Ian Simpson has managed the poker tournament equivalent of winning both legs of a cup tie, taking down the UKPL Manchester High Roller and then following it with victory in the Main Event for more than £54,000 in combined prize money.
The 888poker ambassador beat 49 entries in the £1,100 High Roller for £16,620 before topping a 345-entry Main Event field for another £38,000. Two trophies in the same festival would be a good week for anybody. Doing it in the two biggest events on the schedule is the sort of heater even an experienced pro has to enjoy while it lasts.
The double is particularly useful context for Simpson’s year because his summer had been relatively quiet. He recorded only one cash at the WSOP in Las Vegas and said the online grind after returning home had not offered much relief either. Manchester changed the mood rather quickly.
High Roller Escape Opens the Door
Simpson’s first title required the sort of escape that tends to become much funnier once you are holding the trophy. With nine players remaining and only six paid, he three-bet ace-king from the button before Josh Manley four-bet pocket kings from the big blind. The chips went in and Simpson was behind through four cards on a jack-ten-five-five board.
An ace on the river kept him alive. Simpson went on to reach heads-up play against Andy Wilson and completed the comeback, collecting £16,620 while Wilson earned £11,400. Martin Byrne finished third for £7,600, with Harry Sandford, Niall Grace and Manley completing the six paid places.
That result alone would have made Manchester worthwhile. Simpson then went back to work in the Main Event rather than treating the High Roller trophy as permission for an early trip home.
345-Entry Main Event Brings the Bigger Prize
The Main Event attracted 345 entries and produced a final table containing several familiar names from the British circuit. Simpson eventually defeated Ali Mallu heads-up, with Mallu taking £25,400 and Lewis Spencer collecting £16,700 in third. Ronnie Marland finished fourth for £11,000, while Tom Cazaletz rounded out the top five with £7,500.
For Simpson, the £38,000 first prize pushed his Manchester haul from the two victories to £54,620. More importantly, it added another Main Event trophy to a live résumé that already includes one of the most recognisable titles in British and Irish poker.
Simpson won the Irish Open Main Event in 2013 and has enjoyed another strong run of tour victories more recently. In 2025 he won the 888poker LIVE Madrid Main Event for €62,000 before taking down the UKPL Newcastle Main Event for £34,800. The Manchester result means he has now won UKPL Main Events in two different English cities as well as a major 888poker LIVE title abroad.
That recent form also gives some context to Poker Type’s coverage of the upcoming 888poker LIVE London Main Event. Simpson has said London is one of only a couple more live stops on his calendar this year, so he will arrive at the Vic with considerably more momentum than he had when he returned from Las Vegas.
Simpson Calls Poker a Wild Game
There was no attempt afterwards to pretend tournament poker suddenly makes perfect sense. Simpson described the game as wild and pointed to the unusual mix of strong opponents and unpredictable players who can drag a table away from familiar strategic patterns. For a player who also spends time studying and creating poker content, that uncertainty is part of the appeal rather than an inconvenience.
He also credited his wife Emma for making the live grind possible while she works and looks after their daughter during his trips. It is an aspect of professional poker that rarely appears on a payout sheet. A five-day tournament does not only consume the player’s week, particularly for professionals with families at home.
Simpson’s Manchester double lands during a healthy spell for British tournament poker. Renee Xie’s historic GUKPT victory recently produced another notable UK result, while domestic tours continue to offer fields large enough for established professionals and recreational players to meet regularly without every meaningful tournament requiring a flight to Las Vegas or Cyprus.
From Newcastle to Manchester, With London Next
The most striking part of Simpson’s recent record is not one isolated score but the frequency with which he has converted deep runs into outright wins. Madrid and Newcastle came within months of each other in 2025. Manchester has now produced two more trophies in a matter of days.
That does not mean the deck has suddenly signed a sponsorship deal with him. Simpson was candid after his Newcastle victory last year about running well in crucial spots, and the ace on the river against Manley’s kings in Manchester is another obvious example. Tournament poker requires surviving those moments before skill gets another chance to matter.
The next UKPL stop Simpson has highlighted is Coventry, followed by 888poker LIVE London. The latter carries a £250,000 Main Event guarantee and gives him an immediate chance to extend a run that now includes major 888-branded titles in Madrid, Newcastle and Manchester.
Winning one tournament usually requires a few flips, a few good folds and at least one moment when the poker gods decide not to be horrible. Winning the High Roller and Main Event at the same festival requires all of that twice. Simpson leaves Manchester £54,620 richer and with two trophies to find space for, which is a much nicer problem than the one he had after a frustrating summer.
