Vegas 11: Operation Bracelet

The 2011 World Series of Poker officially kicks off today at 12pm (PDT) with Event #1, the annual nod to the excellent work of the Casino Employees. This event will kick-start what will be another two months of hard-fought poker, culminating in the $10,000 Main Event on Jul 7.

This year, Black Belt Poker offered our sponsored pros a place on the team by simply maintaining their Belt throughout April and May. In doing so, they'd earn an additional 20% of free sponsorship as well as a spot in the Black Belt Poker luxury mansion.

Two months on and Black Belt Poker are braced to take a team of 11 sponsored pros to Vegas, including GUKPT winners, UKIPT winners, Aussie Millions finalists, a bracelet winner and even CEO Warren Wooldridge who ambushed the Omaha tables to secure his place.

The Vegas 11 is made up of three Black Belts, one Brown Belt and seven Blue Belts:

Neil Channing
Richard Ashby
Sam Razavi
Jerome Bradpiece
Adam Latimer
Andy Miles
Ben Meredith
David Docherty
Jamie Burland
Kevin Williams
Warren Wooldridge

They say that the crowd are the 12th man, but in this case it's 48-year old part-time nurse Philip Mildon, who earned his spot courtesy of the London Live Vegas Freeroll. He then supplemented his trip with buy-ins to a $1,500 and $5,000 WSOP event after defeating Neil Channing and Richard Ashby heads-up.

Also joining the team in the hunt for bracelet gold are WSOP Warriors Hasmukh Kohidyara and Andrew Lidgey. Andrew finished fourth for a Side Events Package, while Hasmukh - who had earlier in the month attended our How to Win Your WSOP Main Event Seat Academy - won a $20,000 Main Event Package as the Ultimate Warrior and will be staying in the lavish Wynn Casino.

"I have really high hopes for the team this year," beamed Neil Channing. "With Kevin winning the $200K GTD on iPoker, and Sam taking down UKIPT Cork, team morale is good and if I were a betting man, I'd gamble on Black Belt Poker bringing home a bracelet this year."

Although players will arrive at different times, Sam Razavi is already dipping his toes in Vegas' sinful waters and is currently 'slumming it' in the mansion with brother Eb. Sam even had time to play a Ventian deepstack event, but was sadly unable to secure BBP's first win.

In a few days time, Sam will be joined by his fellow Black Belts - both of whom boast a hectic, if very different WSOP schedule - and fellow Black Belt Poker pro Ben Meredith. At the tail end of the week, Adam Latimer and Jerome Bradpiece will also land at McCarran Airport.

Over the course of the World Series, we'll be keeping you up to date with all the progress from the Black Belt Poker team, including the five tournaments going towards our Vegas Prize Fund promotion, as well as news, blogs, articles and much more.

Play the WSOP Main Event for $1!

Dollar Drive

Possibly the craziest WSOP satellite yet, the Dollar Drive is a $1+0.10 rebuy tournament with one $13,000 Main Event package guaranteed!

Happening three times a week between the May 31 and 21, June 2011, tournaments can be found in the cardroom under the WSOP 2011 lobby on the following days:

Sundays and Tuesdays at 20:30
Saturdays at 21:30

Starting chips: 750
Triple Add On available.

The $13,000 Main Event package includes:

- $10,000 Buy-In to the WSOP Main Event (Event #58) (Day 1D)
- $1,120 for 7 nights accommodation at the Wynn, July 8th - July 15th 2011
- $250 for registration fees
- $1,630 for flights and spending.

Road Trip

For those wanting to rail the Main Event, enjoy the sun and hit the juicy cash tables, the Road Trip promotion is perfect.

Happening every Wednesday until June 22, tournaments can be found in the cardroom under the WSOP 2011 lobby with the following details:

Wednesdays at 20:30
$5+0.5 rebuy/add-on

Starting Chips: 1,500

1 x $2,500 Package guaranteed. Package includes:

- $1,120 for 7 nights accommodation at the Wynn, July 8th - July 15th 2011.
- $30 for handling fees.
- $1,350 for flights and spending.

Terms and Conditions

- The first prizes are non-refundable, non-transferable and cannot be converted to cash.

- By playing or winning the WSOP Road Trip or Dollar Drive promotion you declare that you are ready and able to travel to Las Vegas (Nevada, U.S.A). This includes any and all documents required for travel to the destination.

- Entrants must be 21 or over.

- Dollar Drive players will represent Black Belt Poker.

To download the software, simply click here and follow the step-by-step process provided.

SNG League; $105,000+ Giveway

Black Friday may have have tightened the purse strings across the Pond, but at Black Belt Poker, it continues to rain Benjamin Franklins as iPoker announce their SNG Leaderboard.

Forget about the bracelet hunt for a moment, brush aside the nosebleed cash games - iPoker are rewarding SNG players with in excess of $105,000, including two leaderboards worth $51,015 each!

Starting tomorrow, Wednesday, June 1, iPoker will kick off the first of two leagues, concluding on June 15. The second league will commence on June 16 and run until June 30.

Each League will be split into the following four groups, dependent on buy-ins:

At the end of each league, all players who bubbled the league will be invited to play in a $2,000 freeroll, taking place at 4.30pm on June 19 and July 3. The amount of players who will be eligible for the freeroll from each leaderboard group is equal to the amount of players who are awarded on each leaderboard.

If you don’t currently play SNGs, then maybe you should consider dipping you toes into unchartered waters; if you already grind the SNG tables, then this is simply an added bonus! With over $105,000 up for grabs in prize money, it may well be worth making the transition.

Check out the prizes on offer:

Terms and conditions:

- Only registrations to network SNG tournaments with cash buy-in are eligible for leaderboard points based on the stake groups which are described above. Private tournaments will not be counted towards this promotion.

- Prizes will be awarded to the top ranking players in the leaderboards based on the payout structures which are described above.

- Interrupted tournaments do not count towards this promotion. A tournament must be played to completion in order for its participating players to be eligible for leaderboard points.

- In case there is a tie between players’ leaderboard points in paid places, all players with that number of points will be issued an average amount of their prize (as per their positions). For example, in Group A, if two players are positioned in the first place, each of them will receive $1,325 which is an average of the 1 and the 2 places prizes.

