Irish Open champion David Docherty (pictured) has ousted Andy Black from the top spot in the UKIPT Player of the Year race and will be heading to UKIPT Blackpool determined to keep ahead of the pack.
The UKIPT’s first-ever visit to Blackpool is a six-day event taking place from tomorrow, July 11 to 16 at the Grosvenor Casino right next to Blackpool’s famous Pleasure Beach.
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Rivalry at the top
Docherty and Black are both fully intent on winning the prestigious leaderboard. Docherty currently has 190 points, Ntamaris has 142 points and Black has 132 points. Ntamaris had three cashes at the Irish Open and a sixth place in Malta while Black accrued his points thanks to a fifth place in the Irish Open Main Event and third place in the Irish Open Hendon Mob Championship. However, Black missed Malta in order to compete in Vegas and will also miss UKIPT Blackpool.
Docherty said: “I decided after winning the Irish Open that I had to chase the UKIPT leaderboard so I went to Malta hoping to put some extra points on the board. It feels pretty ridiculous to have made the final table again and have been just a flip away from possibly winning! I think I've now put enough distance between myself and the pack that I'm already a favourite to win the Leaderboard, but I'm going to play every stop to make sure. I'll be in all the side events in Blackpool next week battling away!”
Black has already stated how keen he is to win the UKIPT Leaderboard and was fully aware that missing Malta and Blackpool would set him back in the Player of the Year race. However, he has every intention of fighting back at UKIPT festivals later in the year. There are plenty to choose from: after Blackpool, the UKIPT will be hosting festivals in Brighton in September, then London and Edinburgh followed by Nottingham in November for the Grand Final.
UKIPT Blackpool Main Event
The £1,100 buy-in Main Event comes with three starting flights, kicking off on Thursday July 13 with two re-entries allowed per flight. Players get a 30,000 starting stack and 40-minute levels on Day 1. In addition to the Main Event, the festival will also feature a £2,200 High Roller and the £330 buy-in UKIPT Cup. There are a total of 14 tournaments on the schedule including two £220 NLHE Freezeouts, a £220 NLHE Bounty tournament, a £550 Deepstack Freezeout plus a bunch of super satellites.
Blackpool is a fantastic location for a poker festival; it’s a classic British seaside resort known for its lively atmosphere and wealth of seaside attractions. The GUKPT has held an event at the Grosvenor Casino every year since 2007 so it’s a venue well-accustomed to hosting premier poker festivals.
UKIPT Leaderboard
Players at all this year’s UKIPT stops – including the Irish Open and the PokerStars’ Summer Festival Malta – are in with a chance of winning the 2023 PokerStars UKIPT Leaderboard. Prizes are being awarded to the top three players: a UKIPT 2024 Package worth £15,000 for the winner; live event credits worth £2,200 for the runner-up and £1,100 for the third-place finisher.
The leaderboard is a points-based system, whereby every player who cashes in an eligible event (all standard Multi-Table Tournaments with a buy-in over £220/€220, excluding satellites) will receive points based on their finishing position and number of event entries.
Photo credit: UKIPT
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