Four-Way Deal Ends With £365,520 Goliath Win

By Samantha Doyle

3 hours ago

Samantha Doyle 3 hours ago

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Goliath 2026 set new attendance and prize pool records (14,663 entries, £2.2M).
Damon Burch-Hyson won £365,520 after dramatic double eliminations and a 4-way deal.
Tournament deals (including an 11-way split) were key features across events.

Goliath broke its attendance record again in 2026, but the final number was only part of the story.

A total of 14,663 entries created a £2,228,780 prize pool in the £200 tournament, with Damon Burch-Hyson eventually collecting £365,520. His victory came after a four-handed deal and a final pot that eliminated both of his remaining opponents.

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Two Double Eliminations Shape the Final Table

Burch-Hyson was responsible for both double eliminations at the final table.

The first came with seven players remaining. His pocket queens held against Lorenc Boci’s ace-king and Wai Lun Lam’s ace-jack, removing both opponents and leaving only five players in contention.

Reema Bodalia finished fifth for £71,500 before Burch-Hyson, Lewis Aikman, Jonny Elworthy and Dayle Gallagher stopped play to discuss a deal. They agreed new payouts while leaving another £88,520 for the remaining positions.

Gallagher was the first player eliminated after the agreement. Because of the deal, his fourth-place payout of £178,850 was larger than both Aikman’s runner-up prize and Elworthy’s third-place award.

The tournament skipped a conventional heads-up finale. Elworthy moved all-in with queen-nine, Aikman held ace-five and Burch-Hyson called with ace-eight. No player improved beyond the paired board, leaving Burch-Hyson’s kicker in front and ending the event in one hand.

Final Table Payouts

Place	Player	Prize
1	Damon Burch-Hyson	£365,520*
2	Lewis Aikman	£173,700*
3	Jonny Elworthy	£167,330*
4	Dayle Gallagher	£178,850*
5	Reema Bodalia	£71,500
6	Lorenc Boci	£50,000
7	Wai Lun Lam	£37,890
8	Nittin Sonawane	£31,500
9	Bryan Taylor	£26,000

Goliath 2026 Results at a Glance

Event	Entries	Winner	Prize
£200 Goliath	14,663	Damon Burch-Hyson	£365,520
£1,250 GUKPT Main Event	876	Dean Hutchison	£163,280
£550 GGPoker Cup	713	Michael Donofrio	£65,600
£300 Travel Open	1,238	David Sandford	£55,760
£1,500 High Roller	211	Brandon Sheils	£54,130
£2,000 Super High Roller	89	Jamie Dwan	£47,200
£440 Mystery Bounty	1,176	Brett Wilkins	£36,040

The GUKPT Main Event was the only other event at the series to generate a seven-figure prize pool, while the Cup and Travel Open both passed £300,000.

Sheils Claims High Roller Title

Brandon Sheils won the £1,500 High Roller after its final three players agreed a deal.

The tournament recorded 211 entries and built a £270,610 prize pool. Sheils received £54,130, while Antony Rubin took £42,230 as runner-up. Tu Nhat Vuong finished third but earned £44,980 under the terms of the deal.

Sheils then came close to winning a second title, reaching heads-up in the £2,000 Super High Roller before losing to Jamie Dwan.

Monster Stack Ends in 11-Way Deal

Deals were a recurring feature of the festival, although none involved more players than the £100 Monster Stack.

The event drew 2,726 entries across four flights and more than doubled its £100,000 guarantee with a £207,100 prize pool. All 11 remaining players agreed to split the money, with Hongtao Sun named champion and awarded £13,255.

Ryan Bignell was down to around two big blinds when the agreement was reached. His final payout came to £4,300, considerably more than the amount he was otherwise likely to receive as the shortest stack.

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