- The promotion XML will be updated on a daily basis, until 12:00 PM, GMT.

- iPoker reserves the right to refuse payment to any player which is found colluding.

- Payments will be made up to seven days from the leaderboard completion through holding tanks.

- iPoker may amend/cancel the promotion at its sole discretion at any given time.

- SNG of GBP and EUR tables will be regarded as regular tables. For example: a SNG of a €1/€2 table will be entered into the $0.5-$4.99 leaderboard.

- Tournaments are counted towards this promotion are based on their end time.

- All decisions as made by iPoker are final.

Leg 7 Heaven for Williams

Fresh from his $200K GTD glory earlier this month, Kevin 'Kevish47' Williams kept the money train chugging along by steaming over Leg 7 of League IX last night.

The Blue Belt, also an Enlightenment Sensei, stumped up the $5+0.50 buy-in before besting a field of 56 runners to claim the $89.60 prize, and 81 points. Yet, despite his heroics, it still wasn't enough to propel Kevin into the Top 10, as he currently sits in the unthreatening position of 67th place.

1st Kevish47 – $89.60
2nd TheSimian – $61.60
3rd thehingster – $37.80
4th bagpussrocks – $28.00
5th sprinterz – $21.00
6th TeeDeeEye1 – $16.80
7th sceaga2 – $14.00
8th 45683ah – $11.20

Fellow Blue Belt Jamie Burland is still leading the pack, but only by the skin of his teeth. The UKIPT Brighton champ, on 410 points, got knocked out in 40th place last night and is clinging on to top spot by only 1 point. He remains ahead of Chris 'CroadYuk' Roadknight, who kept himself in contention, courtesy of a 24th place finish and 24 valuable points.

However, breathing down their necks is Tristan 'Tristiano' Chaplin, whose 39 points and 18th place finish pushed him from fifth to third in the standings.

Only a few weeks ago, Jamie looked like he had sewn things up after building a commanding 52 point lead over second place following Leg 5. However, a turn of fortune has led to Jamie dropping points and allowed others to creep back in.

With it being so tight at the top, it's lining up to be one of our closest league finishes ever. It can swing several ways depending on what happens next Tuesday, and as things have proven over the past few weeks, anything can happen!

1st StilettoMafiosa – 410 points
2nd CroadYuk – 409 points
3rd tristiano – 381 points
4th UliKoko – 375 points
5th insider66666 – 369 points
6th mork1971 – 361 points
7th JimmyTheBhoy – 349 points
8th TeeDeeEye1 – 344
9th pbsef81 – 335 points
10th BoatDrink – 335 points
11th TheSimian – 333 points
12th paul6543 – 329 points
13th losbert40 – 314 points
14th generalshifty – 312 points
15th Mrdroodle – 307 points
16th nakgeela4 – 304 points
17th Stewboi – 294 points
18th habbad – 292 points
19th Bambury – 284 points
20th Brewski – 281 points

Meanwhile, 12 players entered the Deepstack Mulligan. The results are as follows:

1st paul6543 - $90.00
2nd bagpussrocks - $54.00
3rd losbert40 - $36.00
4th TheZartog
5th UsainZeus88
6th JHobbit1
7th general shifty
8th 99Ranny
9th ourkidsid
10th DididavidBEL09
11th JosseWales
12th Werrrrd

The top three finishers in League IX will receive shares totalling 3% of our Black Belt players in the WSOP 2011 Main Event. As recent UKIPT Cork champion Sam Razavi proved, even a tiny percentage can earn you a mini-fortune if your horse cashes or wins!

The remaining seven runners-up will receive Belt Points, while all top 10 finishers will receive a monthly subscription token to training site Deuces Cracked.

As mentioned in last week's update by my esteemed colleague Snoopy, never before has the League been this tight as we approach the finishing line. It's going to be exciting, it's going to be dramatic. It's only on Black Belt Poker!

To download the software, simply click here and follow the step-by-step process provided.

To download the software, simply click here and follow the step-by-step process provided.

League IX: Backin' Black
Great Scott; course00 Takes Opener
A Tripz to the Podium
Inside Job & G3OFF Wins Leg 3
99Ranny Hits the Mark in Leg 4
Academy Mentor 'Whacks' Leg 5
Romain Conquest

BBP Player Becomes Ultimate Warrior

This year's WSOP Warrior Master League has been won by Black Belt Poker player Hasmukh '45683ah' Khodiyara.

After nine gruelling multi-table tournaments, Hasmukh was crowned Ultimate Warrior, earning him a WSOP package worth $20,000 including flight, accommodation at the luxurious Wynn Hotel, and entry into two WSOP events including the $10,000 Main Event.

Hasmukh achieved this feat in style as he followed up a consistent set of results with victory in the Grand Final, which was worth double points. During the final table, he was railed by 2008 Irish Open Champion Neil Channing, as well as Brown Belt and former GUKIPT Champion Jerome Bradpiece.

Hasmukh's success must surely be credited in part to his attendance at the last Black Belt Poker Academy: How to Win Your WSOP Main Event Seat, where he was exposed to the advice and wisdom of the three pro mentors: Alex Rousso, Neil Channing and Jamie Burland.

Our praise also goes out to fellow Black Belt Poker player Andrew 'Lidg1' Lidgey, whose 38th place finish in the Grand Final was enough for him to secure fourth place in the League for an Extended Side Events Package worth $6,085.

The WSOP Warrior Master League gave away a mouth-watering $100,000 in prizes, and out of the top 100, an impressive 13 players collected a prize through Black Belt Poker including Ian '1894IAIN' Brassell who won a $535 WSOP Mega satellite token.

"Hasmukh fully deserved to become Ultimate Warrior and win his Main Event package," applauded Black Belt Neil Channing. "I watched him win the Grand Final, and he played a brilliant game. He's a lovely young guy and he has a smart poker brain and I hope that what we shared with him at the Academy played a part. I'm really excited about the World Series this year; the team is getting bigger and bigger and I'm confident that someone is going to bring home a bracelet."

Black Belt Poker are taking over 11 of our sponsored pros to Vegas this year, as well as recent London Live Vegas Freeroll winner Philip Mildon. You can still join them by entering one of the many WSOP satellites on Black Belt Poker.

