The 2025 Grosvenor UK Poker Tour (GUKPT) Manchester festival concluded with a thrilling £1,250 Main Event, where Junxian Du outlasted a competitive field of 437 entrants to claim his first recorded live tournament victory and a career-best payday of £84,700.
Du’s Breakthrough Victory in a Stacked Field
With a total prize pool of £455,160, only 56 players secured a payout. Notable names making deep runs included Timothy Chung, Antoine Labat, Robert Douras, David Gee, and former WSOP Main Event finalist Antoine Saout, who narrowly missed the final table in 11th place.
The official final table was set when Vanessa Kade exited in 10th place. The 2021 Sunday Million 15th Anniversary champion was in contention to become the first female GUKPT Main Event winner but fell short when her ace-eight lost to Andrew Bak’s queen-nine suited.
Final Table Results and Key Hands
The final table saw several dramatic eliminations:
- 9th Place – Jake Stone (£7,250): His pocket eights couldn’t hold against Andrew “Stato_1” Hulme’s pocket kings.
- 8th Place – Jewel Miah (£10,420): Lost a crucial all-in with pocket sevens against Du’s ace-five, with an ace hitting the river.
- 7th Place – Brendan McManus (£13,580): Fell to David Ledden, whose trip nines crushed McManus’ jack-ten.
- 6th Place – Andrew Bak (£18,610): His ace-ten couldn’t outdraw Ravi Sheth’s ace-jack.
- 5th Place – Andreas Olympios (£25,180): The former WPT500 champ ran pocket fours into Sheth’s ace-deuce and lost when an ace landed on the flop.
- 4th Place – Andrew Hulme (£33,810): His pocket kings were cracked by Du’s ace-eight, which improved to a ten-high straight.
- 3rd Place – David Ledden (£45,910): Lost a flip with pocket eights against Du’s king-queen when Du made Broadway.
Du Secures Title with a Dramatic Heads-Up Win
The heads-up battle between Junxian Du and Ravi Sheth was short but intense. Sheth moved all-in with ace-ten, only to see Du call with king-queen. A queen on the turn sealed Sheth’s fate, and Du was crowned the 2025 GUKPT Manchester champion, pocketing £84,700 for his incredible run.
This landmark victory not only marks Du’s first live tournament cash but also establishes him as a rising force in the UK poker scene.
