 33 players making the money. The total prize pool climbed to £109,200, and one lucky survivor will walk away with £18,475. Blinds on Day 2 will run in 40-minute levels with a break every three levels. Stay tuned as the field plays down to a handful of players. Tomorrow a victor will be crowned, as the Main Event gets underway too.

Li Zhang opened to 12,000 from the Hi-jack. She was called by Cosmin Staicu in the Small Blind, and Christoph Knight decided to defend his Big Blind.

The flop came 7♦A♥10♦. Staicu and Knight both checked before Zhang moved all in for 92,000. Staicu folded, and Knight took out his headphones; it was time for some speechplay.

“Do you want me to call?” he asked. “You must have an ace, right? I got middle pair and backdoors.”

Eventually, his hand went into the muck. Being a good sport, Zhang showed A♣J♣. Knight should be able to get a good night’s sleep tonight, knowing for sure he was behind.

Li Zhang: 152,000

David Gassian opened to 10,000 from UTG. Lotfi Boughanmi called from the Button, and Big Blind-player Clement Moreau also decided to join in on the fun.

All three players checked the 9♦7♦5♠ flop. On the 4♣ turn, it was checked to Boughanmi, who bet 10,000. Moreau called before Gassian folded.

Action went check-check on the 8♣ river.

Clement Moreau: A♣8♠
Lotfi Boughanmi: 8♥7♥

Rivered two-pair was enough for Boughanmi to take down the pot.

Lotfi Boughanmi: 140,000
Clement Moreau: 78,000

Cards are in the air since 25 minutes ago, and our live coverage of Day 2 starts right here, right now. Be sure to tune in frequently for live updates from the tournament.

Within a couple of minutes, we’ll be back with a payout post.