Carry on Camping

Roll up, roll up! Calling out to all Orange Belts or above – gain entry to Black Belt Poker's Live Boot Camp next year with our Orange Belt Boot Camp Freerolls. Having garnered feedback from our players, we decided that current Yellow Belts deserved a chance to qualify for the freeroll, so duly decided to make the Orange Belt Boot Camp Freeroll a monthly tournament, scheduled to take place on the last Monday of each month leading up to the event. In short: we’re giving away more free seats, and more added value for both our present, and future, Orange Belt players!

The first Orange Belt Freeroll is taking place right here on Monday evening, November 30 at 20:00 GMT – just two days away! If you are currently an Orange Belt, then this is your chance to bag a place at our first ever Live Boot Camp where you'll receive a free mentoring masterclass, running from 13:00-19:00 GMT, at the Vic on Saturday, February 13.

In association with Bluff Magazine, our in-house pros Neil Channing and Nik Persaud will be spearheading the event, complimented by contributions from some of our most talented Brown Belts. Together they'll be sharing their insight and tips on how you can take your game to the next stage. However, first things first – you must qualify from our Orange Belt Boot Camp Freeroll. All you have to do is finish in the top two and you’ll be on your way to the Grosvenor Victoria to learn from Black Belt Poker’s finest.

If it doesn't work out for you this Monday, then don’t fret as you'll have two more chances to qualify for the inaugural Live Boot Camp on December 28 and January 25, meaning that current Yellow Belts can still work their way up to Orange Belt status and register for what is a superb added value event.

Even if you have only just come across Black Belt Poker, then you can still qualify. Simply download the poker client, link your account and earn 500 Belt Points before either December 1 or January 1 and you’ll be automatically promoted to Orange Belt status and eligible to register for that month’s freeroll.

So log-on, strap your belt tight and play your way to experience the dawning of a new era at Black Belt Poker.

FullFlush Talks Isildur

Dust off your Jackeys or woteva, FullFlush is back!...

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This month, online enigma Isildur has taken the poker world by storm by ambushing the nosebleed stakes and taking on all comers for huge sums of money. Multi-tabling up to eight heads-up tables at a time and playing insanely long sessions, Isildur has witnessed more hands in the space of a few weeks than some pros have in the entire year. He can lose and win millions in minutes and has been involved in several of the biggest hands to date, including a record-breaking pot against Patrik Antonius for in excess of $1.3 million!

There’s no doubt that Isildur is fearless, relentlessly aggressive and willing to take on the very best the game has to offer – an anti bumhunter of sorts. In that sense, perhaps one of the few players who can truly relate to the online felt’s latest sensation is Luke ‘__FullFlush1__’ Schwartz. Like Isildur, FullFlush sent a ripple through the poker world when he emerged from nowehere to tackle Full Tilt’s finest head on, playing and often beating the likes of durrrr, Urindanger, martonas and many more.

Having experienced somewhat of a hiatus of late from the blogging world, FullFlush has returned this week in emphatic fashion to break his silence and offer his views on poker’s latest icon: “There's a million things to Isildur's game,” claims FullFlush, “he's got pretty much everything and plays boards particularly well. Perhaps his only weakness might be that he can tilt now and then, which is bad at Omaha. No Limit is definitely his best game, but Omaha might be a problem for him."

As always, FullFlush is never short of an opinion or two, and in his latest entry he also discusses the WSOP final, the Poker Million and Andrew Feldman’s open challenge, suggesting, “I'd happily stick 500k on the line, not just 100k. The only thing stopping me is giving him coverage.” Maybe most importantly, however, he reveals what the public really want to know: the true filling of that infamous EPT sandwich…

If you want to hear more from the Bad Boy of Poker, then check out FullFlush’s latest blog entry now.

New League Starts Tomorrow!

Action to poker players is like blood to a vampire; no matter how much you supply them, they’ll always be thirsty for more. We here at Black Belt Poker are always looking to satisfy the needs of our players, and so it is with great pleasure that we bring to you our latest Black Belt Poker League.

If that wasn’t enough to stop your fangs from tingling, then you’ll be pleased to know that our latest League comes with added value in the form of Belt Points. To reward those who participate in the League, we’ve upped the value on offer, meaning that as well as the usual merchandise for the top three, we are now offering a whopping 6,750 Belt Points, with 2,500 for the overall champion. That’s enough to maintain Purple Belt for a whole month!

