Hit for Sixth; Sam Wins A$225,000!

Armed with oodles of confidence and a swagger in his step, you'd be forgiven for thinking that Sam Razavi was overconfident and, indeed, when asked why he'd signed up for the recent Black Belt Poker Grading, duly replied: "because I've decided that I'm going to the Aussie Millions in January."

But if ever self-assurance was justified, it's in the case of the 30-year old thespian-come-poker-pro as Sam's response should have included the word "final"; not only did he sail through the Grading to earn himself a £10,000 Aussie Millions package, but he also finished sixth of an initial 721 in the Main Event for a whopping A$225,000.

Railed by mentor Neil Channing, bracelet winner Richard Ashby, and fellow Grading winner Adam Stoneham, Sam headed into the final table at the Crown Casino in Melbourne in fourth place with a stack of 1,360,000, 45 big blinds, and a simple, but potentially effective game plan: play tight early on and open up short-handed. With a torrid line-up that included Patrik Antonius and fellow Brits James Keys and Chris Moorman, the journey ahead looked bumpy, and perhaps the only consolation was that Sorel Mizzi and Randy 'nanonoko' Lew were the final two casualties from the night prior.

Sam remained true to his word and trod carefully early doors, but after Antonius snapped up eighth, Sam suffered a major setback courtesy of a nasty flush over flush encounter. Having called a raise from Keys of 70,000 with Ks-Qs, Sam reached a five-way flop of 5s-2s-3s where he check-raised David Gorr's lead of 250,000 to 575,000. Gorr called before moving all in for 2,200,000 on the 9s turn. Somehow, Razavi found the fold - and, much to his delight, was shown the As - but it was a blow that hacked his stack down to 870,000.

Although Sam managed to climb another rung of the ladder, he never fully recovered, and after pushing all in uncontested the hand before, and with the blinds at 20,000/40,000(5,000), he shoved for around 800,000 with Ad-7d. On this occasion, however, he was looked up by Keys on the button with 7h-7s. An uneventful Qs-Js-Jh-5c-9s board later and Sam's adventure Down Under had come to a close-but-no-cigar end.

"I'm slightly disappointed at the moment and felt I played a couple of hands badly," reflected Sam in the aftermath. "I would have been satisfied with $500,000, but I couldn't find any spots and it was such a strong table with Chris Moorman, Patrik Antonius. James Keys, etc. Still, not a bad result. Next stop: WPT Venice!"

The aforementioned cigar almost went to Sam's assassin, who despite reaching heads-up with a near 5:1 chip deficit, managed to turn the tables to leave foe, Gorr, with little more than a million in chips. But, alas, poker is an unpredictable game, and Gorr produced a Rocky-esque comeback of his own before putting Keys all in on the turn of a 7s-6c-3h-Kh board with Kc-4c versus 7c-3c. With the felt boasting the biggest pot of the tournament, a cruel 4s hit the river to crown Gorr Champion for an eye-watering A$2,000,000. Keys, a former Grader himself, took away A$1,035,000 for his efforts.

Overall, the Aussie Millions proved a lucrative trip for the Black Belt Poker team with Sam's stunning performance complimented by Richard's win in the 8-Game Mixed event earlier in the week. Meanwhile, Neil cashed in the $1,000 shootout, whilst Adam made the money in Event #17's six-handed freezeout.

But, of course, the day belonged to Sam. A globe-trotter currently residing in the more local shores of Brighton, Sam is more accustomed to the mid-stakes heads-up cash tables, but has been looking to transfer his success over to the tournament felt since reaching Blue Belt and becoming a sponsored pro. For his first event under the Black Belt Poker banner, it hasn't been too bad a start

1st David Gorr -- A$2,000,000
2nd James Keys -- A$1,035,000
3rd Jeff Rossiter -- A$700,000
4th Michael Ryan -- A$450,000
5th Randy Dorfman -- A$325,000
6th Sam Razavi -- A$225,000
7th Chris Moorman -- A$175,000
8th Patrik Antonius -- A$130,000

Previous reports:

Razavi Makes Aussie Millions Final
Aussie Millions: Super Sam in Last 18
Gold Rush; Aussie Triumph for Ashby
Report From Down Under
The Aussie FishFiles: Prologue
Community Interview: Sam Razavi

Razavi Makes Aussie Millions Final

As Day 4 loomed, hopes were high for Black Belt Poker's lone ranger, and the pressure was mounting, but, as expected, Sam Razavi was in confident mood, and certainly wasn't going to let the potential of a A$2 million payday interrupt his stride.

