The inaugural UK Poker League (UKPL), the latest fruit from the 888poker and Grosvenor Casinos partnership, kicks off inside the Grosvenor G Casino in Coventry from January 16, and one man is all but nailed on to be in the Midlands: Ludovic Geilich.
The popular Scotsman this week put pen to paper on a sponsorship deal with Grosvenor Poker, making him a fully fledged member of Team Grosvenor. Geilich will fly the Grosvenor flag alongside Katie Swift, Andy Hills, Jamie Nixon, Euan McNicholas, Matt Davenport, and the winner of the 2023 National Poker League Calogero Morreale.
Geilich has played in Grosvenor events for the past 17 years. Indeed, his first-ever recorded live cash came in a £220 No-Limit Hold’em tournament at the 2007 Grosvenor UK Poker Tour (GUKPT) London festival.
Last year, Geilich captured his first GUKPT Main Event title. The man third on Scotland’s all-time money list, triumphed in the £1,000 GUKPT Edinburgh Main Event and booked a £79,590 win. He came close to bagging another title in Blackpool towards the end of 2023, but crashed out in fourth for £25,230.
Sandwiched between those results was an outright victory in the £2,500 No-Limit Hold’em High Roller, which was part of the 888poker LIVE Coventry festival.
UK Poker League Coventry Schedule
The UK Poker League (UKPL) by 888poker is one of the most talked about additions to the British live poker landscape. The GUKPT has dominated the live scene in the UK since its inception, but there is scope for a low-to-mid-stakes tour offering high-class tournaments, which is where the UKPL comes in.
The inaugural UKPL runs from January 16-21 at the Grosvenor G Casino in Coventry, the same location where the world-famous Goliath calls home.
A £250 No-Limit Hold’em Opening Voyage gets the festival underway before a £1,100 High Roller, plenty of live satellites and side events compliment the Main Event, a £560 buy-in affair offering four flights.
Main Event players sit down with 30,000 chips and play to a 40-minute clock throughout, with each flight ending when only 15% of the field remains. That top 15% progresses to Day 2 with a min-cash in tow.
888poker is adding over $20,000 worth of value to the UKPL via a leaderboard. Players earn points based on their finishing position in UKPL tournaments and the buy-ins of those events, with the top ten points earners receiving a prize.
| Rank | Prize | Value |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5x 888poker LIVE Event packages | $10,000 |
| 2 | Year’s subscription to UKPL Main Events | $4,750 |
| 3 | 2x XL Series High Roller ($525) and 2x Mystery Bounty Main Event ($250) tickets | $1,525 |
| 4-5 | XL Series High Roller ($525) and Mystery Bounty Main Event ($250) ticket | $775 |
| 6 | 5x XL Series $109 tickets | $545 |
| 7 | XL Series High Roller ticket ($525) | $525 |
| 8 | 4x XL Series $109 tickers | $436 |
| 9 | 20x $20 Blast tickets | $400 |
| 10 | 10x $20 Blast tickets | $200 |
Qualify Online at 888poker
Online satellites for each UKPL leg are available at 888poker. Those satellite cost $55 to enter and award £560 ($680) seats to UKPL Main Events. Feeder satellites from only $0.01 and even freerolls set you on your path to UKPL glory.