Volume Over Highlight Reels: How Douras Got to the Top
Robert Douras leads the 2026 National Poker League (NPL) standings with 186.03 points. Bryan Taylor sits second on 169.39, with Brandon Sheils third on 143.51, following the recent GUKPT Manchester festival.
The NPL counts each player's 20 best qualifying results over the course of the year. That structure matters here. Douras has 17 qualifying cashes in 2026. Sheils, despite his eye-catching January run, has eight. Only Taylor and Calogero Morreale have also reached double figures in qualifying results so far.
Douras' most recent scores came at GUKPT Manchester, where he finished 18th in the Main Event for £3,380 and runner-up in the £200 No-Limit Hold'em Turbo the day before for £2,220. In the Low Roller League, he leads Morreale by nearly 49 points, with 148.77 to Morreale's 100.02.
Taylor Building Steadily as He Shifts to Tournaments
Scotland's Bryan Taylor is in the process of transitioning from cash games to tournaments, and 2026 has been productive. Last October, he won the GUKPT Edinburgh Main Event for a career-best $43,920. This year he added £13,910 for fourth in the £340 Mini Main at GUKPT London, £6,610 for seventh in the £2,500 High Roller at the same stop, and £5,020 for eighth at the UKPL Luton Main Event final table. Taylor also appears in the High Roller League standings, ranking eighth with 23.83 points.
Sheils' NPL Position Understates His 2026 Results
Sheils won both the Main Event and the High Roller at GUKPT London at the turn of the year, collecting a combined £138,320. He followed that with a runner-up finish in the £1,100 UKPC High Roller for £20,500, though that result does not count toward NPL points. GUKPT Manchester was a tougher stop, but Sheils remains second in the High Roller League on 36.10 points.
Balmforth Out Front in the High Roller League
Chris Balmforth leads the High Roller League with 54.18 points. His first Hendon Mob entry came only in late August 2025, making his current position all the more notable. In 2026, Balmforth has posted four High Roller results: fourth in the £1,100 PLO High Roller at GUKPT London, eighth in the £2,500 High Roller at GUKPT Coventry, third in the £1,100 PLO High Roller at GUKPT Manchester, and third in the £1,500 High Roller at the same stop.
The Rest of the Top 10
Tai Hoang sits fourth in the overall NPL standings on 134.57 points, with Morreale just behind at 134.31. Mariusz Czech (112.33), Yucel Eminoglu (111.69), Keith Littlewood (109.77), Wendy Watson (108.62), and Balmforth (105.81) complete the top 10 as of March 13.
Points are available across a broad schedule of qualifying events, including G200 and G300 games, the Goliath, the Behemoth, 888poker UKPL events, and both live and online GUKPT stops. The next GUKPT festival takes place April 9-19 at The Victoria in London.