Prior to the starting whistle, Sam was one of just 18 remaining, his 841,000 stack placing him right in the middle of the pack. However, that statistic changed dramatically within the opening stages as Sam rocketed up into the chip lead in blink-and-you'll-miss-it fashion.

Despite a dogged starting table which included fellow Brits James Keys and start-of-day chip leader Chris Moorman, Sam more than held his own, before enjoying a succession of nice pots, the latter elevating him to the top of the charts with 2,395,000 when he found As-Ah versus the Ac-Ks of Cliff Lee. A king on the flop momentarily teased tragedy, but four raggy cards later and Lee's departure left us with 15.

Unfortunately, Sam was unable to build on this success, and later relinquished the chip lead when he lost half a million in chips to last year's finalist Sorel Mizzi with 3d-3h versus Th-9h on an 8s-7h-3c-6h-Qd board. He then lay down a three-bet to Jeff Rossiter to see his stack dwindle below the 1.5 million mark.

From thereon in, Sam kept a low profile, but it was perhaps this patience - and reluctance to tilt after his recent knocks - that saw him reach the final of the Aussie Millions Main Event, guaranteed A$130,000 in winnings and a mammoth bar bill after the event. Before the night was through, there was time for one last casualty, and that man was Mizzi who exited in ninth.

With just one day remaining, the chip counts are therefore as follows:

Randy Dorfman -- 3,895,000
James Keys -- 2,395,000
David Gorr -- 2,370,000
Samad Razavi -- 1,360,000
Patrik Antonius -- 1,300,000
Jeff Rossiter -- 1,235,000
Michael Ryan -- 960,000
Chris Moorman -- 955,000

With the final level of the day being 12,000/24,000(4,000), there is still plenty of play left in the event, and Sam can take solace in the fact that he has around 50 big blinds. But for Sam, nerves won't be an issue come tomorrow, and it was likely this 'swagger' that led to him offering odds of 4:1 when Randy Dorfman claimed to know the holding of David Gorr in one of the final hands of the day. Of course, he didn't, and Sam scooped up an additional $5,000 pot.

When it rains, it pours - let's hope Sam's good fortune continues tomorrow, and BBP have the honour of crowning the 2011 Aussie Millions Champion.

Aussie Millions: Super Sam in Last 18

At the tail end of September, Sam Razavi opened an account with Black Belt Poker, but little did he know that just four months later, he'd be heading into Day 4 of the Aussie Millions Main Event as one of just eighteen players battling it out for the two million first prize.

Having ploughed his way through a 721-thick field, Sam sits in ninth place and is in with a genuine chance of bringing home a second Aussie Millions ring after fellow Black Belt Poker pro Richard Ashby triumphed in the 8-Game Mixed Event several days earlier.

Sam's journey onto the final two tables, however, has been far from smooth, and, indeed, his initial starting stack of 20,000 was depleted to just 3,300 within the opening levels after he ran top-pair-top-kicker into a set, and pocket aces into trips. But despite his early stutter, Sam laced up his boots and made a comeback of Rocky proportions to finish the day with a somewhat healthier stack...

"Sam actually finished with 45,000," reported mentor Neil Channing. "He got it in with K-Q near the end and thought the guy said 'call', so he flipped his hand up. The guy claimed he said 'cool' and that he hadn't acted yet but then he looked at the K-Q and quickly called. Sam's neighbour piped up that he folded K-Q. The A-3 of diamonds flopped a flush draw, but a nice off-suit king came on the river. Pretty sweet."

Sam's progress through Day 2 was uneventful, but steady, and he ultimately ended the session with a respectable 107,000 and just four places away from the money. In contrast, Day 3 saw more fireworks than bonfire night as Sam enjoyed an immediate double-up with Kc-Ts versus Ac-9c (running tens hitting the flop and turn) to kickstart an incredible surge that would see his stack constantly increase.

Along the way, he eliminated multiple WPT winner Howard Lederer with 3s-3c versus As-Kd, and, at one point, found himself sitting in fourth place with a staggering 1,085,000 when he dispatched of homegrown talent Matthew Kirk in 20th with Qh-Qd versus Ac-Kc. At the final whistle, and with a guaranteed payday of A$70,000 in the bag, Sam went to bed with 841,000 in chips.