Every Sunday, at 10pm, Black Belt Poker hold a $500+35 super satellite with one guaranteed WSOP Main Event package. If $535 is a little out of your price range, then we also have satellites for as little as $0.88+0.08 to cater for all wallet sizes.

If you're yet to sign up, then it couldn't be easier; simply download the poker client, follow the step-by-step process provided and we'll see you at the felt.

Congratulations to the following Black Belt Poker players who all qualified for a prize and good luck to those who will be participating in the WSOP Freeroll on May 31:

1st 45683ah -- warrior package (161 points)
4th Lidg1 -- the extended side packages (121 points)
13th 1894IAIN -- mega satellite token (112 points)
26th raquinoAA -- freeroll token (98 points)
29th DonkeyOtee -- freeroll token (97 points)
45th CareybearBBP - freeroll token (90 points)
47th StilettoMafiosa -- freeroll token (89 points)
55th seven7777777s -- freeroll token (84 points)
61st JHobbit1 -- freeroll token (82 points)
69th NeilChanning -- freeroll token (80 points)
73rd Stockers101 -- freeroll token (80 points)
85th KingOfTheBgono33 -- freeroll token (79 points)
97th Ruaction -- freeroll token (78 points)

Corking Value for Orange Belts

Last night, Black Belt Poker sponsored pro Sam Razavi won UKIPT Cork, capturing the illustrious title and the lion's share of the prize pool. With Jamie Burland snapping up the Brighton leg last year, this means that Black Belt Poker now boast two UKIPT Champions.

Sam wasn't the only winner that day as four Orange Belts had earned shares in his tournament success through our 'Slice of the Action' Freeroll. The event took place on Wednesday, May 18. 44 competed and the results were as follows:

1st DiddavidBEL09 -- $100 sponsorship
2nd Elysiumjay-- $50 sponsorship
3rd TeeDeeEye1 -- $25 sponsorship
4th blackbeltkickbox -- $25 sponsorship

As the buy-in to the Cork Main Event was €560, this meant that the Freeroll winners possessed a near 25% combined of Sam's action. With Sam profiting for a meaty €46,150 after deals three-handed and heads-up, the returns were as follows:

David Meunier -- $8,071
Jason Layland -- $4,032
Trevor Ingman -- $2,019
Dean Aldred -- $2,019

"What a fantastic incentive to attain and maintain Orange," commented reigning League Champion Trevor Ingman.

"I was very happy when I found out I had an investment in Sam, given his record," beamed former London Live finalist Dean Aldred.

"We need a president over here," joked David Meunier. "VGG! You have a number one fan in Belgium."

Jason Layland added: "Magic, stunned, golden. Well played, sir."

Every month, Black Belt Poker host four freerolls exclusive to Orange and Purple Belts with prizes ranging from merchandise to Enlightenment training. The freerolls take place every Wednesday evening at 8pm. To be eligible and reap the rewards on offer, all you have to do is reach Orange Belt in the Belt-Up Rewards System.

"I knew straight away that I'd made the right choice when I joined Black Belt Poker," explained Sam. "The value here is incredible, and they're continually coming up with new ways to give away money."

"No other site treats their players as well as Black Belt Poker," he continued, "whatever your level. Only last week, Philip Mildon won a Vegas trip with $6,500 in WSOP tournament entries, and now four of our Orange Belts have just freerolled their way to a $16K plus payday! If you're a recreational player, and you're not taking advantage of these freerolls, then you're not playing with a full deck."

The next Orange Belt Freeroll takes place this Wendesday, May 25 and will be 'The Enlightenment Freeroll'. There are four magnificent prizes on offer, with first place earning a free seat to a future Black Belt Poker Academy of their choosing worth a whopping £150.

If you're not currently Orange Belt, then don't worry; if you make it to Orange Belt by the turn of the month, then you will be able to take advantage of the four mouth-watering freerolls taking place throughout June. If you're yet to sign up, then it couldn't be easier; simply download the poker client, follow the step-by-step process provided and we'll see you at the felt.

Sam Razavi bested a field of 602. Click here to see how it all went down.

Image courtesy of Neil Stoddart / PokerStars.

What a Corker! Razavi Wins UKIPT

The fourth stop of the UKIPT hit Ireland last week as a 602-thick field ambushed the Rochestown Park Hotel in Cork with €560 in their back pocket. After four days of hard-fought poker, the last man standing was Black Belt Poker sponsored pro Sam 'KODDZILLA' Razavi. He toppled 28-year old Dubliner David O'Connor to take home the illustrious trophy and wallet-expanding first prize.

Sam's tournament started off steady as he finished Day 1B 11th in chips. On Day 2, however, he really took the event by the scruff of the neck, mainly thanks to a mammoth 1.8 million pot where he found aces versus the kings of 14th place finisher Sam MacDonald. This scoop placed him top of the pile, before finishing the day chip leader of 11 with 1.9 million.

On the final day, it was Sam who led us to our final table as he despatched of ninth place finisher Vincent O'Connor. With Sam opening for 33,000 with A-9, O'Connor moved all in for 116,000 with Ad-5d and Sam called. Despite a teased flush draw on the flop, the turn and river were blanks and Sam headed to the final with a commanding stack of 2 million and a tiny Irish hat and leprechaun mascot.*

As Peter Burnett fell in eighth, Sam became the last remaining Brit in the tournament. With his eyes fixed on the trophy, he then extended his chip lead to a whopping 3.5 million by eliminating Chris Dowling in seventh with jacks versus tens all in preflop. Sam experienced a less hectic period, until he doubled up Jamie Flynn and slipped to 2.5 million with four remaining.

After Martin Mulsow desposed of Flynn in fourth, the former would become involved in the pot of the tournament with Sam little more than a bystander. All in versus David O'Connor with A-A versus A-K, it looked as though the German would be taking us to heads-up, but running cowboys on the turn and river shattered his hopes and left him with just 1 million. Moments later, he was snipered down by the same assassin.

