Adam Wilkinson has finally added a Grosvenor UK Poker Tour Main Event title to his record, almost two decades after first making a deep run on the circuit.
Wilkinson won the £1,250 GUKPT Blackpool Main Event for £55,035 after outlasting a 190-entry field. He also collected an additional £5,504 after entering the tournament through his GGPoker account.
His connection with the tour goes back to February 2007, when he finished 11th in the GUKPT Walsall Main Event. That tournament was only the second Main Event in GUKPT history.
Wilkinson Finally Converts a Deep Run Into a Title
Wilkinson has been a regular presence on the GUKPT since its early years and had already won several side events.
A Main Event title, however, had remained out of reach.
His previous best finish came in Newcastle in July 2007, where he placed seventh.
That changed in Blackpool.
After securing the trophy, Wilkinson admitted that fortune had been firmly on his side and joked that he might now retire from poker, comparing the moment to once playing nine holes of golf at par and then never returning to the game.
£1,250 GUKPT Blackpool Main Event Final Table Payouts
- 1st: Adam Wilkinson — £55,035
- 2nd: Michael Whitehead — £42,435
- 3rd: Chris Guertin — £26,580
- 4th: Christopher Wood — £17,790
- 5th: Jon Kalmar — £12,210
- 6th: Chris Cox — £8,880
- 7th: Benjamin Hill — £6,980
- 8th: Trevor Reardon — £5,920
- 9th: Peter Charalambous — £5,200
The tournament generated a £237,500 prize pool, with the top 25 finishers reaching the money.
Several familiar names also cashed, including John Bousfield, Matthew Davenport, Jamie Dale, Justin Devonport, Fraser Bellamy, Yucel Eminoglu and David Docherty, who finished just outside the final table.
Experienced Players Fill the Final Table
The nine-handed final table included several players with long histories in live poker.
Peter Charalambous was the first to depart in ninth. He recorded his first live cash back in 2005 and passed $1 million in career earnings earlier in 2026.
Trevor Reardon followed in eighth. He flopped trip kings against Christopher Wood, but Wood improved to a full house on the river.
Benjamin Hill exited in seventh after moving in for around 15 big blinds with pocket queens. Jon Kalmar called with ace-nine and completed a flush.
Chris Cox then finished sixth for £8,880, the largest live tournament cash of his career.
Wilkinson Wins Key Pots on the Way to Heads-Up
Jon Kalmar, who finished fifth in the 2007 WSOP Main Event for $1,255,069, was eliminated in fifth place.
Kalmar put in around 20 big blinds with ace-king against Wilkinson’s pocket eights. Wilkinson improved to a full house and reduced the field to four players.
Christopher Wood was next to go.
Wood moved all-in for 12 big blinds with pocket nines. Michael Whitehead called with pocket fours, while Chris Guertin came along with ace-king. Whitehead hit a set of fours and sent Wood out in fourth.
Guertin was eliminated in third soon after.
He moved his remaining short stack in after making second pair, but Wilkinson had top pair and held to reach heads-up play against Whitehead.
Wilkinson then completed the run and claimed the title that had eluded him since the earliest days of the GUKPT.
