Hong Pham triumphed in the 2026 UK Poker Championships Main Event at Dusk Till Dawn in Nottingham, outlasting 1,159 players to secure £101,000 from the £556,320 prize pool. Competing at 35 weeks pregnant, Pham navigated from the bottom of the chip counts at the start of the final day to dominate the final table and claim her first six-figure payday, pushing her live tournament earnings beyond $522,000 despite focusing on events with buy-ins mostly from £200 to £500.
The £560 No-limit Hold’em tournament saw several notables cash on Day 2 but miss the final day, including Endrit Geci, Guy Taylor, Stephen Bean, Michael Rosaman, Jack Allen, Yucel Eminoglu, Adria Dalmau and Simon Higgins. Amir Zaregairizi led chips entering the final day but fell in 10th place, setting up the nine-handed finale where Pham held the advantage.
Final Table Payouts
| Rank | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hong Pham | £101,000 |
| 2 | Haydn Dickinson | £63,000 |
| 3 | Paul Tait | £43,450 |
| 4 | Jacque Ramsden | £29,370 |
| 5 | Nicholas Rose | £20,250 |
| 6 | Stephen Blow | £14,250 |
| 7 | Jose Bazan | £10,250 |
| 8 | John Hall | £7,250 |
| 9 | Alistair Massie | £5,250 |
Pivotal Hands and Bustouts
Alistair Massie exited first in ninth for £5,250, his queen-high bluff shove running into Haydn Dickinson’s overpair, which Dickinson called to win the pot.
Dickinson struck again soon after, eliminating John Hall in eighth for £7,250. Hall four-bet jammed 18 big blinds holding pocket queens, but Dickinson’s pocket kings snapped him off, flopping a set and avoiding a heart flush draw.
Jose Bazan endured a tough stretch before busting seventh for £10,250. He first clashed ace-nine into pocket aces among short stacks, then lost pocket nines to ace-five on a turned wheel. His last chips went in with ace-jack against Nicholas Rose’s ace-five, which prevailed.
Pham picked up momentum by knocking out Stephen Blow in sixth for £14,250. She raised under the gun with ace-queen, called Dickinson’s flat in the cutoff, then isolated Blow’s seven-big-blind button jam with ace-ten. Dickinson folded, and Pham’s queen kicker held on a king-high board.
Moments later, Pham dispatched Rose in fifth for £20,250. Shoving from the small blind with queen-ten, she got action from Rose’s five-big-blind call with queen-nine in the big blind, where her ten kicker proved decisive.
Jacque Ramsden, fresh off his 2023 Asian Poker Tour Phu Quoc win, finished fourth for £29,370. He jammed seven big blinds from the small blind with ace-seven of clubs, and Pham called with jack-eight. The river eight ended Ramsden’s run.
Paul Tait bowed out third for a personal-best £43,450. Facing Pham’s button open with pocket aces, Tait three-bet from the big blind with king-queen of hearts. He continuation-bet the eight-high flop, which Pham called, then shoved the turn after picking up a flush draw. Pham’s instant call held as the river diamond missed Tait’s suit.
Heads-Up Showdown
Heads-up began with Pham’s 73 million chips towering over Dickinson’s 43 million. Dickinson battled hard but couldn’t flip the script. The end came at the 1,000,000/2,000,000 level when Dickinson shoved 24.4 million with ace-five, only for Pham to snap-call with pocket kings. A jack-high runout sealed the deal, leaving Dickinson with £63,000 for runner-up.
Pham’s Steady Climb
Since her debut live cash in June 2021 per Hendon Mob, Pham has notched 10 five-figure results leading to this breakthrough. Her previous high mark was £64,500 for second in the £1,100 WSOPC Main Event in March 2023. Other highlights include a final table in the €550 Colossus at the 2024 WSOP Europe for €24,750 and a win in the £250 Grosvenor 25/50 event in Reading for £19,656. Her results show clear progress.
