Matthew Pitt
Walsall may not be the first city that springs to mind when you think of poker destinations but it has been a mainstay on the ever-popular Grosvenor UK Poker Tour (GUKPT) since the tour’s creation in 2007.
The GUKPT has headed to Walsall during nine of the previous 10 seasons with only Season 9 in 2015 not seeing the Midlands casino host one of the GUKPT’s prestigious events.
Previous GUKPT Walsall Results
| Season | Buy-in | Entrants | Champion | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | £1,050 | 360 | Jerome Bradpiece | £121,600 |
| 2 | £1,060 | 287 | Jeff Kimber | £83,910 |
| 3 | £1,060 | 301 | Sunny Chattha | £88,150 |
| 4 | £1,070 | 206 | Colin McTaggart | £57,700 |
| 5 | £1,070 | 172 | Alan Mansbridge | £50,000 |
| 6 | £1,070 | 153 | Daniel Haglund | £45,100 |
| 7 | £550 | 144 | David Tighe | £24,910 |
| 8 | £550 | 196 | Ben Winsor | £29,000 |
| 9 | ||||
| 10 | £550 | 241 | Lee Wai Kiat | £34,850 |
Jerome Bradpiece won the inaugural GUKPT Walsall Main Event in 2007. Back then, the tournament commanded a £1,050 buy-in and attracted 360 players through the casino’s door. Bradpiece was the last man standing and that result netted him £121,600, which is still the largest live cash of the popular pro’s career.
Other winners of GUKPT Walsall include Jeff Kimber, Sunny Chattha, David Tighe, Ben Winsor and the reigning champion Lee Wai Kiat.
2017 GUKPT Walsall Schedule
| Date | Time | Tournament |
|---|---|---|
| Sun 23 Apr | 12:00pm | £110 NLHE Mini Main Event Day 1a |
| 7:30pm | £26 Super Satellite to Main Event | |
| Mon 24 Apr | 4:00pm | £26 Turbo Satellite to Main Event |
| 6:00pm | £110 NLHE Mini Main Event Day 1b | |
| Tue 25 Apr | 4:00pm | £26 Turbo Satellite to Main Event |
| 6:00pm | Mini Main Event Final Day | |
| 7:30pm | £165 No-Limit Hold’em | |
| Wed 26 Apr | 4:00pm | £26 Turbo Satellite to Main Event |
| 6:30pm | No-Limit Hold’em Final Day | |
| 7:30pm | £110 NLHE 6-Max | |
| 9:00pm | £82 Super Satellite to Main Event | |
| Thu 27 Apr | 1:00pm | £550 NLHE Main Event Day 1a |
| 4:00pm | £26 Turbo Satellite to Main Event | |
| 6:00pm | £82 Pot-Limit Omaha 4/5/6 | |
| Fri 28 Apr | 1:00pm | £550 NLHE Main Event Day 1b |
| 9:00pm | £110 NLHE Bounty | |
| Sat 29 Apr | 1:00pm | Main Event Day 2 |
| 6:00pm | £110 NLHE Win the Button | |
| Sun 30 Apr | 12:00pm | Main Event Final |
| 4:00pm | £82 No-Limit Hold’em |
This season’s GUKPT Walsall festival runs from Apr. 23 through to Apr. 30 and features several tournament and satellites for players to get their teeth into. The highlight of the week-long festival is the £550 buy in Main Event thanks to its £100,000 guaranteed prize pool.
Other highlights include the £110 Mini Main Event, which kicks off the festival in style, a £165 no-limit hold’em event, a £110 bounty tournament and a £110 six-handed tournament.
Satellites for the Main Event are available during the week at the Grosvenor Casino, Walsall and online at Grosvenor Poker where if you download the software via UK & Ireland PokerNews you receive a 200 percent up to £700 first deposit bonus.
2017 GUKPT Results
| Leg | Entrants | Buy-in | Champion | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| London | 435 | £1,100 | Michael Zhang | £113,000 |
| Manchester | 268 | £1,100 | Andrew Hills | £46,988 |
| Edinburgh | 227 | £550 | Paul Green | £17,500 |
Walsall is the fourth leg of the 2017 GUKPT and if previous events from this year are a benchmark, anyone competing at Walsall is in for a treat.
Michael Zhang triumphed in London in the opening leg of the 2017 season and won a massive £113,000 before Andy Hills became a GUKPT champion in Manchester and added £46,988 to his lifetime winnings. The latest GUKPT winner was Paul Green who topped a field of 227 in Edinburgh and turned £550 into £17,500.
What do you think?