Heads-up, and Sam was facing a near 3:1 chip deficit, but his experience as a heads-up cash pro on Black Belt Poker paid dividends as he ground his way back to even. The key pot saw Sam call a raise to 135,000 from O'Connor before check-calling 185,000 on the 2c-5h-9c flop and check-raising a bet of 290,000 on the Js turn to 1.4 million. O'Connor moved all in with Tc-8c for the open-ended straight and flush draw, while Sam made the call with Jh-9h for top two pair. The Ks river missed the Irishman and several minutes later Sam was crowned champion when his Ad-7c held up against Kc-6c on an ensuing 7h-8c-2s-Td-2h board.

"I'm really grateful for all the support I received over the three days," thanked Sam. "It's fantastic to finally scoop a title, and I was delighted to reward the four Orange Belt Freeroll winners with some hard cash. It's great to have some dough to blow in Vegas and not worry about. Heeeee Heeeee, Chamone!"

A 30-year old part-time actor from Brighton, Sam joined Black Belt Poker in the summer of 2010. He soon scaled his way up to Blue Belt in the Belt-Up Rewards System before winning a £10,000 Aussie Millions package through the Black Belt Poker Grading. In the A$10,000 Main Event, Sam finished an admirable sixth place for A$225,000 catapulting him to Black Belt as a result.

Sam came into UKIPT Cork in good form, having denied London Live Vegas Freeroll winner Philip Mildon a $10,000 WSOP Main Event seat the day prior. Mildon had already won four consecutive heads-up bouts against Neil Channing and Richard Ashby for a combined $6,500 in WSOP tournament entries, but was unable to defeat Sam.

Sam's triumph in Cork means that Black Belt Poker now boast two UKIPT Champions with Blue Belt Jamie Burland winning last year's Brighton leg for £65,400. Jamie also made the money in Cork, cashing in 22nd for €1,400. Ultimately, he fell foul of a coin flip when his Ah-Jh failed to better Tc-Td on a Ks-7s-6h-9c-4s board.

After deals three-handed and heads-up, Sam took away a cheque for €46,710. The great news about this win was that four Black Belt Poker members had shares ranging from $25 to $100 courtesy of our 'Slice of the Action' Orange Belt Freeroll. Freeroll winners David Meunier, Jason Layland, Trevor Ingman and Dean Aldred therefore made thousands of dollars out of nothing thanks to Sam and Black Belt Poker. If you would like to see how you could do the same, then check out the site now.

For more on the Orange Belt Freeroll and what the four winners won, see here.

Sam is a featured blogger at Black Belt Poker. Click here to read Sam's blog.

The official results are as follows:

1st Sam Razavi (United Kingdom) -- €71,000
2nd David O'Connor (Ireland) -- €41,200
3rd Martin Mulsow (Germany) -- €25,200
4th Jamie Flynn (Ireland) -- €18,500
5th Allen McCauley (Ireland) -- €14,800
6th Adam Jaguscik (Poland) -- €11,300
7th Chris Dowling (Ireland) -- €8,900
8th Peter Burnett (United Kingdom) -- €6,900
9th Vincent O'Connor (Ireland) -- €4,915

* Not a real leprechaun.

Image courtesy of Neil Stoddart / PokerStars.

Freeroll Winner Philip Mildon Wins $6,500 in WSOP Entries

Earlier today, 48-year old nurse Philip Mildon took on Sam Razavi heads-up for a seat in the World Series of Poker Main Event. If he could pull off two consecutive victories against the cash game pro, he would be heading to Vegas with a golden ticket worth $10,000 and the chance to battle it out for poker's biggest prize.

Mildon had nothing to lose heading into the bout as he'd already earned himself $6,500 in WSOP tournament buy-ins. In the first match, he defeated 2008 Irish Open Champion Neil Channing for entry into a $1,500 event, before toppling bracelet-winner Richard Ashby to qualify for a $5,000 event. This meant he'd won an incredible four consecutive heads-up matches against two of the UK's most successful players.

Unfortunately, and much to the chagrin of the rail, Mildon couldn't quite complete the hattrick as he stumbled at the final hurdle. Razavi, who this year final-tabled the Aussie Millions, had no intentions of taking it easy on Mildon, and within the opening few hands bluffed his opponent off a Jc-6d-Ks-Ad board before showing a paltry 4d-2s!

The Black Belt had a circa 2:1 lead when the final hand arrived. Razavi opened to 90 with As-7c, Mildon three-bet to 210 and Razavi moved all in. Mildon made the call with Ad-Qs, but was unable to hold up as Razavi turned a full house on a 7d-8h-Ac-7s board before the Qc river rubbed salt in already open wounds.

"Philip played a great game and was unlucky to lose the final hand," complimented Razavi. "Just the fact that he was able to beat both Neil and Richard is an amazing feat. I wish him all the best in his two WSOP tournaments and I look forward to seeing him in the house."

"I have to admit," he continued, "I certainly felt a little bit of pressure heading in. Philip was running hotter than the Bahamian sun, and there was every chance he could give my pride a slap about the face too. Thankfully, I got the job done and managed to save Black Belt Poker a few bob. I fully expect to be invited to all future Christmas parties."

Mildon, who won his Vegas flight in the London Live Vegas Freeroll on May 4, will be staying in the Black Belt Poker luxury mansion alongside several of our sponsored pros including Jerome Bradpiece, Kevin Williams and UKIPT Brighton Champion Jamie Burland. Despite his loss in the final match, he'll be playing two bracelet events at the Rio, one of which will be the $1,500 Omaha High-Low event.

Although the heads-up gauntlet is complete, this doesn't mean that the Vegas fun is over as we're offering players the chance to play the World Series vicariously through our pros. If you are able to maintain Orange Belt throughout June, then you'll be automatically entered into a Vegas Prize Fund, and receive your share of 3% of combined BBP winnings over 5 preselected tournaments. Check out the site for further details.

Prices Slashed; Win a WSOP M.E. Seat!

The sun’s still hiding and our coats are on, but on Saturday, May 28, 2011, Black Belt Poker are starting the Summer Sales, with slashed tournament entries and over $1 million in guaranteed prizes! Players will also be rewarded for their participation in the Series with bonus tournament tokens.

If that wasn’t enough, the Sales brings with it one of our favourite promotions, Bust A Black Belt. If you knock out Neil Channing or Nik Persaud from Event #2 of the Summer Sales, we’ll give you a $10,000 World Series of Poker Main Event seat.

