Yucel Eminoglu Captures First GUKPT Main Event Title in Luton

You have likely bumped into Yucel Eminoglu if you have played live poker in the United Kingdom during the past 20 years. Known affectionately as “Mad Turk,” Eminoglu has been a mainstay on the British poker scene for a couple of decades. After coming out on top in the Grosvenor UK Poker Tour (GUKPT) Luton Main Event, Eminoglu can finally call himself a GUKPT champion.

Eminoglu has dozens of cashes on the GUKPT, including several near misses in Main Events. In 2021, he finished second in the £2,000 GUKPT Grand Final for a career-best £183,650, which was the closest he had come to winning a GUKPT Main Event.

The tournament that Eminoglu won, the £1,250 GUKPT Luton Main Event, drew a 190-strong crowd, creating a £236,250 prize pool that the top 25 finishers shared. A min-cash weighed in at £3,240, with a final-table appearance increasing that to £5,170. The champion would take home £57,640.

2026 GUKPT Luton Main Event Final Table Results

An anonymous player calling themselves “P.C.” was the first finalist sent to the cashier’s desk. Max Burney joined them soon after, his last 10 big blinds going into the middle of the table holding king-nine and needing help against the ace-jack of Constantin Erhan. A jack on the flop left Burney drawing to one of the three remaining kings, and none of them appeared.

Keith Littlewood fell in eighth after a clash with Eminoglu didn’t go to plan. Littlewood initially limped with ace-eight before three-bet shoving over the top of an Eminoglu raise. Unfortunately for Littlewood, Eminoglu held ace-king, and he quickly called. Eminoglu’s hand held, and Littlewood’s day ended.

Sixth place and the last four-figure prize, £8,830, went to Erhan. He committed his last 17 big blinds with pocket kings and looked in great shape against Pranav Agarwal’s ace-jack. That was until Agarwal flopped an ace, which remained best through the turn and river.

The final five became four with the elimination of Chris Kryprianou. He found himself all-in for his last nine big blinds with jack-ten against the ace-king of Joe Hindry. A king on the flop sent Kryprianou to the showers.

Just as he had done earlier when he sent Littlewood home, Eminoglu found ace-king to send another dangerous opponent to the sidelines. Bryan Taylor, reaching yet another major final table, got 22 big blinds over the betting line holding ace-eight and needed help against Eminoglu’s dominating ace-king. Taylor flopped a straight and flush draw, but it wasn’t meant to be for the Scotsman as Eminolgu faded those draws to bust Taylor.

The tournament progressed to heads-up after Joe Hindry’s exit. Hindry was all-in, holding two overcards and an open-ended straight draw against Eminoglu’s bottom two pair. Eminoglu improved to a full house on the turn, and Hindry busted a few moments later.

Eminoglu went into heads-up against Agarwal, holding a colossal 81 to 15 big blind advantage, which proved too much of a gap for the Indian grinder to bridge. A couple of hands into the heads-up clash, Eminoglu opened with jack-seven, Agarwal three-bet all-in with ace-queen, and Eminoglu obliged with a call. A jack on the flop propelled Eminoglu into the lead, but Agarwal could catch an ace, king, or queen to win and double up.

A seven on the turn gave Eminoglu two pair, meaning Agarwal needed a Broadway straight-completing king to stay in the tournament. A burn card later, and a deuce landed on the river, busting Agarwal in second place for £39,310 and crowning Eminoglu the GUKPT Luton Main Event champion, a result worth £57,640.

2026 GUKPT Luton Results

Although Eminoglu was the biggest winner of the festival, several other players banked sizable scores, too. Ajay Kejriwal banked £31,060 for his victory in the £1,650 No-Limit Hold’em High Roller, while Derek Boyle netted £26,775 after coming out on top in the £340 Mini Main Event.

A special mention goes to Craig Sarginson, who won the £250 PLO 4-Card event for £4,710 before taking down the £1,100 PLO High Roller for an additional £19,000.

The GUKPT now goes on a brief hiatus before returning in late July for the 2026 edition of the Goliath. A bustling schedule, highlighted by the £200 buy-in Goliath, is on the cards. PokerNews will have more on this series in the coming weeks.

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.