The prizes are as follows:

1st 2,500 Belt Points (plus merchandise)
2nd 1,500 Belt Points (plus merchandise)
3rd 1,000 Belt Points (plus merchandise)
4th 500 Belt Points
5th 350 Belt Points
6th 275 Belt Points
7th 225 Belt Points
8th 175 Belt Points
9th 125 Belt Points
10th 100 Belt Points

Black Belt Poker’s first league may have drawn to a conclusion just one week ago, but we don’t like hanging around, meaning that League II will kick-off tomorrow at 8.30pm with a special appearance from Irish Open Champ Neil Channing! The League will consist of 10 legs of $5 No Limit Hold’em freezeouts and will take place weekly on Tuesday evenings. The League is open to all Yellow Belts and you are free to join the League at any point. To register, simple go to 'scheduled tournaments' and select 'Black Belt Poker Leauge II' in the tournament lobby.

The Black Belt Poker League is a part of our Super Tuesday extravaganza which also includes two other promotions including Challenge Channing and our Midnight Donkament, a $3 No Limit Hold'em rebuy frenzy for all those late night degenerates out there. To download Black Belt Poker and register now click here! Remember to link your poker account to your Community profile to gain Yellow Belt for depositing, and qualify for this promotion.

Play ECOOP on Black Belt Poker

With FTOPS and WCOOP attracting players in their groves, the thirst for online festivals is at an all time high as tournament specialists look to take advantage of those vast fields and gargantuan prize pools. At Black Belt Poker, you too can join in with the fun and frolics of cyberland as tonight sees the start of iPoker’s own contribution to the world of online festivals: ECOOP V.

Kicking off with a $200+15 No Limit Hold’em freezeout, event one delivers a mammoth $250,000 guaranteed prize pool. Over the course of an additional 13 events, iPoker players will be treated to an eclectic mix of events to suit all wallet sizes, ranging from a $100+9 Pot Limit Omaha High Low freezeout to a $2,500+100 No Limit Hold’em freezeout. The pinnacle of this year’s ECOOP will of course be the Main Event on Sun, Dec 6, a $1,500+80 No Limit Hold’em freezeout in which players will battle it out for a mouth-watering $1,500,000 prize pool! For more details, check out the full schedule now.

The ECOOP is available on all iPoker skins, but here at Black Belt Poker, you get the chance to use your Spending Points earned through playing on the site to play a satellite into the ECOOP Main Event. For as little as 325 Spending Points, you can purchase a tournament token through our newly erected online store for a $12+1 Stage 2 qualifier. Alternatively, you can opt for a more direct route, and use 2,725 Spending Points to register for the $100+9 Stage 1 qualifier, where subsequent survival will result in a Main Event seat and the chance to win a slice of the $1,500,000 pie.

Black Belt Poker is constantly looking at ways to improve its service and offer our users different benefits. Even if you don’t wish to participate in ECOOP V, then you can still utilise those Spending Points on a number of other regular iPoker tournaments, or even purchase an exclusive Black Belt Poker shirt or hat. If you would like to start earning Spending Points, then play now by downloading the poker client. For more details on the Black Belt Poker cardroom and all its promotions, be sure to visit the ‘Play Poker’ site or drop us an email at info@blackbeltpoker.com for more information.

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De Wolfe Den

Roland De Wolfe is perhaps one of the most underrated players in the game. Despite becoming only the second player to complete a hat-trick of WPT, EPT and WSOP titles, he is rarely given the credit he deserves as one of the game’s greats. Perhaps it’s his sense of fun or relaxed approach, but either way, the facts don’t lie: he boasts $4.5 in live tournament winnings, is the UK’s second biggest winner behind only the Devilfish, and is a winning player in live cash games. It’s too his credit that he wins so much, yet doesn’t garner the praise his results warrant. Poker’s a game of deception, and this entertaining Londoner is possibly the most deceptive of them all.

With such a long list of accolades to his name, we thought we’d blow the dust off the old Sony camcorder and pick the brains of one of poker’s most popular personalities for an episodic series of interviews wittily entitled ‘De Wolfe Den’. 2008 Irish Open Champ Neil Channing once again adopts the role of Parkinson, eager to probe good friend Roland with questions regarding recent events within the poker world.

In our first edition of De Wolfe Den, Neil heads straight to poker’s core by discussing the recent World Series of Poker final in which America’s Joe Cada defeated fellow countryman Darvin Moon to become the 2009 Champion. In episode one, Roland shares his views on the final, as well as mentioning Moon, the sudden resignation of Jeffrey Pollack and Neil Channing’s increased bankroll.

Roland also talks about Phil Ivey and his WSOP prop bets, revealing that: “Ivey would have probably made double what he would have won for first, so another like eight or six million. Andy Bloch was on for two million because he bet 10 or 20 thousand at 100:1 when there were around 4,000 players left.”

If you like to hear more from De Wolfe Den, as well as witness the Channing/De Wolfe banter in full flow, then simply click the link below and be sure to join us next time for the second episode of Black Belt Poker’s latest high profile feature.

De Wolfe Den - Episode One

Attention, Orange Belts!

