The Goliath 2026 kicked off on 23 July at the Grosvenor Casino Coventry. The biggest live poker tournament outside Las Vegas runs until 2 August, headlined by a £200 Main Event with an estimated £2 million prize pool. Last year's edition drew 12,961 entries.
Here's what matters right now: the Main Event hasn't started yet. The first of nine Day 1 flights shuffles up on Saturday 25 July at 11:00, with flights running until 31 July. You can still win a seat for as little as £1 through the GGPoker and Grosvenor live partnership.
Below you'll find the full flight schedule, every entry route with its real deadline, and what GGPoker qualifiers get on top. The GUKPT Main Event, with £1 million guaranteed, is already dealing in Coventry as you read this.
When and Where Goliath 2026 Runs
The festival covers 25 events across 11 days, from £100 Redtooth tournaments up to a £2,000 Super High Roller. Everything plays at one venue, with the full schedule available through the Grosvenor Poker Live app.
| Detail | Goliath 2026 |
|---|---|
| Dates | 23 July to 2 August 2026 |
| Venue | Grosvenor Casino Coventry, Coventry Building Society Arena |
| Main Event buy-in | £160 + £40 (£200 total) |
| Prize pool | £2,000,000 estimated |
| Events | 25 |
| Day 1 flights | Nine, from 25 to 31 July |
| Champion crowned | Sunday 2 August |
Nine Day 1 Flights: Dates, Times and Formats
Every flight starts with 25,000 chips and late registration closes at the end of Level 12. Standard flights play 20 levels of 30 minutes. You can fire multiple bullets across the week, but only one flight at a time.
| Flight | Date | Time | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | Sat 25 July | 11:00 | Standard |
| B | Sun 26 July | 11:00 | Standard |
| C | Mon 27 July | 11:00 | Standard |
| D | Tue 28 July | 11:00 | Standard |
| E | Wed 29 July | 11:00 | Standard |
| F | Thu 30 July | 11:00 | Standard |
| G | Thu 30 July | 18:00 | Turbo |
| H | Fri 31 July | 11:00 | Standard |
| I | Fri 31 July | 18:00 | Turbo |
How the Two Turbo Flights Work
Flights G and I run 15-minute levels instead of 30 and play down to the last 10% of the field. They suit anyone who busts earlier in the week and wants a cheap second chance before the doors shut.
Bag chips in any flight and you return on Saturday 1 August for Day 2, which plays 16 levels or down to the last four tables. Day 3 follows on Sunday 2 August and plays to a champion.
How to Enter Goliath 2026 From £1
There are three ways in: direct registration on the Grosvenor Poker Live app, Grosvenor's own online satellites, and the GGPoker satellite ladder. The ladder is the cheapest route, and its clock is ticking.
- £1 Step: runs weekdays at 17:30 UTC and Sundays at 14:30 UTC. Winning moves you into the £5 step.
- £5 Step: runs every hour between 16:00 and 22:00 UTC on weekdays and Sundays. The prize is a £30 satellite seat.
- £30 Satellite: runs Sundays at 19:00 UTC and awards a Goliath Main Event Day 1 seat. Sunday 26 July is the last one before the flights close.
- £200 Direct buy-in: enter straight from your GGPoker balance. Registration closes the day before your chosen flight.
The detail nobody spells out: because the £30 satellite only runs on Sundays, 26 July is your final chance to win a seat that way. After that, the direct buy-in is the only GGPoker route left. Every qualifier sits under the Tournaments tab, alongside the strongest weekly GGPoker tournaments.
Two mechanics worth knowing before you fire. Your first seat won is a mandatory entry into a Day 1 flight of your choice, and any entries you no longer need after the festival convert to T$ tournament credit. The on-site GGPoker desk in Coventry handles re-entries and flight changes.
What GGPoker Players Get at Goliath 2026
Enter through GGPoker, by satellite or direct buy-in, and you earn a 20% boost on your net winnings in the Main Event. The offer covers UK and Ireland players.
How the 20% boost is paid. The 20% is paid as C$ cash game credit to your GGPoker account within five days of the event ending. Only players who registered a Goliath satellite or direct buy-in before 12 May 2026 receive it as withdrawable cash funds. GGPoker's game currency is USD, so sterling amounts shift with exchange rates.