Sam may be the only Black Belt Poker pro remaining, but he's not alone in flying the British flag as former James Keys, Eli Heath and Chris Moorman are still alive and well, the latter boasting the chip lead with a commanding stack of 1,643,000. Other recognisable names include Mark Vos, Sorel Mizzi, Tobias Reinkemeier and Finish high stakes pro Patrik Antonius.

Black Belt Poker would like to wish Sam the very best of luck tomorrow; our wages depend on you. No pressure, though.

Werrrrd on the Streak; Leg 1 Dominance

Last night, Tom 'Werrrrd' Drew threatened to become the Phil Taylor of the poker world when he took down the opening Leg of League VIII. A Blue Belt on Black Belt Poker after earning promotion through the recent Grading, Tom was a VIP guest at the Black Belt Poker Christmas party after winning League VII in truly emphatic style. A few weeks later, and little has changed: Tom is still slicing and dicing his way through the field like a machete through butter, and is showing no signs of slowing down.

If he were to win just one Leg this season, then the opener would be the perfect choice as past showings prove that this is easily the most popular tournament on the schedule, thus awarding the winner the most amount of points. But despite this, little did we know that the evening would provide a platform for the biggest League field to date as an incredible 132 salivating poker enthusiasts limbered up their mouse hand and braced themselves for a night of poker fun and frolics. The rewards on offer: a mouth-watering $178.20 first prize, a pace-setting start in the standings, and more bragging rights than tea in China.

As always, the field was an eclectic affair with pros and amateurs alike ambushing the virtual felt. The Blue Belts, in particular, had plenty of ammo in their gun with recent Graders Vincent Diver, Joe Roberts, Oliver Schaffmann and David Docherty, as well as former Graders Jamie Burland, Owen Robinson, Kevin Williams, Simon Mairs and Gavin Hall, the latter of whom was pipped at the post into second. Even Yellow Brick Road trotter Sam Razavi made an appearance, the Brown Belt booting up his laptop from halfway across the globe to take a well-deserved breather from his Aussie Millions adventures.

In the end, and after Paul 'paul6543' Romain felt the full splash of the bubble, 20 players squeaked into the cash for a guaranteed return. Perhaps the most monumental factor of the Leg, however, was that every single previous Champion entered the event (a feat that went unfulfilled throughout the duration of League VII), and although Andy 'RedKiteBlackBelt' Brisland, Mark 'russellhansen' Brassington and Adam 'JHobbit' Saunders fell by the wayside early doors, the other four made it into the money: Trevor 'cleavertrevor' Myers (15th), Mark '99Ranson' Ranson (13th), David 'DididavidBEL09' Meunier (12th) and, of course, our illustrious winner.

1st Werrrrd -- $178.20
2nd TFMonty007 -- $105.60
3rd hiddenacesBBP -- $66.00
4th Mrdroodle -- $52.80
5th adygolf -- $46.20
6th luckyed147 -- $39.60
7th youshouldstakeme -- $33.00
8th JimmyTheBhoy -- $26.40
9th mbdnr235 -- $19.80
10th TeeDeeEye1 -- $13.20
11th sandy1611 -- $7.92
12th DididavidBEL09 -- $7.92
13th 99Ranny -- $7.92
14th ewen51 -- $7.92
15th cleavertrevor -- $7.92
16th HermantheHermit -- $7.92
17th Ruaction -- $7.92
18th ch1paccrual -- $7.92
19th Louise02 -- $7.92
20th habbad -- $7.92

Although the devilish part of my character wanted the wonderfully named 'WTFISMATH' to be leading the way, the man at the top is, inevitably, our current king, and seemingly invincible champion, Tom Drew with 157 points, closely followed by Enlightenment Sensei Gavin Hall with Paul 'hiddenacesBBP' Hollick in third. If the standings remained the same throughout the eight legs, these 10 players would all be going away with a combination of Belt Points and DeucesCracked tokens, with Tom earning himself a seat into the upcoming Black Belt London Live II.

