Poker Writer
The 2025 Grosvenor Goliath was the biggest live poker tournament in history outside of Las Vegas, drawing a record 12,961 entries. The event has drawn fields of 10,000-plus every year since 2022 and is the only tournament not hosted by the World Series of Poker to do so.
The massive-field £200 buy-in tournament held at the Grosvenor Casino in Coventry, England, this past weekend broke the prior year’s record of 11,749 entries.
Goliath is similar in concept to the WSOP’s Colossus, which reshaped low-stakes live tournament poker worldwide. Many tournaments around the globe have since copied the low buy-in multi-flight format, providing the allure of turning a couple of hundred bucks into six figures. None have done it as effectively as Goliath, which allowed Paul Worlsey to spin £200 into £316,640 by winning the largest-ever version on Monday.
Goliath is well-known throughout England as a tournament in which amateur players can have fun and take their shot at a magical run for a gigantic cash prize. Many locals circle it each year as the lone event they’ll play.
As one player from England who has played the event multiple times told PokerScout:
It’s so fun because almost everyone I played with on Day 1 talked about how they hadn’t played poker in ages. It’s a refreshing atmosphere versus the other more serious tournaments around poker
History Of The Goliath
Goliath began at Grosvenor Casino in Coventry in the Midlands of England in 2011, meaning it predates the WSOP’s Colossus by four years. The first edition attracted 1,765 entries at a lower buy-in of £120. It became a part of the Grosvenor UK Poker Tour (GUKPT), which continues to travel around England with Coventry being one of the premier stops.
Goliath has increased its attendance every year aside from 2020-2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic. Many featured jumps of more than 1,000 entries.
| Year | Entries |
|---|---|
| 2011 | 1,765 |
| 2012 | 1,954 |
| 2013 | 2,570 |
| 2014 | 3,394 |
| 2015 | 4,210 |
| 2016 | 5,232 |
| 2017 | 6,385 |
| 2018 | 7,584 |
| 2019 | 9,300 |
| 2020 | 2,013 |
| 2021 | 2,722 |
| 2022 | 10,584 |
| 2023 | 11,493 |
| 2024 | 11,749 |
| 2025 | 12,961 |
The 2025 Goliath was the 16th-largest live poker tournament in history. The top 15 were all held in Las Vegas as part of the WSOP with the all-time record belonging to the 2019 WSOP Big 50 (28,371 entries).
Other Large Tournaments Around The World
While Goliath seems to be the lone tournament around the globe that can challenge the numbers of WSOP, a few others boast large turnouts as well.
The ESPT Barcelona Main Event has the distinction of being the largest PokerStars event, drawing a record 7,398 entries in 2023 before a slight dip to 7,138 in 2024. The 2025 version is on the horizon later this month as part of EPT Barcelona.
In Asia, the largest numbers could come from the Japan Open Poker Tour, which is a relatively new series. Organizers say they expect at least 4,000 for the Main Event in Tokyo. However, that would be a big increase in turnout from last year, when the Tokyo Main Event drew 2,339. Star power from Shiina Okamoto’s recent performances could help, as she serves as a tour ambassador.
In Latin America, Brazilian Series of Poker has gained steam and increased entries over the last few years. Main events there have surpassed 4,000 entries. Although BSOP has a ways to go before it reaches the lofty numbers in Europe and the U.S.A., the growing popularity of poker in Brazil gives it a chance down the road.
Image credit: Ben Sutherland (license)
