Renee Xie has made British poker history by becoming the first woman to win a Grosvenor UK Poker Tour Main Event, ending a wait stretching back to the tour’s launch in 2007. Xie defeated a 396-entry field in the £560 GUKPT Luton Main Event to collect a career-best £35,435.
The landmark victory arrives during the GUKPT’s 20th season and adds another significant result to what has already been a notable year for women in poker. Poker Type has recently followed that wider story through our coverage of women making their mark on poker and the growing visibility of female players across live events.
Xie Finally Gets Her GUKPT Main Event Title
This was far from Xie’s first opportunity to win one of the tour’s biggest prizes. She previously finished runner-up at GUKPT Leeds in 2017, earning £33,000, which remained her largest recorded tournament score until her victory in Luton.
Nine years later, she returned to a GUKPT Main Event final table and went one place better. The £35,435 first prize therefore delivered both her first GUKPT Main Event title and a new career-best live tournament cash.
2026 GUKPT Luton Main Event Final Table
The £560 Main Event generated a £188,100 prize pool, with 50 players finishing in the money. A three-handed ICM deal between Xie, Sanjay Ranchhoddas and Christopher Gallagher adjusted the payouts while leaving another £9,100 for the eventual champion.
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Renee Xie | £35,435* |
| 2nd | Sanjay Ranchhoddas | £28,545* |
| 3rd | Christopher Gallagher | £26,930* |
| 4th | Gary Nordigian | £12,460 |
| 5th | Ciaran McCullagh | £8,480 |
| 6th | Joseph Phillips | £6,110 |
| 7th | Jay Samani | £4,700 |
| 8th | Timothy Chung | £3,790 |
| 9th | Yifei Dong | £3,120 |
*Top-three payouts reflect the deal.
Xie was responsible for one of the key eliminations on the way to heads-up play when she sent Gary Nordigian out in fourth. Nordigian made two pair against Xie’s pocket aces, only for an ace on the river to give Xie a set and the pot.
Renee Xie Beats Sanjay Ranchhoddas Heads-Up
Christopher Gallagher’s third-place departure left Xie facing Sanjay Ranchhoddas for the remaining £9,100 and the GUKPT trophy. Ranchhoddas had already secured £28,545 through the three-handed deal, while Xie was playing for a place in the tour’s record books.
The deciding hand came at blinds of 60,000/120,000 when Ranchhoddas raised to 300,000 with ace-three of hearts and Xie called with ten-eight. A ten-nine-nine flop gave Xie top pair, and after Ranchhoddas bet 375,000 she moved all-in and received the call.
Neither the seven on the turn nor queen on the river rescued Ranchhoddas. Xie had done what no woman had previously managed in almost two decades of GUKPT Main Events.
Another Landmark Result for Women in Poker
Xie’s victory deserves additional context because women have reached prominent positions on the GUKPT before without completing a Main Event win. Katie Swift, for example, reached the final table of the record-breaking 2025 GUKPT Goliath Main Event, where Ravi Sheth eventually took the title.
It also continues a subject Poker Type has been following beyond individual tournament results. Our recent women in poker features have looked at the players, creators and personalities receiving greater attention across a game in which female participation remains an important part of poker’s growth.
Jennifer Tilly has been another prominent figure in our recent coverage, combining decades of poker experience with appearances in some of the game’s most watched cash games. Our Jennifer Tilly poker profile looks more closely at her career and long association with the game.
GUKPT Luton Produces Several Big Winners
Xie was not the only player leaving Luton with a major title. Reza Moghaddam won the £250 Mini Main for £19,250, while Ciaran McCullagh collected £16,620 by winning the £1,000 High Roller before adding another £8,480 for fifth place in the Main Event.
Mariusz Czech took the £340 GUKPT Cup for £9,665, while Keith Littlewood added a £2,600 side-event victory to his extensive GUKPT record. Littlewood won the 2025 GUKPT Leeds Main Event for £40,440 after defeating a field of 247 entries.
What Is Next for the GUKPT?
The tour now moves to Leeds, where the next festival runs from September 24 to October 4. Its £1,000 Main Event carries a £200,000 guarantee as the GUKPT’s 20th season moves towards its final stages.
Blackpool follows from October 29 to November 8 before the GUKPT Grand Final runs from November 19 to 29.
For Xie, however, Luton has already ensured that 2026 will occupy a permanent place in GUKPT history. After coming within one place of the title in Leeds nine years ago, she is finally a GUKPT Main Event champion and the first woman ever able to say it.