There's also an exclusive £5,000 Last Longer for GGPoker entrants only. The last GGPoker-backed player standing in the Main Event collects it, entirely separate from the main prize pool.
The GUKPT Main Event and the Rest of the Schedule
The £1 million guaranteed GUKPT Coventry Main Event opened the festival on 23 July at 12:00. The £1,100 + £150 event runs four Day 1 flights through Saturday, two of them turbos, with the final table on Monday 27 July. GGPoker qualifiers earn a 10% boost here, paid the same way as at the Goliath.
The rest of the schedule covers every bankroll:
- High Roller: £1,350 + £150, £250,000 guaranteed, 26 to 27 July.
- Super High Roller: £1,800 + £200, £100,000 guaranteed, 28 to 29 July.
- Monster Stack: £80 + £20, £100,000 guaranteed, with Day 2 on 26 July.
- Cardroom Direct Mystery Bounty: £200 + £200 + £40, three Day 1 flights from 26 to 28 July.
- Goliath Cup: £500 + £50, £100,000 guaranteed, 1 to 2 August.
- Main Event Travel Open: £260 + £40, £250,000 guaranteed, three flights from 31 July.
- Plus: a £25,000 guaranteed Ladies Event, PLO 4 Card tournaments, a Seniors event, The Giant and a charity freezeout for Carer's Trust.
A Bigger Field Every Year Since 2011
The Goliath launched in 2011 and has grown at every edition since, apart from 2020 and 2021 when it moved online. The 2025 field reached 12,961 entries, the 16th-largest live poker tournament ever recorded. The prize pool came in just under £2 million.
Champion Paul Worsley arrived with just over $2,000 in career live cashes and left with £316,640. That result is the whole pitch of this tournament in one line: a £200 ticket and a life-changing payday.
Watch Nine Days of Free Live Coverage
Grosvenor Poker streams nine days of the festival free across Facebook, Twitch and YouTube. GUKPT commentary duo Phil “The Tower” Heald and Jay Harwood host throughout, including the crowning of the champion on 2 August. If you can't make Coventry, the feature table is the next best seat in the house.
Before You Travel to Coventry
Coventry gets extremely busy during Goliath week and the queues on popular flights are real. A little planning goes a long way:
- Register in advance on the Grosvenor Poker Live app, which now supports debit card payments, rather than queueing at the cash desk.
- Book accommodation now. Coventry fills up fast during Goliath week.
- Pick your flight before you travel. You can re-enter across flights, but you can only be registered in one Day 1 at a time.
- Arrive early on your chosen Day 1. The 11:00 starts regularly draw queues before doors open.
- Keep Flights G and I in reserve. The two evening turbos are the safety net if you bust earlier in the week.
If you're travelling from abroad, check where you can play online before you leave, since rooms differ by country. Our rundown of licensed poker sites for UK players covers who operates where.
Can Goliath 2026 Beat 12,961 Entries?
Grosvenor expects it to. Nine flights, debit card registration on the app and a full GGPoker satellite pipeline all point the same way, and the £2 million estimate assumes growth on 2025. We'll know by the evening of Friday 31 July, when Flight I closes the field.
A champion is crowned on Sunday 2 August and we'll publish a full winner report the day after. Follow our latest poker news coverage for the result.
Frequently Asked Questions
When does the Goliath 2026 Main Event start?
The first of nine Day 1 flights starts on Saturday 25 July at 11:00, with flights running until Friday 31 July. Day 2 plays on Saturday 1 August and the champion is crowned on Sunday 2 August.
How much does the Main Event cost to enter?
The buy-in is £160 + £40, or £200 in total. Every entry starts with 25,000 chips, and late registration stays open until the end of Level 12 in all nine flights.
Can I still qualify for Goliath 2026 online?
Yes. GGPoker's satellite ladder starts at £1, with the final £30 seat satellite on Sunday 26 July, and direct £200 buy-ins stay open until the day before each flight. Grosvenor also runs its own online satellites awarding Live Event Credit.
Is the tournament streamed live?
Yes, Grosvenor Poker streams nine days of coverage free on Facebook, Twitch and YouTube. Phil Heald and Jay Harwood commentate through to the final day.
