The first of the six stops of the 2025 UK Poker League (UKPL) powered by 888poker has come to an end. The poker festival took place Jan 21 — 26 at the popular Grosvenor Casino in Portsmouth, kicking off the new season in style.
It was a fun and action filled series with a rich scheduled of very affordable events. This attracted a great number of players to Grosvenor Casino, resulting in several large prize pools despite small buy-ins.
Things culminated with the £560 Main Event that ended up attracting 273 entries and generating the prize pool of £136,500, blowing the original £100k guarantee out of the water.
Jordan Daniels Wins the First UKPL Main Event of 2025
When the registration for the UKPL Portsmouth was finally closed, and all the numbers punched into a computer, it was revealed that the winner would be taking home just over £34,000, which is certainly nothing to sneeze at for a three-digit buy-in event.
Everybody who made it into Day 2 secured at least a min-cash, and there were 30 players in total who managed to bag some chips and return to continue their journey to the final table.
After several hours of play, that final table came together, and the remaining nine all came together to play down to the winner.
However, after five players were sent to the rail, the remaining four decided to broker a deal, splitting the remaining prize pool and leaving £5,000 and the trophy on the side to play for.
Eventually, it was Jordan Daniels who outlasted the other three, adding that £5,000 to £18,018 he secured in the deal, for a nice payday of £23,018 and a very strong start to the year.
UKPL Portsmouth Final Table Results
| Position | Player | Payout |
|---|---|---|
| #1 | Jordan Daniels | £23,018 |
| #2 | Raja Pottiwal | £17,965 |
| #3 | Kartik Kartik | £15,750 |
| #4 | Harry Sandford | £20,005 |
| #5 | Joan Brooks | £6,630 |
| #6 | Dan West | £5,420 |
| #7 | Andrew Outar | £4,500 |
| #8 | Man Li | £3,740 |
| #9 | Cosmin Staicu | £3,110 |
UKPL Portsmouth Creates a Fair Few Big Winners
The Main Event was at the center of attention in Portsmouth, but other events on the schedule did not disappoint, either.
The festival kicked off with the £250 UKPL Voyage event, which attracted 324 entries and resulted in a prize pool of over £70,000. A total of 38 players made the money, and the winner, Gianfranco Pernicone, took home £14,830.
The £1,100 High Roller event saw 56 entries, which was enough to break the event’s £50k guarantee. Jake Bryant was the last man standing in the tournament, picking up £18,090 for his efforts.
The £250 Big Shot saw 87 entries, and Thomas Baggaley took it down for £6,000. The UKPL Portsmouth also hosted the £150 Seniors Event, which attracted a field of 41 entries and one Darren Pound claiming the victory and £1,460 after a heads-up deal.
All in all, it was a great start to the new season of the UK Poker League as 888poker continues to bring exciting and affordable live action for all poker fans out there. The next stop takes place in Newcastle during the first week of April, and we expect a very similar schedule to the one we saw in Portsmouth.
