Renee Xie makes history in Luton, becoming the first woman to win the GUKPT!

Renee Xie has won the GUKPT Luton Main Event, becoming the first woman to win the Main Event in the tour's 20-year history. She beat out 396 players to take home £35,435.

Although the season has entered its sixth stop in the 20th season of the Grosvenor British Poker Tour (GUKPT), this historic tour has finally witnessed a female player win the Main Event. Renee Xie emerged victorious from a field of 396 players in the £560 GUKPT Luton Main Event, winning £35,435 and making history as the first woman to win the GUKPT Main Event.

"This means a lot to me," Xie said in an interview after winning the championship. "I'm so excited I can't speak, I can hardly believe it."

Xie previously finished second at the 2017 Leeds event, nearly winning the GUKPT Main Event. That result earned her a career-high £33,000. This victory at the Luton event brings her a new career-high of £35,435.

2026 GUKPT Luton Main Event Final Table Results

*Reflects the bonus distribution following the tripartite agreement

The top 50 players shared a total prize pool of £188,100. Among those in the money were 2025 GUKPT Luton runner-up Charlie Waters, as well as Adam Wilkinson, John Bousfield, Lorenc Boci, Yucel Eminoglu, Paul Romain, the Sinead and Matthew Davenport couple, and Keith Littlewood.

Yifei Dong was the first finalist to be eliminated, his ninth-place finish earning him £3,120. Dong's first two records on Hendon Mob both came from Grosvenor events – he won £51,229 in the £300 No-Limit Hold'em event at Behemoth in 2025, and added another £26,800 by finishing second in the G300 event at Coventry in February 2026.

The eighth place finish and £3,790 prize went to Timothy Chung, the 2022 GUKPT London Main Event champion. Jay Samani finished seventh and won £6,100; Joseph Phillips finished sixth and won £6,110, his third-largest live prize of his career.

Ciaran McCullagh, who won £140,000 with $ in the 2024 WSOP Main Event, finished in fifth place, earning £8,480. Gary Nordigian's run ended when he poured in his final 11 big blinds with 10♦5♦ and faced off against Xie's pocket aces. Nordigian made two pair on the turn, but Xie hit trips on the river.

The final three players reached an agreement based on ICM, reserving an additional £9,100 for the ultimate winner.

Christopher Gallagher benefited the most from the deal, receiving £26,930 for being the third to be eliminated, instead of the originally announced £18,600. Gallagher's elimination put Xie in a heads-up match against Sanjay Ranchhoddas, a relatively new live poker player.

The decisive hand took place at the 60,000/120,000 blind level. Ranchhoddas raised to 300,000 with A♥3♥, leaving him with less than 1 million chips. Xie called with 10-8, and the flop came 10-9-9. Xie checked; Ranchhoddas bet 375,000 and then quickly called when Xie went all-in.

With the turn and river cards being the 7 and Q respectively, Ranchoddas was eliminated in second place, earning £28,545, while an emotional Xie was crowned the GUKPT Luton Main Event champion, an achievement that brought her a prize of £35,435.

Reactions to Xie's historic victory on social media have been mixed, with some players claiming that Xie still owes them £15,000, while others have accused her of reneging on a shareholding agreement nearly a decade ago.

Other results from the 2026 GUKPT Luton event

Two peripheral tournament winners at the GUKPT Luton event took home five-figure prizes. Ciaran McCullagh won the £1,000 High Roller for £16,620. McCullagh then finished fifth in the £560 Main Event, earning an additional £8,480.

Reza Moghaddam won the £250 Mini Main Event, earning £19,250.

GUKPT regulars Mariusz Czech and Keith Littlewood also tasted victory. Czech won the £340 GUKPT Cup, earning £9,665; Littlewood won the £200 final tournament, earning £2,600.

GUKPT Leeds will be held in less than three weeks.

GUKPT will travel to Leeds for its seventh stop of the 2026 tour. The GUKPT Leeds will be held from September 24 to October 4, featuring a variety of events including a £1,000 buy-in Main Event with a guaranteed prize of £200,000.

Last year, Keith Littlewood was crowned the GUKPT Leeds Main Event champion, defeating 246 opponents to win the £40,440 jackpot.

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