Back in January, we hosted a similar event. “As soon as people heard about the value we were adding, there was a huge buzz about the tournament,” recalls 2008 Irish Open Champion Neil Channing. “Everyone wanted the free Main Event seats.”

“This time around,” he adds “there’s already a $250,000 guaranteed prize pool. With our added Main Event seats, it’s going to be crazy to play this anywhere else. And all this for just a $200+15 event! We must be mad.”

The Summer Sales consists of 26 tournaments spanning from May 28 through to June 12. Highlights include the High Roller $35,000 GTD, the Monday Night Omaha $5,000 GTD and the Friday $60,000 GTD, each with reduced buy-ins! Satellites to each event are also running daily.

So mark the dates in your diary and set your sights on Channing and Persaud. Good luck to all playing!

The full schedule for the Summer Sales is as follows:

Bust a Black Belt Tournament…

Sun May 29 (6pm) -- $200+15 NLH F/O, $250,000 GTD (5K chips, 15 min clock)

Sales…

Mon May 30 (8.30pm) -- $175+15 NLH F/O, 65% discount, $35,000 GTD (5K chips, 15 min clock)
Mon May 30 (9pm) -- $35+3.50 PLO F/O, 65% discount, $5,000 GTD (5K chips, 15 min clock)
Tue May 31 (7.45pm) -- $35+3.50 NLH R/B, 65% discount, $30,000 GTD (3K chips, 12 min clock)
Fri Jun 3, (7pm) -- $50+5 NLH R/B, 50% discount, $60,000 GTD (5K chips, 15 min clock)
Sat Jun 4 (7.30pm) -- $50+5 NLH F/O, 50% discount, $35,000 GTD (5K chips, 15 min clock)
Mon Jun 6 (8.30pm) -- $100+9 NLH F/O, 80% discount, $35,000 GTD (5K chips, 15 min clock)
Mon Jun 6 (9pm) -- $20+2 PLO F/O, 80% discount, $5,000 GTD, (5K chips, 15 min clock)
Tue Jun 7 (7.45pm) -- $20+2 NLH R/B, 80% discount, $30,000 GTD (3K chips, 12 min clock)
Fri Jun 10 (7pm) -- $25+2.50 NLH R/B, 75% discount, $60,000 GTD (5K chips, 15 min clock)
Sat Jun 11 (6pm) -- $35+3.50 NLH F/O, 65% discount, $35,000 GTD (5K chips, 15 min clock)

New/Other Tournaments…

Wed Jun 1 (7.30pm) -- $40+4 NLH F/O, $50,000 GTD (5K chips, 15 min clock)
Thu Jun 2 (8.30pm) -- $30+3 NLH /FO, $30,000 GTD (3K chips, 12 min clock)
Sun Jun 5 (6pm) -- $200+15 NLH F/O, $250,000 GTD (5K chips, 15 min clock)
Wed Jun 8 (7.30pm) -- $30+3 NLH F/O, $50,000 GTD (5K chips, 15 min clock)
Thu Jun 9 (8.30pm) -- $20+2 NLH F/O, $30,000 GTD (3K chips, 12 min clock)
Sun Jun 12 (6pm) -- $200+15 NLH F/O, $250,000 GTD (5K chips, 15 min clock)

Warm-Ups…

Tue May 31 (1pm) -- $5+0.50 NLH R/B, $5,000 GTD (1.5K chips, 10 min clock)
Fri Jun 3 (1pm) -- $5+0.50 NLH R/B, $5,000 GTD (1.5K chips, 10 min clock)
Sat Jun 4 (1pm) -- $5+0.50 NLH R/B, $5,000 GTD (1.5K chips, 10 min clock)
Tue Jun 7 (1pm) -- $5+0.50 NLH R/B, $5,000 GTD (1.5K chips, 10 min clock)
Fri Jun 10 (1pm) -- $5+0.50 NLH R/B, $5,000 GTD (1.5K chips, 10 min clock)
Sat Jun 11 (1pm) -- $5+0.50 NLH R/B, $5,000 GTD (1.5K chips, 10 min clock)

$250K GTD Satellites...

Sat May 28 (6pm) -- $25+2.50 NLH R/B, $16,000 GTD, 80 seats (3K chips, 10 min clock)
Sat Jun 4 (6pm) -- $25+2.50 NLH R/B, $16,000 GTD, 80 seats (3K chips, 10 min clock)
Sat Jun 11 (6pm) -- $25+2.50 NLH R/B, $16,000 GTD, 80 seats (3K chips, 10 min clock)

And that’s not all! Players will be awarded with great prizes as per their participation in the weekly tournaments of the Summer Sales promotion as follows:

Players need to play the tournaments above in a row in order to be eligible for the prizes. Players who win a token to the next two Mega Satellites on the second week, will play the next promotion’s Mega Satellite and the Mega Satellite on the week after, on June 18.

The Summer Series is destined to be a sizzling success, and we’re offering you a VIP ticket to the party. The World Series of Poker is the hottest date on the poker calendar, with the biggest names, fields and prize pools in the game. We’re offering you the chance to fulfill a dream by becoming a member of the November Nine and having a shot at the multi-million dollar prize, so make sure you join in the fun at Black Belt Poker for your stab at 'Busting a Black Belt' and booking your ticket to Vegas.

To download the software, simply click here and follow the step-by-step process provided.

Bust a Black Belt Terms and Conditions:

• Players must eliminate either Neil Channing or Nik Persaud to collect the prize.
• Each bounty is worth $10,000.
• The elimination must occur in the $250,000 GTD event on Sunday, May 29, 2011
• Players can only win one Main Event seat.
• This offer is exclusive to Black Belt Poker players.
• Normal iPoker terms and conditions apply.

Mildon vs. Razavi for WSOP M.E. Seat - Tonight!

Ever since Chris Moneymaker lit the fuse of the poker boom eight years ago, the poker industry has always embraced an underdog story, and tonight Philip Mildon looks to complete his obliteration of the Black Belts when he takes on Sam Razavi heads-up for a seat in the World Series of Poker Main Event.

