Paul Vas Nunes

Paul Vas Nunes, a London-based professional poker player, first emerged on the UK tournament scene in the early 2010s. His first major breakthrough came at the 2014 Grosvenor UK Poker Tour (GUKPT) Grand Final, where he navigated a 212-player field to reach the heads-up stage. There, he faced Charlie Carrel—then a relative unknown—and was ultimately defeated, settling for a runner-up prize of £94,775. That near-miss served as a long-running motivator for Vas Nunes, who continued to grind the UK circuit with steady results.

Vas Nunes finally achieved redemption in December 2023 at the same GUKPT Grand Final, held at the Victoria Casino in London. The £1,800 buy-in main event attracted 324 entrants, building a prize pool of £555,600. Vas Nunes outlasted a tough field that included notable names such as Keith Johnson, Florian Duta, 2023 PokerNews Cup champion Johnny Kelly, GUKPT Coventry winner Joe Hindry, Ludovic Geilich, and recent National Poker League champion Calogero Morreale—the latter bursting the final table bubble.

The final table saw a series of dramatic eliminations. Angel Plazasaez, who had only one previous live cash of £625, finished ninth when his pocket sixes ran into pocket queens. Mathew Frankland busted in eighth after getting his ace-jack all in on a jack-high flop only to find his opponent holding pocket aces. Hamza Nasir’s deep run ended in seventh when his pocket aces were cracked by Adam Bonham’s pocket tens, as four clubs appeared on the board and Bonham held the ten of clubs. Iulian Petrache bowed out in sixth with pocket threes against Alex Montgomery’s queens and Bonham’s ace-king—Montgomery improved to a full house on the river. The anonymous player known as "M.I." exited in fifth. Vas Nunes then eliminated Tom Hall in fourth when his pocket fours flopped a set against Hall’s queen-high. Three-handed play lasted only briefly before Bonham’s pocket threes lost a coinflip to Vas Nunes’s king-ten. That set up a heads-up duel between Vas Nunes and Alex Montgomery.

Vas Nunes held a significant chip lead entering heads-up play. The final hand saw Vas Nunes move all in with ace-three, and Montgomery called off just over ten big blinds with queen-ten. An ace appeared on the flop, and Vas Nunes held to claim the £140,000 first-place prize and the GUKPT Grand Final title—a moment of redemption nine years in the making. Montgomery earned £100,000 for second, the best result of his career at the time.

Vas Nunes is recognized for a patient, technically sound style. He rarely forces action early in tournaments, preferring to accumulate chips through disciplined hand selection and positional awareness. His deep-stack play is particularly strong—he demonstrated this in the 2023 Grand Final by steadily building his stack and then applying pressure at the final table. While not known for flashy bluffs, he excels at reading opponents and capitalizing on their mistakes. His heads-up victory over Carrel in 2014, despite the loss, showed he could compete at a high level; his win in 2023 confirmed his growth and mental fortitude.

With over $1.96 million in live tournament earnings, Paul Vas Nunes ranks among the more accomplished British players on the Grosvenor UK Poker Tour. His 2023 title not only provided financial reward but also cemented his reputation as a consistent threat in the UK poker scene. While much of his recorded success has come on home soil, his experience—including a runner-up finish to one of the game’s most creative players—speaks to his adaptability. Vas Nunes remains an active competitor on the circuit, and his patient, grind-it-out approach continues to serve him well in large-field events.