Bryan Taylor Tops the National Poker League and High Roller League Going Into June

Ever since he became the Grosvenor UK Poker Tour (GUKPT) Edinburgh Main Event champion in October 2025, Bryan Taylor has been like a man possessed. Check out the results from any GUKPT or 888poker UK Poker League (UKPL) festival, and you are all but guaranteed to find Taylor’s name on at least one final table.

The Scottish grinder has banked more than $275,000 in live tournament earnings during the year so far, and his impressive results up to now have earned him enough points to top the National Poker League leaderboard.

If Taylor continues in this rich vein of form and wins the National Poker League, he’ll receive a £40,000 Diamond Package, the coveted Grosvenor Casinos Player of the Year trophy, and a seat in a £100,000 Playoff Invitational later. It would take a brave person to bet against Taylor getting the job done.

National Poker League Top 10

Taylor has racked up 30 in-the-money finishes during 2026, including 17 final tables and a trio of wins. Eight of Taylor’s cashes weigh in at five-figures, with £38,780 being the largest, his reward for taking down the £2,000 GUKPT London High Roller.

The Scotsman has forged a lead of more than 100 points between himself and Robert Douras as 2026 heads into June. Yucel “Mad Turk” Eminoglu‘s recent GUKPT Luton Main Event victory helped close the gap on Taylor, but he is still 111.02 points behind the current runaway leader.

Although Taylor looks unstoppable right now, there are some incredibly talented players currently occupying top 10 spots, and there are still a lot of National Poker League tournaments to be played before everyone starts singing Auld Lang Syne.

Calogero Morreale is always there and thereabouts, while Mariusz Czech keeps helping himself to big scores. Aqeel Butt and Brandon Sheils are only a couple of big scores away from pulling closer to Taylor, while Tai Hoang, Philip Tate, and Chris Balmforth are still not out of the running.

High Roller League Top 5

What is remarkable about Taylor’s 2026 so far is his consistency across all stakes. He has not only been crushing in the “normal” events but also leads the High Roller League thanks to his performances in GUKPT High Rollers, 888poker LIVE High Rollers, and UKPL High Rollers.

He currently leads Chris Balmforth, Yucel Eminoglu, Brandon Sheils, and Peter Stewart in the High Roller League.

Low Roller League Top 10

Surprisingly, Taylor isn’t leading the Low Roller League, a competition for players battling in NPL-qualifying tournaments with a buy-in of £300 or less. He does, however, occupy second place behind Robert Douras, who has bulldozed his way to 304.90 points in these affordable tournaments.

It seems like Douras is playing every NPL-qualifying event he can. He has 29 cashes, eight final table appearances, and while he is yet to register a victory this year, Douras has four top-three finishes.

This leaderboard could dramatically change over the next few months as there are a lot of sub-£300 tournaments that are eligible for leaderboard points. That said, it already looks like Douras, Taylor, and Morreale are the ones to catch in the Low Roller League.

What Are the Next Big NPL Events?

Players can earn NPL points across a massive range of tournaments, but the most points are available during GUKPT and 888poker live festivals.

There are no such festivals or series in June, mostly because the World Series of Poker (WSOP) dominates the live poker scene, but there is plenty to shout about in July.

The 888poker UKPL heads to Reading between July 13-19. Its schedule features a £560 buy-in Main Event with a £100,000 guaranteed prize pool, among other events.

Also during July is the 2026 edition of the GUKPT Goliath. That festival runs from July 23 through August 2. Stars should turn out in force for many of the events, including a £1,250 buy-in, £1 million guaranteed GUKPT Main Event, and the £200 Goliath, which has an estimated prize pool in the region of £2 million. With the might of GGPoker behind Grosvenor Casinos’ live events, the GUKPT Goliath festival could be a record-breaker.

Matthew Pitt hails from Leeds, West Yorkshire, in the United Kingdom, and has worked in the poker industry since 2008, and worked for PokerNews since 2010. In September 2010, he became the editor of PokerNews. Matthew stepped away from live reporting duties in 2015, and now concentrates on his role of Senior Editor for the PokerNews.