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Bernie McGinlay Takes Down Inaugural GUKPT Glasgow Main Event
- Bernie McGinlay claims his first GUKPT title and £38,240 in Glasgow.
- Topped a 348-entry field at the series' inaugural Glasgow event.
- Defeated Marius Varanavicius heads-up to secure the trophy.
Bernie McGinlay has the first GUKPT Glasgow Main Event title to his name after overcoming a 348-entry field at Grosvenor Casino Merchant City. The £560 Main Event generated a £165,290 prize pool, with McGinlay collecting a career-best £38,240 after defeating Marius Varanavicius heads-up.
The victory also gave McGinlay his first major live tournament trophy, capping an inaugural Glasgow stop that had been added to the GUKPT calendar for 2026.
McGinlay Navigates a Busy Final Table
The final nine included several players with plenty of tournament experience, but the first elimination came quickly.
WPT champion Andreas Olympios entered his final hand with eight big blinds and moved all-in holding ace-jack. Dean Lyall was waiting with pocket aces, and there was no escape for Olympios, who collected £2,860 for ninth.
Richard Kellett followed in eighth. After recently making two final tables at the PartyPoker Tour Glasgow, Kellett found himself down to seven big blinds and pushed with ace-king. Andy Mackenzie called with jack-ten suited and paired his jack on the turn to send Kellett out for £3,440.
Mark Swift then ran pocket queens into Paul Green's pocket aces. The bigger pair held, leaving Swift seventh for £4,250.
Lyall was next to go. He shoved nine big blinds with pocket fives and was called by Michael Kane with queen-jack. A jack on the flop put Kane ahead and ended Lyall's run in sixth place for £5,490.
Green picked up another premium pair as the table moved five-handed. Mackenzie committed his remaining 10 big blinds with ace-jack, but Green had pocket kings, which held on a ten-high board. Mackenzie took £7,570 for fifth.
McGinlay then recorded his first knockout of the final table. Kane open-shoved 10 big blinds from the button with ace-seven, only for McGinlay to call with pocket kings. The kings stayed in front, sending Kane to the rail in fourth for £11,120.
Green's tournament unravelled in two hands. He first got two pair in against McGinlay, who completed one of his draws on the river to win the pot. Reduced to five big blinds, Green then put the rest in with eight-seven against Varanavicius' ace-six and failed to recover. Third place was worth £16,850.
McGinlay Pulls Away Heads-Up
McGinlay and Varanavicius began heads-up with relatively similar stacks, leaving the title far from settled.
That balance did not last long. McGinlay steadily moved ahead and had built a lead of more than five-to-one by the time the final hand arrived.
Varanavicius eventually moved all-in with jack-nine. The timing could hardly have been worse: McGinlay looked down at pocket jacks and made the call.
A seven-high flop left Varanavicius requiring running cards, and the turn ended the contest. Varanavicius earned £25,580 as runner-up, while McGinlay secured the trophy and £38,240 top prize.
GUKPT Glasgow Main Event Final Table Results
| Rank | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bernie McGinlay | £38,240 |
| 2 | Marius Varanavicius | £25,580 |
| 3 | Paul Green | £16,850 |
| 4 | Michael Kane | £11,120 |
| 5 | Andy Mackenzie | £7,570 |
| 6 | Dean Lyall | £5,490 |
| 7 | Mark Swift | £4,250 |
| 8 | Richard Kellett | £3,440 |
| 9 | Andreas Olympios | £2,860 |
The top 44 players were paid from the £165,290 prize pool, with McGinlay taking the largest share and becoming the first GUKPT Glasgow Main Event champion.
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