Brandon Sheils capped a strong run at the 2026 Grosvenor UK Poker Tour (GUKPT) London stop by adding the £1,250 Main Event title to his High Roller win earlier in the week.
Less than a week after taking down the £2,500 No-Limit Hold’em High Roller for £49,560, Sheils went on to outlast a 368-entry Main Event field, earning a further £88,760 to complete a notable double at the London festival.
Following his High Roller victory, Sheils registered for the Main Event without delay and ended Day 1 with the fourth-largest stack in the room. He remained near the top of the counts throughout the tournament before closing out the title at the final table.
Heads-Up Battle Goes the Distance
Sheils entered heads-up play against Mehdi Chaoui holding a 64-to-31 big blind advantage, though the contest proved far from straightforward. Chaoui, who has more than $3.5 million in career tournament earnings, applied steady pressure as the final day stretched to nearly ten hours.
The decisive hand took place at the 60,000/120,000 level. Chaoui min-raised with five-three of clubs and Sheils defended with seven-five. The flop came seven-ace-ace with two clubs, and Sheils check-called. A second seven on the turn gave Sheils a full house, and he continued with another check-call. When a non-club nine fell on the river, Sheils checked once more. Chaoui moved all-in, and Sheils made the call to bring the tournament to an end.
Key Hands at the Final Table
The £1,250 Main Event attracted 368 entrants and generated a £383,060 prize pool, with the top 44 finishers reaching the money.
Jacob Mulhearn was the first player eliminated at the final table, finishing ninth (£6,620). He committed his remaining 15 big blinds with pocket tens, but Mehdi Chaoui’s ace-queen prevailed after an ace appeared on the flop.
Joseph Field exited in eighth place (£7,970) following one of the defining hands of the event. Field moved all-in on the turn holding a pair of red aces on a ten-queen-seven-five board with two hearts. Vitalie Grecul, holding the seven-deuce of hearts, completed a flush on the river when the nine of hearts landed.
Paul Vas Nunes finished seventh (£9,850) after his pocket nines were overtaken by Vikrum Mehta’s ace-jack when a jack fell on the turn. Grecul followed shortly after in sixth place (£12,710), with his king-queen running into the already-made straight of Giorgos Onisiforou.
Vikrum Mehta bowed out in fifth place (£17,550) after his ace-ten shove was unable to get past Mehdi Chaoui’s pocket fives. Peter Stewart was eliminated in fourth (£25,780), when his ace-six was beaten by Brandon Sheils’ king-queen of diamonds, which went on to make a flush.
Giorgos Onisiforou claimed third place and £39,030. His ace-king was beaten by Sheils’ ten-nine after a nine appeared on the turn, setting up the heads-up finish.
2026 GUKPT London Main Event Final Table Results
| Rank | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brandon Sheils | £88,760 |
| 2 | Mehdi Chaoui | £59,300 |
| 3 | Giorgos Onisiforou | £39,030 |
| 4 | Peter Stewart | £25,780 |
| 5 | Vikrum Mehta | £17,550 |
| 6 | Vitalie Grecul | £12,710 |
| 7 | Paul Vas Nunes | £9,850 |
| 8 | Joseph Field | £7,970 |
| 9 | Jacob Mulhearn | £6,620 |
Full Festival Results
| Event | Entrants | Prize Pool | Champion | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| £1,250 Main Event | 368 | £383,060 | Brandon Sheils | £88,760 |
| £2,500 High Roller | 72 | £157,310 | Brandon Sheils | £49,560 |
| £500 G500 | 513 | £219,300 | James Mitchell | £47,770 |
| £340 Mini Main | 758 | £214,520 | Anthony Desai | £45,000 |
| £550 GUKPT Cup | 177 | £84,540 | Keith Littlewood | £19,680 |
| £1,100 PLO High Roller | 63 | £59,850 | Daniel James | £19,420 |
| £250 PLO 4/5/6 Card | 114 | £23,830 | Maksims Uskovs | £6,320 |
| £200 Turbo | 86 | £14,700 | Patrick Brown | £4,560 |
| £200 Closer | 77 | £13,170 | Arun Sood | £4,150 |
| £330 PLO Bounty | 29 | £4,130 | Maksims Uskovs | £1,650 |
Next Stop: Grosvenor UK Poker Open
The GUKPT now heads to Coventry for the Grosvenor UK Poker Open, which runs from February 1 to February 17. The schedule is highlighted by a £1,500 buy-in Main Event featuring a £1 million guaranteed prize pool.
Last year’s edition was won by Andrew “Stato_1” Hulme, who topped a 950-entry field to claim the title and £219,720.
