GUKPT Goliath Schedule Set as Organizers Prepare to Break More Records

February 13th, 2019 | by Jason Reynolds

Grosvenor Casino’s GUKPT Goliath will awake from its annual slumber and try to break another record on July 27.

The 2019 GUKPT Goliath schedule has been published, meaning players can now set their sights on another record-breaking event. (Image: GUKPT)

Finalizing the schedule, Grosvenor announced that the festival will return to Coventry’s Ricoh Arena this summer However, in a twist on proceedings, the action will kick-off online this year.

Online Options Mean More Ways to Win

As part of the Grosvenor’s push to combine its online and offline assets, the Goliath festival will start on GrosvenorPoker.com. Although the £125/$160 Goliath won’t feature an online flight, the National 25/50 will.

Following the first session online on July 24, the £50,000/$64,000 guaranteed event will offer a second starting day inside Grosvenor’s Coventry casino on July 25.

With the side action underway, the GUKPT Goliath will host the first of first of seven starting flights on July 27. As its done since its inception, the tournament will aim to become the largest live event outside of the World Series of Poker (WSOP).

In 2018, Romanian Florian Duta walked away with $133,527 after beating local grinder Warwick Brindley heads-up. As well as handing out a six-figure prize, the GUKPT Goliath set a new record after collecting 7,500 entries over the course of a week.

Haye to Help Make GUKPT Goliath a Hit

This year, the organizers will be looking to build on that total with the help of British boxing icon, David Haye. Signing with Grosvenor in late 2018, Haye will be taking on the Goliath as part of his mission to transition from boxing champ to poker champ.

Since accepting the David vs. Goliath challenge, the retired fighter has learnt some harsh lessons. After lasting just three hands in his first GUKPT outing, he fared slightly better in his next tournament in London.

Despite improvements, The Hayemaker is far from being ready to take down one of the largest poker tournaments in the world. Indeed, through a combination of online satellites and Haye’s star power, the 2019 Goliath could top 8,000 entries.

Should it manage that, it will not only mean the winner takes home north of $100,000, it will prove once again that poker is alive and well both in the US and elsewhere in the world.