The 888LIVE London festival at Grosvenor Victoria Casino has produced two notable winners in its first days. Hungary's Richard Broda won the £340 Mini Main for £26,220, and the veteran John Duthie took the £550 Big Shot for £12,470. Both events beat their guarantees or came in at healthy sizes, and both offer useful lessons about how mid-stakes UK tournaments are shaping up this autumn. Details below come from PokerNews coverage of the festival.
We have already covered the opening days in our Crazy 8 report and the festival preview, 888poker Live London at The Vic. This article focuses on the Mini Main and Big Shot results.
Richard Broda wins the £340 Mini Main
The Mini Main drew 402 entries for a prize pool of £114,560. Nine players reached the final table, and Broda started it third in chips while Artin Bazai began with the shortest stack. In the end, Broda beat Guang Yang heads-up to claim £26,220. PokerNews credits his experience: "Broda's superior experience shone through, and he defeated Yang to claim the title." Yang was making his third final table appearance at the festival.
The win is Broda's third-largest live score, behind a $55,000 cash in the WSOP Paradise Super Main Event and a $307,000 runner-up finish at the 2025 Dolce Vita Series.
Mini Main payouts
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Richard Broda | £26,220 |
| 2 | Guang Yang | £17,520 |
| 3 | Pranav Agarwal | £11,490 |
| 4 | Michael Long | £7,580 |
| 5 | Tomas Dailidonis | £5,170 |
| 6 | Philip Corion | £3,730 |
| 7 | Greg Hawes | £2,860 |
| 8 | Hanyang Shi | £2,300 |
| 9 | Artin Bazai | £1,900 |
Other notable players who cashed in the top 50 included Oliver Hutchins, Christopher Day, Adam Wilkinson, Vikram Mehta and Yucel Eminoglu.
What the numbers say
At £340 apiece, 402 entries would total £136,680 in gross buy-ins. With a reported prize pool of £114,560, about 84 percent of buy-ins went into prizes, meaning roughly 16 percent covered fees. That is our own calculation from the reported figures, and it is higher than some other live events we have covered. It highlights something every UK live player should keep in mind: rake varies, and lower buy-ins often carry a higher percentage fee.
First place, £26,220, is about 23 percent of the prize pool. That is top-heavy but not unusual for a field of this size, and it means that finishing second (£17,520) or third (£11,490) still delivers a strong return.
John Duthie takes the £550 Big Shot
In a smaller field, John Duthie outlasted 97 opponents to win the £550 Big Shot at the Victoria. The event drew 98 entries and generated a £47,020 prize pool, comfortably above its £30,000 guarantee. Duthie collected £12,470, while Rafael Robles finished second for £10,500.
PokerNews calls Duthie "the legendary John Duthie" and a "Poker Legend," although the report does not go into his career history. Other notable names at the final table included Philippe Souki, who has more than $2.5 million in live cashes and finished ninth, and Max Winberg, whose eighth-place finish was his first recorded live score in four years. Payouts at the nine-handed final table ran from £1,300 for ninth to £12,470 for first.
The overlay that wasn't
A £30,000 guarantee on a £550 buy-in implies a break-even field of roughly 55 to 60 entries after fees. With 98 entries, the event cleared that mark by a wide margin. For players, that matters: a guarantee that is comfortably exceeded means no overlay, and thus no extra value for entrants. Players looking for value should seek events where the guarantee sits above the likely field size. In this case, the field was healthy enough that the organizers did not have to add money.
The small field has another effect. Top-heavy payouts are less extreme in a 98-entry field, and the gap between first (£12,470) and second (£10,500) is relatively modest. That often leads to deals in smaller events, though PokerNews does not indicate one here.
Other results
The festival also featured a £250 PLO 4-Card event, which drew 61 entries and a £12,750 prize pool. Maksims Uskovs won £4,170, and Lin Chen took second for £2,740. PLO events at UK festivals tend to attract a more specialized crowd, which often produces tough fields, so a field of 61 is respectable.
Coming up, the £2,000 High Roller is on deck. Last year's £1,650 edition was won by Nuno Duarte for £43,510 after 114 entries. The £1,250 Main Event follows, and the reigning champion is Gang Wang, who won £86,600 from a 367-player field. PokerNews live coverage began October 14.
What this means for UK players
The 888LIVE London series sits within a busy UK autumn schedule that also includes the GUKPT and Grosvenor events. A few practical takeaways:
Mid-stakes events offer the best value. A £340 Mini Main with 402 entries and a £550 Big Shot with 98 entries both produced strong results for the players involved. The Mini Main's size gives a big return for a modest buy-in, while the Big Shot's smaller field produced a higher chance of cashing. Choose the format that fits your bankroll and risk tolerance.
Experience still matters. Broda's win, as PokerNews notes, owed a lot to experience. In larger fields, variance dominates, but over a long career, skill pays off. Studying pot odds, position and stack dynamics through our poker strategy hub can help close the gap.
Check the fee structure. If a festival is charging a higher percentage fee on smaller buy-ins, factor that into your decision. The difference between 11 percent and 16 percent adds up over many entries.
The online-to-live pipeline
888LIVE events are closely tied to the 888poker online brand, and many entrants win their seats online. If you play online, check satellite schedules, which can turn a small buy-in into a seat at a festival like this. Our online versus live comparison explains the differences and trade-offs, and our guide to tournament formats helps you decide where to focus.
Bottom line
Richard Broda added £26,220 to his live results and John Duthie reminded everyone that veterans can still win. Both events were well attended and well run, and both offer instructive numbers for anyone planning a UK trip. With the High Roller and the £1,250 Main Event still to come, 888LIVE London has more stories ahead.