Philip's journey commenced on May 4 when he entered the Vegas Freeroll, a 57-man tournament exclusive to London Live entrants who had maintained their Belt through April. After overcoming a tough final table that included UKIPT Brighton Champion Jamie Burland, Philip emerged as the winner and gratefully received his prize of a trip to Vegas to stay in the Black Belt Poker luxury mansion.

But the fun didn't end there, as victory also came with the chance to supplement that package with tournament buy-ins into the WSOP through a gauntlet of heads-up matches against our three Black Belts. If Philip could win two consecutive heads-up battles against each opponent, then he would collect a $1,500 buy-in, a $5,000 buy-in and, Bully's special prize, the $10,000 Main Event!

But before Philip could dream of becoming a member of the November Nine, he had to face 2008 Irish Open Champion Neil Channing. Despite a back-and-forth contest, lady luck was singing Philip's song. After doubling through with K-Q versus A-J, Philip took down the first bout when his 7-7 held up against A-9. In the second leg, he sealed his bracelet-shot with J-J versus A-K.

"Philip played very well and was a strong opponent," complimented Channing in defeat. "He played a small ball style with lots of min-raises and few three-bets, but then adjusted well as the blinds increased."

With entry into a $1,500 WSOP tournament under his belt, Philip last night encountered his next foe when he locked horns with bracelet-winner and online high stakes pro Richard Ashby for Round 2.

Again, Philip more than held his own in the early stages, and after pulling back a 2:1 deficit, won a key pot when he turned a straight with Jd-8d on a Td-2d-9s-Qc-6h board versus Ashby's As-9c. Ashby struggled from thereon in, and despite doubling up with Qs-Js versus As-7h on an ensuing 5d-8h-Jc-9h-4s board, eventually hit the felt when his Kh-5h ran headfirst into Philip's As-Ks.

Whilst the opener was a dogged, lengthy affair, the second encounter passed by like a whisper in the wind. The key hand saw Ashby semi-bluff all in for 1,330 with Kh-4d on the turn of an 8h-Jh-7h-9d board but having his arm bitten off by Philip and his 6h-5h. No heart and Ashby was down to just a few hundred. A brisk Ah-7s versus Kc-4s showdown later (board: 7d-7c-Jc-8d-3s) and Philip had struck again; another poker legend brushed aside and another amazing victory, this time with a booty of $5,000!

Incredibly, Philip has won four consecutive heads-up matches against two of the UK most successful poker pros and now has $6,500 in tournament buy-ins to take to Vegas. Tonight, on Black Belt Poker, that figure could reach a mouth-watering $16,500 as Philip meets his final opponent: heads-up cash specialist and recent Aussie Millions finalist Sam 'KODDZILLA' Razavi.

"I'm actually started to feel the pressure," confessed Razavi, "as although it would be great for Philip to play the Main Event, at the same time, I don't want to cost Black Belt Poker any money."

"I've been on a strict training regime all week and have watched all six Rocky films," he continued. "I've also been checking out Muhammed Ali tapes to build my confidence. I'm going to float flops like a butterfly, and bluff like Phil Ivey, so watch out. My prediction is that Mildon falls in the first."

"The very best of luck to Philip tonight" added Channing. "We didn't make up this promotion so nobody could win it and he's proving just how good an offer this really is. Sam's a good player, but if Philip manages to pull out another win, I'll be really happy for him because he seems like a nice guy and it will be fun to cheer him on in the Main Event."

Philip is a 48-year old Nurse who plays stakes of 10c/20c online, so this has already proved a true fairytale. Tonight, he heads into battle with nothing to lose, whilst Sam Razavi has his pride, his reputation, and Channing's money on the line (gulp). Can David beat Goliath for a third consecutive time? Tune in to find out and watch the action as it happens.

To locate the tournament, simply start up the Black Belt Poker client and select: Scheduled > Black Belt Tournaments > Phil's Vegas Adventure.

Romain Conquest

It's at around Leg 6 where one player tends to hit terminal velocity and begin to pull out of reach of the chasing pack. Perhaps it's because there are three star prizes up for grabs that in League IX, this hasn't happened, as anyone currently sitting in the top 10 (and maybe even further beyond) still has a genuine chance of securing a spot on the podium. Their reward for achieving such a feat: potentially lucrative shares in our Black Belts in the $10,000 WSOP Main Event.

With the excitement of Philip Mildon's heads-up victory against Neil Channing (Vegas Freeroll winner Mildon supplemented his package with a $1,500 WSOP buy-in) preceding the League, there was a buzz about the tournament, and a real sense of 'anything is possible' as players took their seat. 63 handed over the $5+0.50 fee in all, including the likes of Neil Channing, Kevin Williams and League VI winner Mark '99Ranny' Ranson. But whilst they fell at early hurdles, others didn't, and we were soon heading towards our final table.

Touagorimou, who finished fifth last week, was the unfortunate bubble, leaving us with a final table line-up that differed entirely to that of Leg 5, with former Grader Mike 'sceaga2' Shaw (who, incidentally, purchased a token to enter the event) and an in-form Philip 'xxxiluvshjhlxxx' Mildon most notable in their presence. The lion's share of the spoils, however, didn't go their way; that lucky recipient was Paul 'paul6543' Romain who overcame Jon 'Ourkid888' Laight (a casher in the London Live II) to take home the maximum points available and the $100.81 first prize.

1st paul6543 -- $100.81
2nd Ourkid888 -- $69.30
3rd beatyouto -- $42.52
4th sceaga2 -- $31.50
5th pbsef81 -- $23.62
6th themackem1968 -- $18.90
7th xxxiluvsjhlxxx -- $15.75
8th generalshifty -- $12.60

Victory wasn't quite enough to propel Paul into the prize spots, but there were a few key changes in the standings, in particular for 'pbsef81' and Richard 'generalshifty' Hurst who both leapt into the top 10 following their final table appearances. At the top, meanwhile, Jamie 'StilettoMafiosa' Burland's mediocre 49th place finish closed the gap somewhat, although CroadYuk's solid 14th wasn't quite enough for him to snatch the lead.

