The 2025 Grosvenor Goliath has shattered its own record, with the final number of entries now confirmed to be 12,961*. This is an increase of almost 1,200 entries year-on-year, cementing the Goliath’s continuing status as the largest ever field for an event held outside Las Vegas. The 1,059 players who made it through are all in the prize money and at the time of publishing this article, are already back in play at the Grosvenor Casino in Coventry.
The prize pool has also been confirmed as £1,970,070 and there’s a record setting £316,000 for first place, with the runner-up set to increase their net worth by £217,500. The min-cash amount is £430.
*Final numbers may still need to be re-confirmed, as there appears to be a discrepancy of 24 players in the figures below (12,937) and the 12,961 figure that has been announced. The current tournament clock also suggests that the number of entries is 12,937. This article will be updated once the correct data is known.
Day 1e
On the fifth of the eight starting days of the Goliath, the numbers started to ratchet up, with 1,739 entries, of which 139 progressed into Day 2. Four players bagged stacks of over 800,000, with the anonymous SR hoarding the most, on 838,000. Kirk Leadbeater (810,000), Robert Anscombe (809,000) and Thomas Mullineaux (801,000) were the others to cross over this barrier.
Day 1f
Friday’s Day 1f saw numbers cross over the 2,000 mark, with 2,175 entries in the flight, from which 184 made it to the end of level 178, when play was suspended. Jack Semple’s 1,130,000 was the largets stack of the flight and the only one to cross into seven figures. Second placed Cipran Berdan’s 990,000 is very close to that milestone, while Harry Barbara secured the third biggest with 960,000.
Day 1g
King Ko’s 1,003,000 stack was good enough to claim the chip lead in Day 1g, in which a staggering 2,368 entries were made. He was one of 197 who made it through from the largest starting day, with Andrei Iordache (968,000) and Juan Daza (964,000) not far behind.
Day 1h Turbo
Almost 1,000 entries were made in the final turbo flight of the 2025 Goliath, which played down to 10% rathe than a set number of levels. The day came to an end with 101 of the 991 players who fired a final bullet making it through.
Joseph Gibbons’s massive stack of 1,360,000 secured him not only the largest sack of the flight, but the biggest of the entire tournament, going into Day 2. Gilbert Black also ended the day with seven figures, on 1,100,000, but these two were the only ones to really bag up big.
Gilbert made last year’s final table and walked away with the most in the deal, despite not booking the win. Could he make another deep run this year? James Day, the player who posted the 3rd biggest stack from the flight was way back on 483,000.
Rick Trigg Wins Super High Roller
Determined to push on from his 4th place finish in the record breaking GUKPT Main Event earlier this week, Rick Trigg showed his class once again, taking down the £3,000 Super High Roller for £38,000, pushing his winnings for the week into six-figures. The event had 30 entries, nine of whom made it to the second day, with Trigg as the overnight leader, with 50% more chips than his nearest rival. Tom Hall, Andrew Wilson, Brandon Sheils and Andrew Hulme also made it through to the second day.
The final day was played out on the TV table, but with only four prizes, it began very slowly and took ages before the first player hit the rail. After a very long session of play, Trigg emerged victorious, defeating Xiaoyun Li heads-up to claim the £38,000 first prize. Li took £21,800 for 2nd, while Tom Hall (3rd for £12,000) and Brandon Sheils (4th for £8,000) were the other two to make the prize money.
Trigg had stepped back from being a full-time professional, but has now decided to get back on the saddle and resume his career at the tables, but first its family holiday time.
Keith Littlewood Takes Down PLO High Roller
The Pot Limit Omaha High Roller was won by Keith Littlewood. He topped a field of 158 players in the £550 buy-in event for £16,975. By securing this win, Littlewood has extended the lead he already had in the National Poker League, where he is now in prime position to kick on and win the £40,000 sponsorship package that awaits the winner.
Main Event Travel Open Smashes Guarantee on First Flight
The first flight of the £260+£40 Main Event Travel Open had 375 entries, which meant that the £100,000 guarantee was already met, with three further flights still to take place. James Parker was the chip leader of the 29 who made it through the day, ending up with a towering 863,000, far ahead of Vicki Jagger’s 512,000 and Ashleigh Naisbitt’s 510,000. GUKPT Main Event runner up Simon Willson had the next biggest stack, on 503,000.
Due to the huge turnout in the Goliath, the remaining flights of this event will all be run using a turbo structure. The first of these, Day 1b, took place on Friday, with a further 338 entries, 49 of whom progressed. Only one player broached the half million mark, Gerard Dooley, on 507,000. Christopher Day lies in second from this flight, on 485,000.
The event has two further starting days, one on Saturday at 9pm, with the last flight starting at 11am on Sunday. It concludes on Sunday evening and is likely to have a prize pool in excess of £300,000.
Photos by Mickey May, courtesy of Grosvenor Poker