Atteeeeention! He may not look like much, and a far cry from Gunnery Sergeant Hartman, but what Nik Persuad lacks in menace, he more than makes up in poker ability.

For the first time since the launch of our cardroom, Black Belt Poker, in conjuction with Bluff Magazine, will be hosting a hotly anticipated Live Boot Camp in which attendees will be given the opportunity to hear from the pros firsthand and receive assistance in improving their game. As an online pro and co-founder of Black Belt Poker, Nik, along with live pro and 2008 Irish Open champ Neil Channing, will be on hand to share his pearls of wisdom and offer his expertise on all things poker related.

The date of the Boot Camp has yet to be confirmed, but that doesn’t mean you can’t book your seat early doors. To reward our players, we have decided to host an online qualifier, in which two seats will be up for grabs. In recognition of their achievement, only those of Orange Belt status will be able to enter, thus thinning the field and increasing your chances or making it to the Live Boot Camp.

The buy-in? Absolutely nothing.

The satellite will take place at 8pm on Monday, Nov 30 and will be a No Limit Texas Hold’em Freezeout. The event is already available on the Black Belt Poker skin and anyone of Orange Belt status or above is eligible to enter. To register for this event, simply sign into the Black Belt Poker client, select the ‘scheduled tournaments’ and ‘freerolls’ tabs and click the tournament titled ‘BBP Orange Belt Bootcamp FR’.

We here at Black Belt Poker look to offer a more personal touch and reward our higher Belts in various ways, and this exclusive freeroll is just one example of that. If you would like to work your way through the Belt system and reap the benefits of being a higher Belt on Black Belt Poker, then be sure to download the poker client now ...

Movers & Shakers - October

Last month had a tough task to follow when it emerged that 26 players had been promoted to a higher Belt status due to performances during the month of September, but despite the promising start, October somehow managed to exceed expectations by seeing a total of 30 players rise through the ranks. As well as 23 Orange Belts, we also witnessed the promotion of six newly crowned Purple Belts, one Green and one Brown. At this rate, we might have to move to a bigger Dojo to fit everyone in!

The player with perhaps the widest smile is Mike Carroll. Having been grinding away like Tony Hawks on speed, Mike earned enough Belt Points to skip Purple entirely and become the first ever Black Belt Poker player to work his way through the system and reach Green Belt status. As a result, Black Belt Poker will be working close with Mike to ensure that he reaps the benefits of playing on a site that seeks to improve people’s games. He has already received one-to-one mentoring with online pro Nik Persaud, and every month that he remains a Green, he will have the option of submitting two hands for extensive analysis from one of our Black Belt Pros. On top of this, he now has a guaranteed seat in the next Boot Camp worth £600, free merchandise, and the option to turn Spending Points into live tournaments.

Following his TeamViewer session, Mike posted on the site: “I have just finished a one hour personal mentoring session with Nik Persaud, which was not only informative, but a real pleasure as well. This man really knows poker and has made me realise how much I still have to learn. He is quite simply different class. The site is new and will have teething problems, which is only natural, but from the way they have responded, I have no doubts this is the place to be if you are serious about improving your game.”

If you would like to follow in Mike’s footsteps and experience the benefits of being a Green Belt player, then check out all the information regarding our card room in our ‘Play Poker’ section of the site, including details on our unique Belt-Up rewards system.

Black Belt Poker would like to congratulate Mike and the following players on their achievement for October (as well as the former Graders who maintained their Belt level) and wish you the very best of luck at the tables for the month of October:

Brown:

James Mitchell

Green:

Mike Carroll

Purple:

Javed Ghazi
Tomasz Jedlecki
Lee Innes
Jon Neale
Jack Sambrook

Orange:

Siu Lo
Louis Scriven
James Sykes
Ajay Ramesh
Ben Gross
Craig Rattray
Shaun Herran-Venables
Tim Kerton
Jason Layland
Paul Storey-Smith
Michael Dwyer
Adam Saunders
Simon Morris
Jennifer Mason
Sean Lassman
Kevin Stevens
Richard Chaso
Dave Eames
Darly Gabriel
Kevin Williams
Malc Curtis
Steve Jones
Jamie Burland

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Brill Mitchell

Last month, we were all delighted to see Hugh Kirton earn Brown Belt status after cashing for $50,000 in the iPoker Monthly Million. In doing so, he became the first ever Black Belt Poker player to have been promoted to Brown.

As elated as we were, we considered it a rare, but welcome occurrence, and believed with the torrid variance involved in poker, it would be a while before we witnessed a repeat performance. However, it would appear as though there is a feast of talent lingering among the Blue Belt region as this month, former Grader and Blue Belt James repeated Kirton’s feat by shooting up to Brown Belt from Blue after winning a magnificent £30,000 in the recent Littlewoods World Heads-Up Poker Championships.