1st StilettoMafiosa -- 393 points
2nd CroadYuk -- 376 points
3rd mork1971 -- 352 points
4th insider66666 -- 349 points
5th tristiano -- 342 points
6th BoatDrink -- 330 points
7th UliKoko -- 327 points
8th pbsef81 -- 323 points
9th JimmyTheBhoy -- 311 points
10th generalshifty -- 306 points
11th paul6543 -- 293 points
12th nakgeela4 -- 293 points
13th TeeDeeEye1 -- 285 points
14th Mrdroodle -- 285 points
15th losbert40 -- 282 points
16th Bambury -- 280 points
17th rattersbrfc -- 278 points
18th sandy1611 -- 271 points
19th Brewski1 -- 271 points
20th beatyouto -- 270 points

17 turned up for the Mulligan at 8.30. Whilst League VII winner Tom 'werrrrd' Drew picked up the wooden spoon, at the other end of the spectrum it was all smiles for League I Champion Adam 'JHobbit1' Saunders who triumphed for $127.50.

1st JHobbit1 -- $127.50
2nd 5upern0vae -- $76.50
3rd habbad -- $51.00

Never before has the League been this close with less than 100 points separating the top 10, and barely 50 between the top 5. Even if you've never played the League before, then you can still influence the result, as well as take a stab at the usual prize pool. So, grab your flippers and snorkel and dive right in next Super Tuesday for a swim in the Black Belt Poker sea. Don't be shy, the temperature's just right.

To download the software, simply click here and follow the step-by-step process provided.

League IX: Backin' Black
Great Scott; course00 Takes Opener
A Tripz to the Podium
Inside Job & G3OFF Wins Leg 3
99Ranny Hits the Mark in Leg 4
Academy Mentor 'Whacks' Leg 5

Blue Belt Wins $200K GTD

Last night, Blue Belt Kevin Williams topped a field of 944 to win the $200,000 Guaranteed weekly iPoker tournament, taking away $42,000 in winnings as well as some much-needed momentum heading into this year's World Series of Poker.

A product of Grading II: Destination Dublin, Kevin is a professional cash player from Brighton who also frequents the live tournament circuit with several cashes including a win in a UKIPT side event for €8,650. When he's not playing, Kevin can be found sharing his wisdom, speaking at Poker in the Park and Academies and is currently the co-host of the highly acclaimed Enlightenment Dojo Sessions.

Kevin gained entry into the $200+15 main event through an $18 rebuy satellite just prior to kick-off, meaning that, along with the $11,200 overlay, he was receiving incredible value on his investment.

The early levels were uneventful for Kevin, as he "plodded" his way through the tournament with little to report. Around the bubble, however, he was struggling with just 10 big blinds, but managed to survive, and later double through after finding aces.

With several tables remaining, Kevin reached double the average, but dipped back down below average. His descent was only temporary, however, as with just two tables remaining, he enjoyed a welcome rush of cards to head into the final table with a comfortable, although not threatening stack.

During the early stages of the final table, a key hand occurred where under-the-gun raised, and Kevin made a small three-bet on the button, only for the big blind to move all in for around a similar stack of 30 big blinds. The initial raiser folded and, albeit after a slight dwell, Kevin made the call with pocket queens before holding strong against jacks for a crucial double-through.

"I got a bit of stick for not calling immediately," confessed Kevin, "but with under the gun raising and the big blind snap-jamming, I thought there was a good chance I could be 'flipping at best. In the end, I'd made a small three-bet to look weak and induce action, so I couldn't then justify folding a hand as strong as queens."

From thereon in, Kevin never looked back, and, after observing that "no one really seemed like that they wanted it", ramped up the aggression to form a chip-leading stack of three million. "There was one player who kept folding to my three-bets," he added, "which helped me out massively."

With three left, Kevin was in a dominating position with the regular short-stacked and seated to his right, meaning that Kevin could push any two cards blind-on-blind and know he'd receive a large percentage of folds. Ultimately, it was his foes who clashed, and a coinflip later, Kevin was just one hand away from victory.

Heads-up was a brisk affair, and with his final opponent open-shoving 9-8, Kevin peeked down at the bullets and called quicker than a cheetah on roller-skates. No change on the board, and Kevin topped the podium for his biggest online win to date.

"I was quite clam at the time and stayed chilled throughout knowing there was work to be done," explained Kevin. "It was strange, because even immediately after I won I wasn't buzzing that much. In reality, though, this was a super, super important result, and those who read my blog will know that things haven't been going my way of late. It was particularly good timing with Vegas just around the corner as that's the absolute worst place to be if you don't have a healthy bankroll."

18 players in all entered this event through Black Belt Poker - all looking to take full advantage of the overlay on offer - including Ben Meredith, Jerome Bradpiece, Sam Razavi, Jamie Burland and Neil Channing. The aforementioned fell short, but joining Kevin in the money were Jason 'Elysiumjay' Layland (11th - $1,500), 'isguzo '(36th - $900) and 'seven7777777s' (78th - $400).

However, the night belonged to Kevin, and after a long, hard-fought day which included a satellite and a dogged slog in the Main Event, he ultimately came up smelling of roses and $42,000 to the good. If you want to emulate Kevin's success and turn a small acorn of an investment into a giant oak money tree, then be sure to secure your path into next Sunday's event via the numerous satellites available throughout the week.

Channing Vs. Mildon: Tomorrow, 5pm

Ladies and gentlemen, it's time, it's time for our main event. So, without further ado, let's... get... ready... to... ruuuuumble.

In the red corner: 2008 Irish Open Champion Neil Channing.
In the blue corner: London Live Vegas Freeroll Winner Philip Mildon.

It's David versus Goliath, Rocky versus Apollo Creed, me versus Mike Tyson; let's take a look at how this one came about.

It all started on May 4 when Black Belt Poker hosted an exclusive freeroll for London Live II entrants who maintained their Orange Belt (or above) during April. First prize guaranteed a trip to Las Vegas and accommodation in the Black Belt Poker luxury mansion.

The lucky winner was Philip 'xxxiluvsjhlxxx' Mildon, who bettered a field of 57, including fellow finalists Adam 'trojandonkey' Latimer, Robert '7Enygma7' Jarrett-Smith and UKIPT Brighton Champion Jamie 'StilettoMafiosa' Burland.

