When Usman Siddique lifted the UK & Ireland Poker Tour (UKIPT) London Main Event trophy aloft and got his hands on £84,100 ($119,526) in prize money in April 2016, little did he know that he would hold onto the title for six years. PokerStars wound down the UKIPT as we knew it at the end of its sixth season, but the online poker giant is reviving the tour in 2022.
April 1 sees the 2022 UKIPT season kick off in London; at The Hippodrome Casino, to be exact. The British home of PokerStars LIVE is gearing up to welcome former UKIPT regulars and newcomers alike to its recently refurbished poker room for the UKIPT London festival.
Eighteen tournaments, including satellites, adorn the bustling UKIPT London schedule, which runs in the heart of London from April 1 through April 10. The series kicks off with the £275 buy-in PokerStars London Series and concludes with the crowning of the £1,100 UKIPT London Main Event champion.
PokerNews Brings You All The UKIPT London Main Event Action
The world-famous PokerNews live reporting team is heading to The Hippodrome Casino from April 4 to bring you all the action, as it happens, from the UKIPT London Main Event.
The first two times the UKIPT dropped anchor in the British capital, it was the tour's Grand Final and doubled as the European Poker Tour (EPT) London Main Event. David Vamplew and Benny Spindler won those two tournaments.
Spain's Sergio Aido, then an up-and-coming player and not the global superstar he is today, won the Season 3 UKIPT London Main Event and scooped £144,555. Brett Angell triumphed in the tournament the following year (£115,083). Rapinder Cheema took down the Main Event in Season 6 for £78,825; Angell finished seventh that year, narrowly missing out on becoming a back-to-back champion.
The aforementioned Usman Siddique won during Season 6, making him the reigning champion going into the new-look UKIPT London Main Event. Siddique banked £84,100 after besting a final table with the likes of Jack Salter and recent 888 London and GUKPT Coventry champion Joe Hindry seated at it.
Team PokerStars' Sam Grafton is one of many players looking forward to the UKIPT's return. Grafton said, in a recent interview with PokerNews, "That's a tour that made a big difference in my life, not only in terms of improvement in my game but the friendships I made. The fact that it's coming back, that there's going to be a UKIPT in my hometown of London, nothing's going to stop me from being there."
Former UKIPT London Champions
| Season | Buy-in | Entrants | Prize pool | Champion | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | £5,250 | 848 | £4,112,800 | David Vamplew | £900,000 |
| 2 | £5,250 | 691 | £3,351,350 | Benny Spindler | £750,000 |
| 3 | £770 | 1,099 | £746,221 | Sergio Aido | £144,555 |
| 4 | £770 | 1,089 | £739,431 | Brett Angell | £115,083 |
| 5 | £770 | 742 | £503,818 | Rapinder Cheema | £78,825 |
| 6 | £770 | 649 | £454,300 | Usman Siddique | £84,100 |
*The EPT London Main Event doubled as the UKIPT Grand Final during Season 1 & 2
Full 2022 UKIPT London Schedule
| Date | Time | Tournament | Buy-in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fri 1 Apr | 12:00 p.m. | #1 NL Hold’em PokerStars London Series Day 1A | £275 |
| 7:00 p.m. | #1 NL Hold’em PokerStars London Series Day 1B | £275 | |
| Sat 2 Apr | 12:00 p.m. | #1 NL Hold’em PokerStars London Series Day 1C | £275 |
| 8:00 p.m. | #1 NL Hold’em PokerStars London Series Day 1D | £275 | |
| Sun 3 Apr | 12:00 p.m. | #1 NL Hold’em PokerStars London Series Final Day | |
| 2:00 p.m. | #2 NL Hold’em UKIPT Main Event Satellite | £240 | |
| 6:00 p.m. | #3 NL Hold’em UKIPT Main Event Satellite | £165 | |
| Mon 4 Apr | 2:00 p.m. | #4 NL Hold’em UKIPT Main Event Satellite | £125 |
| 6:00 p.m. | #5 NL Hold’em Knockout £100 Bounty | £330 | |
| 8:00 p.m. | #6 NL Hold’em Win The Button | £330 | |
| Tue 5 Apr | 2:00 p.m. | #7 PL Omaha | £330 |
| 6:00 p.m. | #8 NL Hold’em UKIPT Main Event Satellite | £240 | |
| 8:00 p.m. | #9 NL Hold’em UKIPT High Roller Satellite | £250 | |
| Wed 6 Apr | 12:00 p.m. | #10 NL Hold’em UKIPT High Roller Satellite | £250 |
| 2:00 p.m. | #11 NL Hold’em High Roller Day 1 | £2,200 | |
| 6:00 p.m. | #12 NL Hold’em UKIPT Main Event Satellite | £240 | |
| Thu 7 Apr | 12:00 p.m. | #13 NL Hold’em UKIPT Main Event Day 1A | £1,100 |
| 12:00 p.m. | #11 NL Hold’em High Roller Final Day | ||
| 8:00 p.m. | #8 NL Hold’em UKIPT Main Event Satellite | £240 | |
| Fri 8 Apr | 12:00 p.m. | #13 NL Hold’em UKIPT Main Event Day 1B | £1,100 |
| 6:00 p.m. | #13 NL Hold’em UKIPT Main Event Day 1C | £1,100 | |
| Sat 9 Apr | 12:00 p.m. | #15 NL Hold’em UKIPT Cup £200 Mystery Bounty Day 1A | £440 |
| 12:00 p.m. | #13 NL Hold’em UKIPT Main Event Day 2 | ||
| 6:00 p.m. | #15 NL Hold’em UKIPT Cup £200 Mystery Bounty Day 1B | £440 | |
| Sun 10 Apr | 12:00 p.m. | #16 NL Hold’em Women’s Event | £150 |
| 12:00 p.m. | #15 NL Hold’em UKIPT Cup £200 Mystery Bounty Final Day | ||
| 12:00 p.m. | #13 NL Hold’em UKIPT Main Event Final Day | ||
| 2:00 p.m. | #17 NL Hold’em Knockout (£100 KO) | £330 | |
| 5:00 p.m. | #18 NL Hold’em Online Qualifier Freeroll | £0 |
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