BBP at WSOPE

At a whopping £10,000 a pop, Black Belt Poker’s presence was understandably light at this year’s World Series of Poker Europe, but that didn’t stop co-founders Neil Channing and Nik Persaud taking a stab at the £801,603 first prize, as well as Vegas 8 member and recent DTD conqueror James Keys.

But despite their bravado, they had a mountain to climb, and one that included more stars than the night sky. Ivey, Akenhead, Hellmuth, Harman, Juanda, Obrestad, Seed – they were all there, and to capture the WSOPE title, the winner would have to defeat one of the toughest pound for pound line-ups ever assembled.

But with the grit between their teeth, Black Belt Poker were braced and ready for action, determined to overcome the 334 thick field and get their mitts on some shiny, sparkling bracelet gold. Sadly, grit alone wasn’t enough. Neil, who had been drawn next to former bracelet winner Nenad Medic, endured a torrid time that was indicative of his recent form and misfortune. Numerous big pairs were received, but most went awry, and when he eventually managed to get all his chips in with Big Slick, he found Matt Stout sitting pretty with pocket rockets. No miracle cowboys, and Bad Beat was out.

All hopes thus rested on partner in crime Nik Persaud, a jovial, outgoing chap, but a wizard of the felt and all business when need be. This week was no different, and despite crossing swords with the likes of Daniel Negreanu, Antonio Esfandiari and eventual finalists Praz Bansi and Matt Hawrilenko, Nik sailed comfortably into Day Three without so much of a murmur.

Similarly, James Keys had crossed rugged company, sharing tables with Eric Liu, Doyle Brunson and, at the start of Day Three, then monster chip leader Ian Munns. Having endured more ups and downs than a kangaroo on a bungee, the Keys’ stack eventually sank too far south, and the former Grader was gone – ejected from the feature table and into the out-stretched arms of the Empire bar.

Back from the break, Nik dug deep, battling like a Trojan to keep his tournament flame alight. However – and after several setbacks which inhibited him from gathering any genuine pace – Nik sang his swan song just several places away from the money, his Jh-Th versus Amnon Filippi’s Kc-Qd no good on a Qh-4h-9c-2s board, the 5d river dodging all his draws and sending him prematurely home.

And so, Black Belt Poker’s diminutive army had been brought to a halt before its infiltration of Leicester Square had barely begun. Whilst Belts were put back in drawers, Bill Clinton look-a-like Barry Shulman romped to victory to become Emperor of the Empire, fending off a star-studded final table which included two November Niners, six bracelet winners, and, now, the man with more tournament winnings than anyone else in the world, Daniel Negreanu.

A victory for the old school, but a defeat for Black Belt Poker.