1st Werrrrd -- 157 points
2nd TFMonty007 -- 149 points
3rd hiddenacesBBP -- 145 points
4th Mrdroodle -- 141 points
5th adygolf -- 138 points
6th luckyed147 -- 135 points
7th youshouldstakeme -- 132 points
8th JimmyTheBhoy -- 129 points
9th mbdnr235 -- 126 points
10th TeeDeeEye1 -- 124 points

Super Tuesdays are a little different this time around, with the usual Mulligan and Donkament fixtures being replaced by satellites into the London Live. In the inaugural $40+4 super satellite, the two guaranteed seats went to Purple Belt Richard 'generalshifty' Hurst and Brown Belt Jerome 'GONGONONGO' Bradpiece. They topped a field of 18.

1st GONGONONGO -- London Live seat
2nd generalshifty -- London Live seat
3rd StilettoMafiosa -- $85.00
4th allmichips -- $51.00
5th Thekernell1 -- $34.00

Soon after, players were offered the opportunity to qualify for just $1, the $1+0.10 Donkament Rebuy guaranteeing one seat into the following week's super satellite. This time, 42 players took a shot and with Mandy 'wondrwman' Card bubbling a seat in fourth, Tristan 'tristiano' Chaplin (armed with just one rebuy), Vickie 'AngelVickie' Lambert, and Jerome, again, and perhaps looking to multi-table the Main Event, brought themselves one step closer to a visit to the Grosvenor Victoria this April.

1st GONGONONGO -- super satellite seat
2nd AngelVickie48 -- super satellite seat
3rd tristiano -- seat
4th wondrwman - $6.80
5th betyama -- $4.25
6th generalshifty -- $2.72
7th bbpjimjam -- $1.36

And so, a thrilling night of poker concluded as two more entrants were added to the London Live, and Tom Drew continued where he left off in the League a few weeks ago. Naturally, the record-breaking figures were a joy to see, and confirmation of the ever-increasingly popularity of the League, and for that, we must thank all attendees for both their presence and loyalty.

But enough of the sentiments, this is poker, and next week, Leg 2 will be equally as fierce with some of Black Belt Poker's finest seeking to topple Tom from his throne. Think you've got the cahonies? Then why not download the poker client, open an account, and give it a crack. And who knows, perhaps you could be going to the London Live as the latest League winner…

League VIII: London Live II

League VIII: London Live II

Blow the dust off your royal crockery and brace yourself for the chimes of Big Ben as League VIII has arrived with the nation's capital firmly in its sights. For its eighth outing, the Black Belt Poker League will be offering the lucky winner a guaranteed seat in the most hotly anticipated tournament on the poker calendar: the Black Belt London Live II.

The League will be a weekly $5 No Limit Hold'em freezeout commencing on Tuesday, January 25, 2011 and running for eight weeks until Tuesday, March 15, 2011. The prizes for the top 10 places are as follows:

1st London Live Seat & DeucesCracked Token
2nd 1,000 Belt Points & DeucesCracked Token
3rd 850 Belt Points & DeucesCracked Token
4th 750 Belt Points & DeucesCracked Token
5th 600 Belt Points & DeucesCracked Token
6th 500 Belt Points & DeucesCracked Token
7th 400 Belt Points & DeucesCracked Token
8th 300 Belt Points & DeucesCracked Token
9th 200 Belt Points & DeucesCracked Token
10th 100 Belt Points & DeucesCracked Token

Points for each leg will be awarded in reverse order, so that in a 50-runner event, 50th would earn 1 point, and 1st 50 points. The top 10 finishers per leg receive the following additional points:

1st 25 Points
2nd 18 Points
3rd 15 Points
4th 12 Points
5th 10 Points
6th 08 Points
7th 06 Points
8th 04 Points
9th 02 Points
10th 01 Point

Announced earlier this week, the Black Belt London Live II will be returning to the Grosvenor Victoria Casino in London on April 1-3 with a guranteed $100,000 prize pool and $20,000 first prize. The event will be a $250+25 No Limit Hold'em Freezeout with a 45-minute clock and 20,000 starting stack.

This year, the London Live is jam-packed with more value than ever with 20 bounties and up to 20% added to all prizes. We're also offering weekly satellites, in which players have the opportunity to qualify for the London Live for just $1! Satellites commence on the same day as League VIII in place of the Donkament and Mulligan.

