Steve Jelinek Wins Record Breaking GUKPT Event

History was made this past weekend, as the biggest ever event on the GUKPT was held. The Grosvenor UK Poker Tour has been a mainstay on the calendar over the past couple of years, but its popularity has grown massively over recent months following the lifting of lockdown restrictions in the United Kingdom.

Some of the biggest stars in the UK have travelled to Coventry over the past couple of months to get involved in the event, which led to this week’s event being the biggest in the history of the event. Last week saw the GUKPT Mini Main event take place. In total, there were 607 players involved in the event, which was a greater number of players than the previous three events that had been staged in Coventry.

Jelinek Wins Huge Event

The increased number of players in the GUKPT event in Coventry meant that there was a bigger purse available to players this week. The 607-player field meant that the prize pool rose to £406,690, which meant that players in the top 58 places all were able to take home considerable prize money. However, none were able to get close to Steve Jelinek, who reigned supreme in the event this past week. The star was able to pick up winnings of £105,050. That return was a considerable way away from his biggest ever live cash return in a game of poker, which was $407,146.

However, he has now taken home more than $1.5 million in winnings during his career. He is also ranked 71st on the all-time money list for players from England, and 1,173rd on the all-time money list for players from around the world. It was a fine display from the player from Manchester, as he was able to have all the answers to questions that were posed of him on the final table.

Hamilton Leads Main Rivals

The final day of play saw just 20 players left standing, with Matthew Bushell being one of the first to fall at the final table. He was still able to walk away with £5,980 in returns from the event. However, it was Ian Hamilton that was the star that pushed Jelinek all the way in the closing stages, as Hamilton finished as the runner-up in the GUKPT event in Coventry. Still, it was a profitable finish for the player, as he walked away from the event with prize money of £70,950.

Dan Hopkins just missed out on a place in the top two positions, as he finished in third, while Maz Bako was fourth in the GUKPT event in Coventry. Ming Zu was next on the leaderboard, with Zu claiming £16,340 in returns for his performance. John Bousfield was in sixth, while Chris Johnson was eliminated just before. Adam Wilkinson finished down in eighth in the event, but he still won £6,970. Meanwhile, other players that were able to take decent returns from the event, including Matthew Davenport, Jack Hardcastle and Jamie Nixon, who all finished in places 40 and higher.