Proudly wearing the Black Belt Poker colours, James Mitchell entered the event amid tough company, with the eclectic field showcasing the talents of Andrew Feldman, Michael Greco, Roland De Wolfe, Sorel Mizzi, Dario Minieri and 35 other heads-up specialists.

Although facing some of the game’s best heads-up players, James is a keen heads-up enthusiast himself, and after defeating players of the ilk of Keith Hawkins and Laurence Houghton, managed to battle his way to the third and final day for a young versus old tete-a-tete. His opponent had just despatched of Russian Victor Ilyukhin in the semi-final: Vic regular and cash game veteran Charalambos 'Bambos' Xanthos.

Holding home field advantage, Bambos managed to eek his way into a three to one chip lead before sealing victory with top pair versus middle pair on an Ad-Td-4c board. A blank turn following by a third bullet on the river was enough to claim both the title and the £65,000 first prize, the latter of which provided the Cypriot with his biggest tournament win to date.

Having been so close to winning the event outright, the week had proved bittersweet for James, but would become slightly sweeter upon learning that his performance had elevated him to Brown Belt status, thus securing him a sponsorship package worth $4,000 per month. Joining Hugh Kirton as one of the figureheads of the company, James is now in prestigious company at the top of the Black Belt Poker tree, and everyone here at Black Belt Poker would like to congratulate him on his success.

If you would like to ask James a question or add him as a buddy, then feel free to check out his personal profile on the Black Belt Poker social network.

GazAJKO’s Channing in $5,000 Freeroll

Last night, Black Belt Poker hosted its hotly anticipated Depositors’ Freeroll. As well as the mouth-watering $5,000 prize pool and $1,000 first prize, six Black Belt Poker bounties were set up as cannon fodder with players earning $100 rewards for the scalps of Black Belt Poker sponsored players Eoin Kennedy, Adam Latimer, Hugh Kirton and Jerome Bradpiece, as well as an additional $200 each for eliminating co-founders Neil Channing and Nik Persaud.

So, that’s $5,000 in the kitty and an extra $800 on top. There had to be a catch, right? Well, maybe, but only a teeny-weeny one: all you had to do was make a minimum deposit of $10 and you were free to run rampant over the Black Belt Poker skin and take advantage of the absolutely free value on offer. As a result, 275 registered for the event, including a few familiar faces in the shape of Andy Ward, Jesse May, Keith Hawkins, Paul Zimbler, Ben Grundy and recent Poker Million finalist Peter Vasiliou.

This truly was, as Dire Straits once sang, a “Money for Nothing” opportunity, and with over a third of the field paid, an impressive 99 players were able to turn something into nothing with the unlucky bubble spot splashing at the feet of ‘belovedpoker’ who was eliminated at the century mark. Out of those who did cash, however, were BBP players Adam ‘JHobbit1’ Saunders, Jennifer ‘Dejen1’ Mason, and Brown Belt Hugh ‘DianaVickers’ Kirton.

The biggest surprise, perhaps, lay in the final table line-up as both Neil Channing and Nik Persaud (“fix!” I hear you cry), as well as Adam ‘trojandonkey’ Latimer, made up the last nine, meaning three bounties were still up for grabs. With Nik dropping in eighth and Adam snapping up third, the final two were Neil and Yellow Belt Garry ‘GazAJKO’ Cargill, the Black Belt Poker co-founder holding a clear experience advantage but facing a slight chip deficit going into the tete-a-tete.

Garry had clearly been watching his Dog the Bounty Hunter boxset, as having disposed of Adam, he added the scalp of Neil to his list of victims to lap up both the title and the final bounty. The final hand was a simple affair, all the chips going in preflop with Garry’s nose inches in front with Ah-8c versus BadBeat’s Qd-Jh. The communal cards formed a minefield, but Garry somehow managed to dodge a 7d-6d-8s-9h-3s board to become the Depositors’ Freeroll Champion and gratefully collect the first prize of $1,000, as well as the additional bounties picked up along the way.

The final table results were as follows:

1st GazAJKO -- $1,000
2nd NeilChanning -- $500
3rd trojandonkey -- $400
4th Mrgingertoys -- $300
5th betyama -- $250
6th virtusxetxhonor -- $200
7th rosselini -- $175
8th NikPersaud -- $150
9th 3pieceVariety -- $125

Many thanks to all those who participated in the Depositors’ Freeroll. More fun was had than an entire series of Funhouse and we were pleased to learn that everyone enjoyed the tournament. With the weekly White and Yellow Belt freerolls and the BBP League, there is still plenty of value to be had on Black Belt Poker, and we’ll soon be looking to offer even more value as we look to introduce the Orange Belt Boot Camp Freeroll in the very near future. Watch this space for further news.