The League is open to Yellow Belts and above and you can join at any point. To become Yellow Belt, all you have to do is open a community account at backbeltpoker.com, download the poker client and make a deposit on the site. Then simply locate the tournament in Scheduled > Black Belt Tournaments > Black Belt League VIII, click register, and, who knows, perhaps you could be the eighth member of the following prestigious list...

Previous Winners:

League I: Adam Saunders
League II: Mark Brassington
League III: David Meunier
League IV: Andy Brisland
League V: Trevor Myers
League VI: Mark Ranson
League VII: Tom Drew

Gold Rush; Aussie Triumph for Ashby

All that glitters is gold for Richard Ashby, as the high stakes pro added yet more gold to his collection last night by scooping an Aussie Millions ring in Melbourne.

Ambushing this year's event along with fellow Black Belt Poker sponsored pros Neil Channing, Adam Stoneham and Sam Razavi, Richard complimented his WSOP bracelet from last year by taking down Event #5 of this year's Aussie Millions at the Crown Casino in Melbourne.

Proving his undeniable talent across multiple games, the tournament was the 8-Game Mixed event and attracted 68 runners. Richard flew out of the blocks like Carl Lewis and was among the chip leaders for most of the tournament, but once down to the final table of seven, found himself last in chips with 59,300 with chip leader Daniel Ospina of Columbia a country mile ahead with 186,700.

The final day, however, saw Richard enjoy a fruitful start when he doubled through in the Limit Hold'em round with just ace high! With Ospina opening from under the gun, and Paul Ravesi raising the button, Richard capped from the small blind with As-Kc before leading out on a 9d-2c-8h flop. Ospina then took control, firing out bets of 5,000 on both the 7s turn and Qs river. Both streets were called down, only for Richard's Big Slick to scoop the pot against Ad-Ts.

After Casey Kastle - an American currently residing in Slovenia - fell in third, Richard found himself heads up against local hero Bruno Portaro with a 545,000 to 135,000 chip lead. Although the Aussie made a commendable fightback, Richard finished off a lengthy heads-up battle in the No Limit Hold'em round, calling his foe's all-in on a Kd-9c-Ac flop with Ah-7h. Portaro could only muster Kh-Ts, which failed to improve on a 5h turn and 4d river.

In addition to becoming the recipient of an Aussie Millions ring, Richard also earned A$23,800 for his troubles, as well as a well-timed confidence boost in preparation for the upcoming Main Event. Although Neil cashed in Event #4's No Limit Hold'em Shootout, Richard's triumph marked the first success for Black Belt Poker at this year's Aussie Millions which will surely spur on the rest of the team who were watching keenly from the rail.

Keep checking the site to see if Black Belt Poker's Aussie Millions contingent can build on that momentum and make an impact on the remaining events.

Click here for images.

Report from Down Under

Last week, the Black Belt Poker team of Neil Channing, Richard Ashby and Grading winners Sam Razavi and Adam Stoneham all endured a 22-hour flight to Sydney before relocating to Melbourne to play this year's Aussie Millions.

Although this will prove a new experience for our two travelling Brown Belts, Richard will be back on familiar soil having final tabled the Main Event two years prior. Emotions will be mixed, however, as he openly confessed to a major downswing at the following year's event in his debuting blog entry. This year, Richard seems to have arrived in high spirits with the high stakes cash games firmly in his sights.

"Despite the continued rain in Melbourne, things are hotting up nicely poker wise here. Last night they were playing $3,000/$6,000 Limit! A lot of the Full Tilt guys are in town as well as a couple of really wealthy Australian business men. They have a lively $100/100/200 PLO game which I may take a shot in later today. I managed to get stuck 14,000 'warming up' in a $5/10/20 game last night which shows you how lively the games are. I hope Channing et al have brought a lot of dosh with them."

Later in the week, Richard found himself tackling 'Crazy Mike', a name Neil had become familiar with following his experiences from last year. "Massive day of poker yesterday. I was up at 6am for the $200,000 GTD Winter Sales event and was still playing 21 hours later in a heads-up $300/600 Limit game with a guy they call 'Crazy Mike'. Anyone heard of him? Total crackpot but entertaining. Managed to win about $20,000 off him which almost covered my $30,000 PLO loss earlier in the day! He wants a rematch tonight. Just off to rail Channing in the shootout for a bit first as I think he is going well."

