India’s Ankit Ahuja recently showcased a stellar performance at the 2024 Grosvenor UK Poker Tour (GUKPT) Edinburgh festival, dominating the final table of the £1,650 High Roller event with remarkable finesse.
The tournament attracted a compact yet star-studded field of 50 players, all vying for a share of the £72,000 prize pool. Only the top six finishers managed to secure a return on their investment, with seasoned GUKPT regular Matthew Davenport unfortunately meeting his demise in seventh place, bursting the money bubble.
Ahuja’s dominance became evident as he held a substantial chip lead following the burst of the bubble, employing his stack with precision and effectiveness.
George Demetirou’s inaugural appearance at a GUKPT final table was abruptly cut short by Team Grosvenor’s Jamie Nixon, whose pocket tens proved superior to Demetirou’s ace-king. Demetirou walked away with £4,320 for his commendable sixth-place finish.
A pivotal moment arose when Ciprian Berdan’s ill-timed move played into Ahuja’s hands, significantly boosting Ahuja’s chip stack and solidifying his position at the summit. Berdan’s decision to shove his remaining 20 big blinds with six-deuce of spades was swiftly met by Ahuja’s call, holding pocket jacks. The ensuing showdown saw Ahuja emerge victorious, sending Berdan to the cashier’s desk to collect £5,760.
Keith Littlewood, a well-known figure in the poker community, became Ahuja’s next casualty. Littlewood, fresh off a victory in the £550 GUKPT Cup at the Blackpool leg, saw his pocket eights succumb to Ahuja’s pocket queens.
Despite the unpredictable nature of poker, Ahuja’s commanding stack virtually ensured his triumph even as the event reached three-handed play. With Ahuja boasting a staggering 117 big blinds, his nearest competitor, Thomas Clack, found himself with a mere four big blinds—a remarkable discrepancy.
This significant chip disparity forced Nixon and Clack into cautious play, with Clack’s stack dwindling rapidly. Despite Nixon’s valiant attempts to chip away at Ahuja’s lead, his endeavor was short-lived. In a crucial heads-up confrontation, Nixon’s king-five fell short against Ahuja’s queen-ten when Ahuja completed a tournament-winning straight with a well-timed nine on the river. Nixon bowed out in second place, securing £17,280, while Ahuja claimed the top prize of £25,200 along with the coveted winner’s trophy.
Ahuja’s triumph not only added to his impressive live tournament earnings, now exceeding $2.65 million, but also positioned him as a formidable contender on India’s all-time winnings leaderboard, closing in on the third-place spot currently held by Nipun Java. With Ahuja likely to partake in the forthcoming £1,000 GUKPT Edinburgh Main Event, the weekend promises further excitement as he continues to narrow the gap.
