The 2025 Grosvenor Goliath is on course to break its own record after the first three starting days of the £200 tournament.
Although Day 1a was a little down (104 entries) on the 2024 numbers, the ongoing biggest ever GUKPT Main Event likely impacted that turnout. Day 1b’s attendance was very similar to 2024, with just six additional entries, Day 1c on Monday however saw numbers jump significantly year-on-year, with 1,498 entries, up 343 on the same flight in 2024. Day 1d was another biggie, with 290 more entries than in 2024.
Overall that puts the Goliath 535 entries up on 2024 at the same point in the competition and well on course to deliver a total prize pool of over £2m!
| Starting Day | Entries | 2024 Entries | Y-O-Y Change | Survivors |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1a | 1,384 | 1,488 | -104 | 111 |
| 1b | 1,434 | 1,428 | +6 | 110 |
| 1c | 1,498 | 1,155 | +343 | 115 |
| 1d | 1,319 | 1,029 | +290 | 102 |
| Totals (So Far) | 5,635 | 5,100 | +535 | 438 |
- Read more: Ravi Sheth wins Biggest Ever GUKPT Main Event
- Read more: Live Poker in the UK – What’s On in August
Goliath Chip Leaders
Luke Tatum was the Day 1a chip leader, bagging 928,000. He was straightforward in his assessment of how he did so well, when interviewed by Phil “The Tower” Heald, saying he simply keeps putting chips in the pot and taking back more than he put in. Sadly, the GUKPT comedian gig has already been taken, or they would have had to let him down gently. Adam Bone on 873,000 and Richard Howard on 838,000 had the next biggest stacks of the 111 who made it through to Day 2.
One player less, 110 progressed from Day 1b, with Rikard Johansen claiming the top spot, the first player to secure a seven figure stack. Michael Agg on 893,000 and Aram Ramadan on 780,000 were in second and third place at the end of the day.
The anonymous pair of KH (1,350,000) and AJM (1,113,000) were the top two stacks from Day 1c, with Winston Edwards in third on 833,000. Tony Poulengeris made it through this flight with an above average 531,000, as did Dan Charlton (397,000). Sinad Davenport (204,000) and Conor O’Driscoll (203,000) both survived the day, with a little less than the average.
Day 1d of the Goliath saw a further 1,319 players take their seats, of which 102 progressed, with Joseph East’s 1,353,000 being the biggest so far, at the half-way point of the opening flights. Zak Lung Ky bagged exactly 1m chips, while Stuart Hoskin is just behind on 980,000.
Yuzhou Yin Wins High Roller for £75,170
Yuzhou Yin won the £1,500 High Roller, outlasting a field of 264 players to take down the £75,170. He won his seat into the event from a satellite. He admitted to being quite experienced at heads up play and said it felt amazing to secure the title, his first high roller event victory. Second placed Les Packer secured £56,200 but he’s heading back home to Cardiff for work, so won’t be staying to play the Goliath itself.
Rick Trigg Leads Super High Roller After Day 1
Having gone close in his quest to winning a 4th GUKPT Main Event title, Rick Trigg headed off for a celebratory pub dinner, which his wife was initially supposed to pay for, but his £74,000 prize shifted that responsibility.
Trigg returned on Wednesday for Day 1 of the £3,000 Super High Roller, which had a total of 30 entrants and built a huge stack, closing the day with 330,000, equivalent to 110 big blinds. It’s a high quality final table with Brandon Sheils, Tom Hall, Andrew Wilson and Andrew Hulme all still in.
Just four of the nine players who are returning for the final day will be paid, with £38,000 awaiting the winner. The final table will be streamed live on Grosvenor Poker’s YouTube channel from 4pm on Wednesday.
Amber Sullivan Wins Goliath Ladies
The Goliath Ladies event saw a massive field of 180 take their seats, generating a prize pool of over £30,000. It was won by Amber Sullivan, who pocketed the £5,940 first prize. She beat Xingying Zhang heads up, with Grace Welsh taking third.
99 Not Out (But Out)
The oldest player in the field (in the history of the event it is believed) was Alan Foster. He looks very youthful for someone so close to a century old, but he lost his tournament life on Day 1a this year. He’ll live to fight another day and hopefully will extend his record when he plays it next year, going on a deep run in the process.
Photos by Mickey May, courtesy of Grosvenor Poker