Despite the primary focus being tournaments and spending the $10,000 Grading package, Adam has also been dipping into the local ring-games:

"I put myself on the $2/5 list and got a seat straight away in the $1/2. The game was relatively soft; the players were generally just limping and then playing rather passive and, if it wasn't for the extortionate hourly $5 fee and then the 10 percent rake of pots and no free drinks ($4 for a coke), it would have been a very good game to play. I was feeling pretty tired at this point so I said I would go to bed if I win or lose a big pot. Some guy had decided to straddle $10 which, in a $1/2 game, I thought was a bit silly. I was dealt J-7 on the cut-off so I couldn't resist trying to take it. I put in a $25 raise and he called.

"The flop was 8-T-K. He checked and then called my $30 bet. The turn was an ace, which I thought was probably the best card for me to win this pot apart from the 9 or J, so I bet $65, hoping for a fold and wondering whether I could bluff him if I miss my double gutter on the river. Fortunately for me, the river was the perfect 9 and I was all in. I was expecting a fold but was delighted after a five minute dwell up when I got a call. I played a few more hands and left when they asked for the next hourly charge."

The first tournament on the Black Belt Poker hit list was Event #4's $1,000 No Limit Hold'em Shootout, which attracted 158 players spread over 18 tables. Although Neil won his opening table, Adam wasn't so fortunate, losing heads-up to former Grader and Brown Belt James Keys. Sam, meanwhile, could only manage a fourth, the winner of his table being EPT Vilamoura Champion Toby Lewis.

With just two Australian flags to his name, Neil was able to advance into the money and make it a hattrick, before falling just inches short of echoing his WSOP shootout final table appearance with a 15th place finish for $2,015. With James Keys opening preflop to 6,200 and the small blind flat-calling, Neil pushed all in for 19,600 with Ah-Tc from the big blind and James called. Despite having his nose slightly ahead, Neil was unable to fend off James' Qh-Jh, the board coming 8h-5s-Js-7c-8c to send the Black Belt Poker head honcho hurtling to the rail.

James wasn't the only Brit to advance to the final; John Eames, Andrew Teng and Jack Powell finished 10th, 7th, and 2nd respectively - with James dropping in 6th - thus allowing Denmark's Soren Blanner to snap up victory and the $37,920 first prize.

Whilst the aforementioned Black Belt Poker casualties enjoy a welcome rest in preparation for tomorrow's Six-Handed No Limit Hold'em event, Richard is busy in Event #5's 8-Game Mixed Event. A disappointing 68 players entered the event, but, nevertheless, Richard has guaranteed himself a payout by making it onto the final table of seven. Unfortunately, he is bottom in chips with 59,300, but if he can enjoy a good start, will be in with a realistic chance of adding an Aussie Millions side event victory to his bracelet win in Vegas.

Click here to view images of the team in Australia.

Satellite into the London Live for $1!

This April, we're putting a 'spring' back in your step with the return of the Black Belt London Live and the most hotly anticipated event on the poker calendar.

At just $250+25 and a guaranteed prize pool of $100,000, the Black Belt London Live II represents great value, and the perfect opportunity for you to turn a small investment into a sumptuous payday.

In order to cater for bankrolls of all sizes, we're offering you the chance to qualify for this year's event for just $1!

Starting Tuesday, January 25, there will be weekly satellites for the London Live, with the opening satellite being a $1+0.10 No Limit Hold'em rebuy with one seat guaranteed into the following week's super satellite. Survive that, and you'll be on your way to London to participate in the UK's most popular tournament.

The full satellite schedule is as follows:

BB London Live Donkament Sat ($1+$0.10 No Limit Hold'em Rebuy/Add-on)
Tuesdays, 9.30pm, 1 seat guaranteed into Super Sat.

BB London Live Satellite ($5+$0.50 No Limit Hold'em Freezeout)
Thursdays, 8.30pm, 1 seat guaranteed into Super Sat.

BB London Live Supersatellite ($40+$4 No Limit Hold'em Freezeout)
Tuesdays, 8pm, 2 seats guaranteed into London Live

To register for any of the above satellites, simply start the poker client and locate the relevant satellite in the 'Scheduled' tab. If you don't already have an account, then opening one is easy: simply download the poker software and follow the step-by-step process provided. To use Spending Points, then simply locate the appropriate satellite in the Black Belt Poker store.

