Yucel Eminoglu wins his first GUKPT Main Event title in Luton.

Yucel Eminoglu won the GUKPT Luton Main Event, taking home £57,640 and his first GUKPT title. He defeated top players like Pranav Agarwal at the final table, ending a years-long title drought.

If you've ever played live poker in the UK in the past 20 years, you've likely missed out on Yucel Eminoglu. Affectionately known as "Mad Turk," this player has been a mainstay of the British poker scene for decades. Now, after his victory in the Grosvenor UK Poker Tour (GUKPT) Luton Main Event, Eminoglu can finally call himself a GUKPT champion.

Eminoglu has accumulated dozens of prize money records in the GUKPT, including several near misses in the Main Event. In 2021, he finished as runner-up in the £2,000 GUKPT Grand Final, winning a career-best £183,650, his closest brush with winning the GUKPT Main Event.

Eminoglu won the £1,250 GUKPT Luton Main Event, which attracted 190 players, creating a total prize pool of £236,250, shared by the top 25 players. The minimum prize was £3,240, increasing to £5,170 for reaching the final table. The champion will take home £57,640.

2026 GUKPT Luton Main Event Final Table Results

An anonymous player using the pseudonym "PC" was the first to be eliminated from the final table. Max Burney was subsequently eliminated after pushing his final 10 big blinds into the pot with K-9, but needed a miracle to beat Constantin Erhan's AJ. The flop of a J left Burney with only three Kings to turn the tide, but they didn't appear.

Keith Littlewood was eliminated in eighth place after losing to Eminoglu. Littlewood initially called with A-8, then went all-in with three raises after Eminoglu raised. Unfortunately, Eminoglu held AK and quickly called. Eminoglu's hand held, and Littlewood's day ended there.

Erhan took sixth place and the final four-figure prize of £8,830. He went all-in with pocket kings on his final 17 big blinds, seemingly in a strong position against Pranav Agarwal's AJ. But Agarwal hit an ace on the flop and held the lead until the end.

After Chris Kryprianou was eliminated, the final five became four. He went all-in with his remaining nine big blinds, J-10, against Joe Hindry's AK. The flop of a K eliminated Kryprianou.

Just as he eliminated Littlewood earlier, Eminglu once again sent another dangerous opponent off the table with AK. Bryan Taylor made it to another important final table, throwing in 22 big blinds with A-8, needing a miracle to beat Eminglu's dominant AK. Taylor hit a straight and a flush draw on the flop, but the Scotsman was unlucky; Eminglu evaded his draw, eliminating Taylor.

After Joe Hindry's elimination, the tournament went heads-up. Hindry went all-in with two high cards and an open-ended straight draw, facing Eminoglu's bottom two pair. Eminoglu upgraded to a full house on the turn, and Hindry was soon eliminated.

Eminoglu entered heads-up play against Agarwal with a massive chip advantage of 81 to 15 big blinds, a formidable gap for the Indian grinder. In the opening hands, Eminoglu raised with J-7, Agarwal triple-raised all-in with AQ, and Eminoglu called. The flop of a J gave Eminoglu the chip lead, but Agarwal still had a chance to win and double up by hitting an A, K, or Q.

The turn card, a 7, gave Eminoglu two pair, meaning Agarwal needed a King to make a "Broadway" straight to stay in the tournament. After burning a card, the river card was a 2, eliminating Agarwal in second place with £39,310, while Eminoglu was crowned champion of the GUKPT Luton Main Event, winning £57,640.

2026 GUKPT Luton Event Results

While Eminoglu was the biggest winner of the series, several other players also amassed considerable winnings. Ajay Kejriwal won the £1,650 No-Limit Hold'em High Roller event, taking home £31,060; Derek Boyle emerged victorious in the £340 Mini Main Event, netting £26,775.

Of particular note is Craig Sarginson, who first won the £250 PLO 4-card event for £4,710, and then won the £1,100 PLO High Roller event, adding another £19,000 to his winnings.

GUKPT will now take a short break before returning to the 2026 Goliath Series in late July. A busy schedule is planned, with the most anticipated event being the £200 buy-in Goliath. PokerNews will bring you more coverage of this series in the coming weeks.

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