The GUKPT Blackpool festival is the penultimate stop of the 2026 Grosvenor UK Poker Tour, and it arrives with more than £500,000 in guarantees. Running from October 30 to November 8 at Grosvenor Casino on Blackpool's South Promenade, the series is headlined by a £1,250 Main Event with a £250,000 guarantee from November 5 to 8. According to PokerNews, it is Blackpool's 21st GUKPT stop, and it is the eighth leg of the season.
If you are planning a trip to the north-west of England, or looking for a satellite route in, here is what you need to know.
Key events and guarantees
PokerNews lists the main events as follows. Because the report contains some inconsistencies between its schedule table and its text, a few figures below are flagged as such.
| Event | Buy-in | Guarantee | Dates |
|---|---|---|---|
| GUKPT Warm-Up (NLHE) | £125 | £15,000 | Oct 30 or 31 |
| Mini Main (NLHE) | £250 | £100,000 | Nov 1 to 4 |
| PLO | £200 | £10,000 | Nov 2 |
| PLO High Roller | £1,000 | £25,000 | Nov 3 to 4 |
| High Roller (NLHE) | £1,500 to £1,650 | £100,000 | Nov 4 to 5 |
| GUKPT Main Event (NLHE) | £1,250 | £250,000 | Nov 5 to 8 |
| GUKPT Cup (NLHE) | £550 | £50,000 | Nov 7 to 8 |
| Closer events (online) | £110 | £15,000 | Nov 9 to 10 |
The Main Event runs Day 1a on November 5, Day 1b and a turbo Day 1c on November 6, Day 2 on November 7, and Day 3 on November 8. Other events include a £140 Main Event satellite, a £170 High Roller turbo satellite, a £200 turbo, a £150 deepstack, a £250 Last Chance and a £200 Closer.
The Warm-Up's date and the High Roller's exact buy-in are listed differently in different parts of the PokerNews report, so check the official schedule before you travel.
The final Kav Cup
One of the more touching parts of the schedule is the final edition of the Kav Cup on October 31. Created by Rick Gilby in memory of poker player Derek Kavanagh, the event donates the full £20 of the buy-in to charity. PokerNews reports it has raised more than £84,000 so far. The buy-in is given as £40 plus £20 in the text and £60 in the schedule, so those two descriptions describe the same total.
What £250,000 means for a £1,250 buy-in
A £250,000 guarantee on a £1,250 buy-in works out to a break-even field of around 200 entries before fees (our own arithmetic: 250,000 divided by 1,250). In practice the required number is a bit higher once fees are deducted. Recent Blackpool Main Events have comfortably cleared that bar.
PokerNews provides a history of Blackpool Main Events:
- November 2025: Konstantinos Patsourakis won £67,990. The prize pool was £289,560 and he beat Liam McMurray heads-up. The report gives the field as 279 in the table and 270 in the text.
- November 2024: Ravi Sheth, £68,580.
- March 2024: Ludovic Geilich, £56,150.
- November 2023: Ian Gascoigne, £62,198.
- March 2023: Lin Chen, £65,310.
- November 2022: Jamie Clossick, £109,000, from 543 entrants, the largest field listed.
The first Blackpool Main Event, in 2007, was won by Paul Bracken for £109,700 from 353 entrants. Earlier champions include Priyan de Mel, Simon Deadman, Richard Trigg, Tom Middleton and Yiannis Liperis.
What the history tells us
Two points stand out. First, winners' prizes in recent years have clustered between roughly £56,000 and £69,000, apart from the 2022 outlier. That suggests fields in the range of 270 to 300 are typical. Second, the 2025 prize pool of £289,560 would clear this year's £250,000 guarantee by about £39,000, so organizers will likely need a field similar to last year's to avoid adding money. A bigger field would boost the top prize toward the £100,000 mark last seen in 2022.
For players, an event with a guarantee near the expected prize pool is neither a gift nor a trap. If entries come in under the guarantee, there is an overlay that benefits the field. If they come in over, the prize pool grows with the field. Either way, the structure is fair, and the multi-flight format gives you several chances to play.
Satellite routes
The cheapest way into the Main Event is online. PokerNews reports that online satellites at GGPoker and Grosvenor Poker start at £1. Players who win a Main Event seat online at GGPoker, or buy into the £1,250 live event using a GGPoker account, get a 10 percent cash boost on Main Event winnings.
That boost is a meaningful incentive. A 10 percent bonus on a £67,990 first prize, for example, would be about £6,800 on top, though the exact terms apply as published by the operator. If you play at GGPoker, read the rules before you qualify. Our tournaments page tracks other satellite opportunities, and the bonus hub compares promotions across sites that accept players from your country.
Planning your trip
Blackpool is one of the most accessible stops on the UK circuit, and a 10-day festival offers entries at multiple price points. A few practical suggestions:
Choose your events wisely. The Mini Main at £250 with a £100,000 guarantee is a lower-cost way to experience the festival. The Main Event offers the bigger payday, but a sensible plan might be to play both rather than chase a single high-variance bet. Our bankroll management guide provides rules of thumb for how many buy-ins to hold.
Consider PLO. The £200 and £1,000 PLO events offer a different dynamic. Omaha fields tend to be smaller and more specialized, but they can offer value for players who study the game. Our Omaha guide and Hold'em versus Omaha comparison can help you decide.
Use the turbo flights strategically. The Main Event's Day 1c is a turbo flight, which means faster structure and more variance. If you prefer deep-stacked play, choose Day 1a or 1b.
The 2026 GUKPT context
This is the penultimate leg of the season, which means the series is approaching its finale. We have previously covered the GUKPT Grand Final at Victoria, the Leeds Main Event and the Grosvenor October calendar. Blackpool fits between them, offering a regional stop with a national-quality schedule.
For UK players, the tour is a reminder that the live scene is healthy outside London. A £250,000 guarantee in Blackpool, a charity event with a long track record and satellites from £1 add up to a festival with something for everyone.
What to expect
Based on the numbers, expect a Main Event field in the high-200s or low-300s, a winner's prize in the £65,000 to £75,000 range, and a competitive Mini Main. That is an estimate drawn from past results rather than a prediction, and every festival has surprises. If the weather turns, the casino fills, and the satellite cards run hot, the field could grow.
If you are going, register early, bring a plan and keep your expectations realistic. Live poker rewards patience and discipline, and the best results come from players who prepare. For a primer on the basics, our Texas Hold'em guide and beginner poker sites pages are useful starting points, and the UK poker hub covers the wider market.
Bottom line
GUKPT Blackpool offers a full slate of guaranteed events, a well-known Main Event with a long history, and a final Kav Cup that supports a good cause. With more than £500,000 in guarantees and satellites from £1, it is one of the most player-friendly stops on the UK calendar this autumn.