With starting stacks of 20,000 and a 45-minute clock, the Black Belt London Live II is unique in that it offers players the chance to play a deep-stacked tournament at an affordable price. This year there is even more value with no fewer than 20 bounties with rewards of up to $250 on their heads, as well as Belt Bonuses in which up to 20% will be added to all prizes.

To register for the event, you can either buy in directly by locating the tournament in Scheduled > London Live > Black Belt London Live Day 1A/1B or, alternatively, purchase a token from the Black Belt Poker Store using Spending Points.

Or, better still, qualify for just $1 and make the London Live the best dollar you ever spent.

Satellite into the London Live for $1!

This April, we're putting a 'spring' back in your step with the return of the Black Belt London Live and the most hotly anticipated event on the poker calendar.

At just $250+25 and a guaranteed prize pool of $100,000, the Black Belt London Live II represents great value, and the perfect opportunity for you to turn a small investment into a sumptuous payday.

In order to cater for bankrolls of all sizes, we're offering you the chance to qualify for this year's event for just $1!

Starting Tuesday, January 25, there will be weekly satellites for the London Live, with the opening satellite being a $1+0.10 No Limit Hold'em rebuy with one seat guaranteed into the following week's super satellite. Survive that, and you'll be on your way to London to participate in the UK's most popular tournament.

The full satellite schedule is as follows:

BB London Live Donkament Sat ($1+$0.10 No Limit Hold'em Rebuy/Add-on)
Tuesdays, 9.30pm, 1 seat guaranteed into Super Sat.

BB London Live Satellite ($5+$0.50 No Limit Hold'em Freezeout)
Thursdays, 8.30pm, 1 seat guaranteed into Super Sat.

BB London Live Supersatellite ($40+$4 No Limit Hold'em Freezeout)
Tuesdays, 8pm, 2 seats guaranteed into London Live

To register for any of the above satellites, simply start the poker client and locate the relevant satellite in the 'Scheduled' tab. If you don't already have an account, then opening one is easy: simply download the poker software and follow the step-by-step process provided. To use Spending Points, then simply locate the appropriate satellite in the Black Belt Poker store.

With starting stacks of 20,000 and a 45-minute clock, the Black Belt London Live II is unique in that it offers players the chance to play a deep-stacked tournament at an affordable price. This year there is even more value with no fewer than 20 bounties with rewards of up to $250 on their heads, as well as Belt Bonuses in which up to 20% will be added to all prizes.

To register for the event, you can either buy in directly by locating the tournament in Scheduled > London Live > Black Belt London Live Day 1A/1B or, alternatively, purchase a token from the Black Belt Poker Store using Spending Points.

Or, better still, qualify for just $1 and make the London Live the best dollar you ever spent.

London Live Returns!

The Christmas festivities may have come and gone, but Black Belt Poker have held back one last stocking filler with the return of the hotly anticipated Black Belt London Live.

Scheduled for April 1-3, the Black Belt London Live II will once again ambush the Grosvenor Victoria Casino in London with up to 400 players battling it out for a staggering $100,000 guaranteed prize pool with the winner taking home a guaranteed $20,000 first prize as well as the illustrious trophy.

Black Belt Poker is twinned with Valuetown, and this year we're making a return trip with our Belt Bonuses. At the Black Belt London Live II, there will be no fewer than 20 bounties with up to $250 on each of their heads. If that wasn't enough of a giveaway, we're also adding up to 20% onto all cash prizes, meaning first place could potentially walk away with an astonishing $24,000!

All players have the option of entering the tournament armed with one of three mouth-watering packages:

Standard Package
Yellow Belts
$20 for eliminating a bounty

VIP Package
Orange Belts
$100 for eliminating a bounty
10% added to all prizes

VIP Plus Package
Purple Belts (and above)
$250 for eliminating a bounty
20% added to all prizes

The London Live II will be a $250+25 No Limit Hold'em Freezeout with a 45-minute clock and a 15,000 starting stack, meaning that players can enjoy a deep-stacked tournament at an affordable price.

To register for the event, you can either buy in directly by locating the tournament in Scheduled > London Live > Black Belt London Live Day 1A/1B or, alternatively, purchase a token from the Black Belt Poker Store using Spending Points. If you'd don't already have an account, then opening one is easy: simply download the poker client and follow the step-by-step process provided.

With so much added incentive to both current and new players, this is an unmissable opportunity for players of all poker backgrounds. To avoid disappointment, secure your seat now and we’ll look forward to seeing you at the most eagerly anticipated tournament on the calendar.

