Poker legend John Duthie claimed victory at 888LIVE London

The 888LIVE London 2026 festival has kicked off in London. John Dati became the champion of the £550 Big Shot tournament, outplaying 98 opponents and claiming a major prize.

In the very heart of London, at the legendary Grosvenor Victoria Casino, the 888LIVE London 2026 festival has kicked off. The first tournaments of the series have already concluded, and the title winners and major cash prize recipients have been determined. In this article, we’ll give you a detailed rundown of the key events from the completed tournaments, the final table results, and what players can look forward to next. John Duthie — Winner of the £550 Big Shot On October 13, the £550 Big Shot tournament wrapped up, attracting 98 entrants. The total prize pool reached £47,020, far exceeding the guaranteed £30,000. The nine finalists split the prize money — the minimum payout at the final table was £1,300, while the top prize was £12,470. The tournament was won by John Duthie — a poker legend known as the founder of the European Poker Tour. This is another significant trophy in Duthie’s career. In heads-up play, he faced Rafael Robles , who finished second and took home £10,500. Ernst Soederkvist finished third, and Michael O'Brien came in fourth. The final table began with the elimination of Philippe Souki , who has over $2.5 million in live tournament winnings and finished ninth. Max Winberg finished eighth — his first live tournament result in the last four years. Next to bust were Joe Hindry (7th place) and Norman Butterfield (6th place). Fifth place and a £3,010 prize went to Henry Fulcher — his best career result. After the eliminations of O'Brien and Soederkvist, the final heads-up pair was set, with Duthie coming out on top. £550 Big Shot Final Table Results 1st — John Duthie — £12,470 2nd — Rafael Robles — £10,500 3rd — Ernst Soederkvist — £7,250 4th — Michael O'Brien — £5,050 5th — Henry Fulcher — £3,010 6th — Norman Butterfield — £2,250 7th — Joe Hindry — £1,800 8th — Max Winberg — £1,490 9th — Philippe Souki — £1,300 Pot-Limit Omaha Tournament: Maksims Uksovs Takes the Win The festival featured a £250 PLO 4-Card tournament (Pot-Limit Omaha, four hole cards), which drew 61 entrants. The prize pool was £12,750, with payouts going to the top eight players. Pot-Limit Omaha differs from traditional Texas Hold’em in that each player is dealt four cards, and must use exactly two of them along with three community cards to make a hand. After the eliminations of Sebastien Jung , Howard Smith , Fabio Esposito , and Hussani Alkhuzai , the final four were set, each guaranteed at least £1,200. Frenchman Aurelien Martin finished fourth for £1,270. The bronze medal went to 2023 WPT500 UK champion Aleksandrs Golubevs , who took home £1,850. The heads-up battle was between Maksims Uksovs and Lin Chen . Chen earned £2,740 for second place, while Uksovs — who had already won a similar event at this venue earlier in the year — claimed the top prize of £4,170. £250 Pot-Limit Omaha Final Table Results 1st — Maksims Uksovs — £4,170 2nd — Lin Chen — £2,740 3rd — Aleksandrs Golubevs — £1,850 4th — Aurelien Martin — £1,270 5th — Hussani Alkhuzai — £1,020 6th — Fabio Esposito — £900 7th — Howard Smith — £900 8th — Sebastien Jung — £900 Mini Main: Final Table and Title Contenders The £340 Mini Main tournament has reached its final stage — the nine finalists have been determined and will continue to battle for the top prize. After two days of intense play, a substantial prize pool of £114,560 was formed, with the winner set to receive £26,220. The chip leader at the start of the final table is an anonymous player with the initials P.C. , holding 1,615,000 chips. Also among the chip leaders are Guang Yang (1,295,000) and Richard Broda (1,180,000), both with million-chip stacks and considered top contenders for the win. Lithuanian player Tomas Dailidonis is fourth in chips with 965,000, while Indian player Pranav Agarwal is sixth with 640,000 chips, having shown excellent results recently. £340 Mini Main Final Table Starting Stacks P.C. — 1,615,000 Guang Yang — 1,295,000 Richard Broda — 1,180,000 Tomas Dailidonis — 965,000 Pranav Agarwal — 640,000 Other participants — stack information not disclosed £340 Mini Main Final Table Payouts 1st — £26,220 2nd — £16,470 3rd — £11,390 4th — £8,500 5th — £6,360 6th — £4,800 7th — £3,670 8th — £2,900 9th — £2,320 The bulk of the prize pool is still up for grabs, and the fight for the title promises to be intense. Coming Up: High Roller and Main Event — Live Coverage by PokerNews Starting October 14, the series’ main events get underway — the £2,000 High Roller and the highly anticipated £1,250 Main Event . The PokerNews team is on site in London, providing exclusive live coverage of the tournaments. Last year, the £1,650 buy-in High Roller was won by Nuno Duarte , who outlasted 114 opponents and took home £43,510. In the 888LIVE London 2025 Main Event, Gang Wang emerged victorious, topping a field of 367 players and defeating Calogero Morreale heads-up to claim the top prize of £86,600. Poker fans can look forward to new names, exciting hands, and fierce competition for big prizes. Stay tuned — the most exciting moments of the festival are yet to come! What This Means for PPPoker Club Players For PPPoker club members, news from 888LIVE London is a great source of inspiration and practical lessons. First, the results and breakdowns of final tables show how professionals act in various situations and which strategies lead to success in live tournaments with different formats and buy-in levels. Second, the focus on a variety of disciplines — from classic Hold’em to Pot-Limit Omaha — demonstrates that developing skills in multiple formats makes a player more versatile and competitive. Taking part in PPPoker club tournaments across different disciplines will help you prepare for live events of this caliber. Finally, analyzing payout structures, stacks, and final table dynamics can be useful for building your own tournament strategy. Follow the major series, study the experience of the best — and put the top solutions into practice at PPPoker clubs!