The Grosvenor UK Poker Tour (GUKPT) third leg of its 2024 season was held in the lively seaside town of Blackpool. The series captured eight numbered events from March 10 to 17, with the £1,250 Main Event drawing the most attention and anticipation from the UK poker crowd.
Emerging victorious and beating other 206 players was Ludovic Geilich, who secured the GUKPT Main Event title and a prize of £56,150 after a heads-up battle against Callum Gordon. This is Geilich’s second GUKPT win, with his first victory coming last year in Edinburgh, when the series visited his home country.
“Ludo” is one of the UK’s best poker players, currently sitting in third on Scotland’s all-time money list, boasting over $3.4 million in live tournaments earnings. His illustrious career is full of titles from major series such as EPT, UKIPT, partypoker LIVE, 888poker LIVE, and three online COOP titles.
Geilich has been a part of GUKPT since its inception in 2007, cashing in his first series in London, so the tour has a very special place in his heart. At the start of the season, Geilich joined Team Grosvenor as a sponsored pro, and just two months later, he’s already celebrating another win.
It was a star-studded final table featuring some of the most accomplished UK players. Matthew Davenport, the 2022 GUKPT Player of The Year, claimed the eighth-place finish, while Paul Rigg, a seasoned player with four tour victories under his belt, secured the seventh spot.
Kevin Houghton earned a fifth-place finish, netting £13,870, and high roller regular Keith Johnson took home £19,620 for his fourth-place achievement. Andrew “stato_1” Hulme, live and online crusher, rounded out the top three, setting the stage for the intense heads-up that followed.
Another excellent performance for Callum Gordon, who secured a runner-up finish just five after he got the biggest piece of the pie in the same GUKPT event in Blackpool, winning £73,675 following a deal. Geilich and Gordon had faced off at that same final table.
After finishing second, Gordon said: “I would love to stay undefeated, but can’t complain about getting to heads-up. Heads-up was a battle and good fun. Can’t have much more of a challenge than going head-to-head against Ludo.”
Geilich, in his post-win interview, had nothing but praise for Gordon: “It’s amazing that Callum has done it again. He has never been knocked out in Blackpool. He has also done it twice with a single bullet.” Geilich continued, “Callum played great, and he’s a very tough opponent, so I am over the moon.”
2024 GUKPT Blackpool Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Prize |
| 1 | Ludovic Geilich | £56,150 |
| 2 | Callum Gordon | £42,080 |
| 3 | Andrew Hulme | £29,500 |
| 4 | Keith Johnson | £19,620 |
| 5 | Kevin Houghton | £13,870 |
| 6 | Peter Visnyovszki | £10,380 |
| 7 | Paul Rigg | £8,380 |
| 8 | Matthew Davenport | £7,120 |
| 9 | Michael Clarke | £6,250 |