For more details, check out our promotions page in ‘Events’.

Bust a Black Belt - Tonight!

Black Belt Poker's head honchos are quietly awaiting tomorrow's release from the mental asylum after going buy-in bonkers in the Winter Sales, but before the straitjackets come off, they have one more night of poker madness for you to contend with.

Tonight's closing $200,000 GTD event already has 66 percent sliced off the buy-in, but as an exclusive bonus to all Black Belt Poker players, Neil Channing and Richard Ashby are placing an incredible bounty on their head in our exciting Bust a Black Belt promotion.

This means that for just $100, not only do you have the opportunity to battle it out for the same fantastic guaranteed prize pool, but if you eliminate Neil or Richard from the tournament, then we'll stump up $10,000 and buy you into this year's World Series of Poker Main Event.

This is an incredible once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, but to take advantage, you must play the tournament via Black Belt Poker. If you don't currently have an account, then don't fret, as opening one is easy: simply download the software, and follow the step-by-step process provided. The tournament can then be located in 'Scheduled'.

Already this week, players have been flocking to Black Belt Poker to take advantage of the Winter Sales and vie for the lion's share of a host of juicy prize pools. In only the opening event of the Sales - the $60,000 GTD $50 rebuy - Brown Belt and recent Grading winner Sam 'KODDZILLA' Razavi finished 10th of 909 for a highly respectable $1,038.40.

Similarly, Blue Belt and UKIPT Brighton victor Jamie 'StilettoMafiosa' Burland won $2,207.00 for fifth in the $30,000 GTD rebuy, while unknown entity 'PEC1973' snapped up $1,260 for second in the $5,000 GTD $20 freezeout. Meanwhile, Purple Belt Sean 'bolden1212' Bolden picked up $920.70 for 35th in the $200,000 GTD $150 freezeout having bought into the event using a Black Belt Poker token purchased with Spending Points.

Perhaps the most commendable performance, however, came in the $35,000 GTD High Rollers event. With the price hacked down by an astonishing $80 percent, community legend Carey 'Careybear' Hollick decided that the offer was to good to ignore, and duly turned $100 into a mouth-watering $8,464.50 with a runner-up spot from a field 627.

Tonight's final event kicks off at 7pm sharp. If you would like to echo the achievements of Carey and co., then make sure you register now to secure your seat. If you don't, then you could find yourself in the neighbouring room to Black Belt Poker's batch of nuttters.

Bust a Black Belt

This January, Black Belt Poker are going discount doo-lally with the Winter Sales - the same fantastic guarantees, but with prices slashed by up to 80 percent! However, if you thought we were crazy for slicing and dicing our buy-ins, then you're going to want to force on the straitjackets and throw away the key with our latest offer!

Exclusive to Black Belt Poker players, we're serving up a seat in the WSOP Main Event for anyone who can bust one of our Black Belts from the second $200,000 GTD event on Sunday, January 16. The buy-in has already been hacked down by 66 percent to just $100, but now there's even more incentive to take a trip to Valuetown!

Forget the 'sale of the century', this is the sale of the millennium! All you have to do is eliminate Neil Channing or Richard Ashby from the event and we'll give you $10,000 for the chance to become the 2011 World Series of Poker Champion. It really is as simple as that. As for the catch, there isn't one! It's just another great reason to play on Black Belt Poker.

"If you're serious about poker, and getting as much value as you can from the game, then you'd be mad to miss out on the Winter Sales," commented bracelet winner Richard Ashby. "Now with a seat into the WSOP Main Event up for grabs, you'd be certifiably insane."

"I'm used to having a target on my head," added Neil Channing, "but this is completely different. They're going to be coming after me like Dog the Bounty Hunter. I'm going to need a suit of armour just to survive!"

The Winter Sales is already three events in, but it's not too late for you to join the party and take advantage of all the great value currently on offer. Even tonight, you could be playing the $35,000 GTD High-Rollers event for not $300, not $200, but just $100! That's a price-cut of 80 percent.

If you don't have an account, then don't fret, as opening one is easy, and you could be playing within minutes! Simply download the software and open an account using the step-by-step process. Then locate the appropriate tournament in 'Scheduled', click register, and get ready to be a part of the biggest sale in poker.