The Grosvenor UK Poker Tour’s (GUKPT) fifth leg of the 2024 season in Luton has concluded, marking another milestone in the tour’s history. The £1,250 Main Event, held from May 2 to May 5 at the Grosvenor Casino Luton, saw a field of 212 entrants, creating a £218,870 prize pool. Emerging victorious was Chris Johnson, who clinched the title along with a £48,570 first-place prize.
Johnson, a regular at the GUKPT, dominated the final table for his second GUKPT Main Event title, with the first being his win in Leeds in 2022, where he secured £73,070. With the latest triumph, Johnson has now surpassed $750,000 in live tournament earnings.
Following his victory, Johnson reflected on his strategy with a chip lead he had: “When I had all those chips, it wasn’t easy, but it surely made it easier. I used the chips, beat some hands and it worked out well.” Despite the game’s competitive nature, Johnson remained humble as his opponent, Kevin Allen, also had high praise for Johnson: “Chris used his chips to perfection, put an absolute clinic on, just a different class. He did everything he meant to do with a chip lead. To be honest, I’m over the moon to come second.”
In the heads-up for the win, it was between Johnson and Allen, a seasoned player himself, who was hunting for his second Main Event title after his win more than a decade ago at the 2013 London’s Grand Final, where he took home £158,700.
2024 GUKPT Luton Main Event Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Prize |
| 1 | Chris Johnson | £48,570 |
| 2 | Kevin Allen | £36,340 |
| 3 | Ron Boon | £25,170 |
| 4 | Trevor Reardon | $16,850 |
| 5 | Keith Johnson | £11,820 |
| 6 | Glen Gaines | £8,750 |
| 7 | Seb Crane | £7,010 |
| 8 | Matthew Davenport | £5,950 |
| 9 | Paul McAulay | £5,250 |
2024 GUKPT Luton Main Event Final Table Recap
The final day of the £1,250 GUKPT Luton Main Event was a dominance by Chris Johnson, who enter the final table as the overwhelming chip leader with 158 big blinds and it seems it was his tournament to lose.
Paul McAulay was the first to depart. His tournament ended when he pushed his 14 big blinds into the middle with ace-king, only to be bested by Johnson’s pocket tens.
Matthew Davenport, a veteran who has now made a record 13th GUKPT Main Event final table appearance, was next to leave. Holding just one big blind, Davenport went all-in with ace-deuce against Allen’s ace-nine. Allen completed a flush, sending Davenport to the rail in 8th place for £5,950. This is also his third final table in a row after he finished second in Edinburgh and eighth in Blackpool.
At this point, Johnsons had more chips in front of him than the other six players combined. Seb Crane was hoping for a comeback with pocket kings and only five big blinds, but Johnson flopped trip queens with king-queen, ending Crane’s run in seventh place for £7,010.
Glen Gaines‘s journey concluded in sixth place with two consecutive losses. First, with ace-six and then ace-jack, both against inferior hands preflop. The eliminations continued with Keith Johnson, who three-bet shoved with ace-five of hearts only to run into Chris Johnson’s pocket kings. No help from the board saw him exit in fifth place for £11,820.
Trevor Reardon was the next casualty, his ace-queen no match for Chris Johnson’s king-jack, which connected with a jack on the flop, now holding twice as many chips as both players left. Rob Boon, who started the day as the underdog with the smallest stack and 20/1 odds to win, managed a commendable run but ultimately fell when his second pair of tens clashed with Johnson’s top pair of ace, securing him £25,170.
The heads-up match between Chris Johnson and Kevin Allen was brief, as Johnson had a 5:1 chip lead at the start of the battle. Allen had less and less chip in every passing hand and eventually went all-in with king-four, and Johnson called with queen-jack.
As often that day, Johnson prevailed, capturing the pot and sealing the victory for £48,570, while Allen had to settle for a runner-up finish and £36,340.
GUKPT Heads to London
GUKPT 2024 season continues at the iconic “The Vic” in London for the sixth leg, running from May 15 to 26. This prestigious venue will host the £1,250 Main Event, among other regular tournaments in the festival’s schedule.
This marks the second visit of the year to The Vic, the first being in January when Luke Porter took down the Main Event, taking home £116,710.
