The 888LIVE UKPL Grand Final is heading to Coventry in December 2026, and the schedule is out. According to PokerNews, the festival runs at Grosvenor Casino at the Ricoh Arena, home of Coventry City, with a £560 Main Event guaranteeing £100,000. UK-based 888 players can qualify through a freeroll that awards 30 Main Event seats worth £16,800 in total. This guide covers the schedule, the qualification rules and what last year's results suggest about the field.
How to qualify: the 888 freeroll
The qualification route is a straightforward volume promotion open to UK-based 888 players:
- Play at least 40 tournaments, including BLAST, on 888 between November 8 and 28, 2026.
- Each of those tournaments must have a buy-in of at least $5.
- Qualifiers receive a special freeroll ticket.
- The UKPL Grand Final freeroll starts at 7:00 p.m. GMT on December 6.
- The top 30 finishers win a £560 UKPL Coventry Main Event seat, worth £16,800 in total.
The requirement of 40 tournaments at $5 or more implies a minimum outlay of $200 over three weeks, though the exact cost depends on the formats played. For regular grinders, this is a modest barrier. For occasional players, it can be a way to earn a seat in a field that would otherwise cost £560 per entry. Treat the volume requirement carefully: do not chase it with money you cannot afford to lose.
Key events
The festival runs from Tuesday, December 15 to Sunday, December 20, with the Main Event at its centre.
| Date | Time (GMT) | Event | Buy-in | Guarantee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tue 15 Dec | 12:00 p.m. | £250 NLHE Opening Voyage Day 1a | £250 | £50,000 |
| Tue 15 Dec | 5:00 p.m. | Pot-Limit Omaha 4/5/6 Card | £150 | £10,000 |
| Wed 16 Dec | 12:00 p.m. | Opening Voyage Day 1b | £250 | £50,000 |
| Wed 16 Dec | 7:00 p.m. | Opening Voyage Day 1c | £250 | £50,000 |
| Thu 17 Dec | 2:00 p.m. | £1,100 NLHE High Roller Day 1 | £1,100 | £50,000 |
| Thu 17 Dec | 3:00 p.m. | Main Event Day 1a | £560 | £100,000 |
| Fri 18 Dec | 1:00 p.m. | Main Event Day 1b | £560 | £100,000 |
| Fri 18 Dec | 6:00 p.m. | Main Event Day 1c | £560 | £100,000 |
| Sat 19 Dec | 12:00 p.m. | Main Event Day 1d | £560 | £100,000 |
| Sat 19 Dec | 6:00 p.m. | £220 NLHE KO Rumble | £220 | £5,000 |
| Sun 20 Dec | 12:00 p.m. | Main Event Day 2 | £560 | £100,000 |
| Sun 20 Dec | 2:00 p.m. | £150 NLHE Seniors | £150 | £5,000 |
| Sun 20 Dec | 3:00 p.m. | £200 NLHE Big Shot | £200 | £15,000 |
The Main Event has four Day 1 flights from December 17 to 19, with Day 2 starting at 12:00 p.m. GMT on December 20. Satellites for the Main Event cost £125 and award five seats each, and there is a £90 satellite for the Opening Voyage and Main Event. PokerNews notes an inconsistency in its own text, which says the Opening Voyage has three flights while the table lists Day 1a, 1b and 1c plus a Day 2.
What happened in 2025?
The previous Coventry Grand Final offers a guide to what a £100,000 guarantee looks like in practice.
- £560 Main Event: 303 entrants, £143,930 prize pool. Terelle Tavares won £27,518. Vitor Da Paiva (£23,213) and Wayne Peach (£20,109) were part of the three-handed ICM deal.
- £1,100 High Roller: 60 entrants, £57,540 prize pool. Ryan Mandara won £15,390.
- £250 Opening Voyage: 269 entrants, £56,210 prize pool. Tony Phillips won £12,350.
- £250 Big Shot: 80 entrants, £20,000 prize pool. Mark Wates won £3,560.
- £150 PLO 4/5/6 Card: 91 entrants, £11,240 prize pool. Michelle Bricknell won £2,800.
- £150 Seniors: 40 entrants, £5,000 prize pool. Timothy Lloyd won £1,770.
- £220 KO Rumble: 47 entrants, £5,000 prize pool. Ciaran McCullagh won £1,600.
The 2025 Main Event drew 303 entrants and a £143,930 prize pool, which is above this year's £100,000 guarantee level. That is a useful reference point, but the 2025 guarantee was not stated in the PokerNews report, so it is not a like-for-like comparison. Field sizes can also change from year to year.
Why the UKPL matters
The UK Poker League format has become a major feeder for UK live poker, and 888's online-to-live pathway helps expand the pool of players. For players who rarely travel, a freeroll with 30 seats is an effective way to access a live festival. For the operator, it encourages volume play during a defined window. Our 888poker UKPL Manchester coverage shows how the tour operated earlier this year.
What this means for players
Check the maths on the freeroll. If you are close to the 40-tournament requirement anyway, the promotion is good value. If you would have to change your habits significantly, weigh the cost against the value of a £560 seat. Our bankroll management guide can help you decide.
Prepare for the live structure. Live Main Events play slower than online tournaments, and you will meet more recreational players. Our online poker vs live poker comparison covers the key differences, and brushing up on poker tells and the poker hand rankings helps new live players avoid costly mistakes.
Know your deal options. The 2025 Main Event ended with a three-way ICM deal. Understanding ICM before you reach a final table makes those decisions easier.
Choose a reliable site. UK players have strong regulation and plenty of choice. See our UK poker guide, and use safe poker sites to compare operators.
Bottom line
The 888LIVE UKPL Grand Final offers a £100,000-guaranteed £560 Main Event, a £50,000-guaranteed Opening Voyage and a £1,100 High Roller, all at Grosvenor Coventry from December 15 to 20. UK 888 players have until November 28 to complete the 40-tournament requirement for a shot at one of 30 freeroll seats on December 6. Check the final conditions on the 888 site before you commit.
Source: PokerNews, "888LIVE UKPL Grand Final Schedule Released; 30x Main Event Tickets to Be Won," November 2026.