With victory, Philip also earned the opportunity to supplement his package with tournament buy-ins by tackling our Black Belts in a gauntlet of heads-up battles. Tomorrow, at 5pm, Philip we face his first hurdle in Neil Channing. If he can win two consecutive matches, then he will win a seat into a $1,500 WSOP event, before taking Richard Ashby on the following day for the chance to win a $5,000 seat.

The ultimate goal, however, is to beat all three Black Belts. If Philip can topple both Channing and Ashby, he will face his final competitor in heads-up specialist Sam Razavi. If he defeats the recent Aussie Millions finalist, then he will be playing the $10,000 WSOP Main Event and heading to Vegas with combined tournament buy-ins worth a mouth-watering $16,500!

"I've had quite a lot of seconds in my career," joked BBP head honcho Neil Channing, "Last year, I came second in the iPoker Monthly million, second in the London GUKPT, and second in a bracelet event, so this should be a great opportunity for Philip to take advantage of that trend and win himself a WSOP buy-in."

This match isn't pay-per view, and you don't have to pay thousands for a ringside seat; simply start up the poker client and locate the event in Scheduled > Black Belt Tournaments > Phil's Vegas Adventure #1 to watch the action unfold. Will the underdog prevail and win a $1,500 WSOP seat? Joins us to find out.

But like most pay-per-views, the Main Event isn't the only attraction, and at 7.30pm we'll be holding the sixth Leg of the highly acclaimed League IX. Then, at 8.30pm, there is the $15+0.15 Deepstack Mulligan. So, don't be shy, grab the popcorn, pour a nice, cold pepsi and join us tomorrow from 5pm onwards for what is destined to be one of the most exciting Super Tuesdays to date.

Vegas Prize Fund; Share the Wealth

Black Friday may have scuppered the plans of many of our across-the Pond friends and forced them to reconsider the potential investment of a World Series, but no such doubt lies with Black Belt Poker as we once again make the annual pilgrimage to Vegas armed with our illustrious line-up of sponsored pros.

With the likes of Sam Razavi, Richard Ashby and Adam Latimer, the team is bubbling with more talent than ever before, and we have high hopes of a positive return on investment, and maybe even a shiny, gold bracelet. The best news, however, is that we're giving you the opportunity to play the Series vicariously through our pros and enjoy their success from the comfort of your own armchair.

Over the course of five preselected tournaments, we'll be injecting 3% of any winnings into a Vegas Prize Fund, which will then be shared amongst our most loyal players. To get your piece of the Black Belt pie, all you have to do is earn or maintain your Orange Belt by June 1, and hold onto it throughout the month. If you are still Orange come July 1, then you will receive one share of the the kitty which will be evenly distributed amongst all eligible players.

For example, if the Black Poker team win a total of $500,000 across the tournaments listed, $15,000 will go into the Prize Fund. If there are 50 eligible Orange Belts and above, each will be awarded $300 (15,000/50) absolutely free! If there are only 25 eligible, then that figure becomes $600, and so on.

"I'm really happy to be taking such a strong team to Vegas this year," commented 2008 Irish Open Champion Neil Channing, "and I'd be gutted, no, astounded if we don't bring back a healthy return. With such a talented team, this is an incredible chance to share the wealth and take advantage of what is one of the best offers around."

"I'm feeling really confident heading into this year's World Series," added UKIPT Brighton Champion Jamie Burland. "I played last year and feel as though I am a lot more experienced in playing large-field tournaments as a result. I'm really looking forward to the trip and will hopefully be making our Orange Belts a load of money."

There is no other way of purchasing a share, so this offer is exclusive to Black Belt Poker players. What's more, we'll be keeping you updated on the website with the latest news and action from the Rio as and when it happens. This is a truly plus EV opportunity, that could potentially reap huge rewards, and all for simply maintaining your Belt!

For more info, including scheduled tournaments, how to collect your share, and terms and conditions, please see our promotional page by clicking here.

Academy Mentor 'Whacks' Leg 5

This week's Super Tuesday was jam-packed with added value as, in a one-time deal, Black Belt Poker hosted a $10 No Limit Hold'em satellite with two seats into Saturday's WSOP Academy - How to Win Your WSOP Main Event Seat - worth £150 each.

In a hotly contested event that saw the likes of Simon 'ourkidsid' Herrick and Mandy 'wondrwmn' Card hit the virtual felt, the lucky winners were serial League finalist Chris 'CroadYuk' Roadknight and London Live II finalist Gareth 'PKRLocke' Alder. They'll both be joining Alex Rousso, Jamie Burland and Neil Channing later in the week at London's world-famous Vic Casino.

Only 12 players competed, so, yet again, Super Tuesday was firing out enough value to shoot down an army. Speaking of value, the League returned for its fifth Leg, entrants musterd keen to scale the ranks and snap up one of the added prizes on offer.

This time around, the winner was Academy mentor and Black Belt Poker sponsored pro Jamie 'StilettoMafiosa' Burland, the UKIPT Brighton Champion topping a field of 60 to bring home the $96.00 of bacon and head into Saturday's Academy with some bragging writes under his arm.

Jamie wasn't the only familiar name in the League; Neil Channing was close, but no cigar in 13th, whilst reigning League Champion Trevor 'TeeDeeEye1' Ingman performed admirably in 28th. Last week's winner Mark '99Ranny' Ranson also fared well in 20th.

1st StilettoMafiosa -- $96.00
2nd tristiano -- $66.00
3rd habbad -- $40.50
4th Bambury -- $30.00
5th Touagorimou -- $22.50
6th Elysiumjay -- $18.00
7th CareybearBBP -- $15.00
8th 5upern0vae -- $12.00

Jamie's triumph propelled him into the top spot in the standings with 378 points, making him the clear favourite to become League IX Champion with just three legs left. This is the first time this season that someone has shown signs of pulling away, but his progress was aided by the fact that 'CroadYuk' finished a disappointing 41st, whilst Kim 'insider66666' Vernon - who led the way last week - was forced to collect the wooden spoon in 60th. Meanwhile, Tristan 'tristiano' Chaplin leapt into third place with a second consecutive final table appearance; if he remains there, he'll earn himself a share in a Black Belt in the WSOP $10,000 Main Event.

The top 10, on the whole, witnessed few changes. The only switch was Richard 'nakgeela4' Dally replacing 'rattersbrrfc' who, sadly, no-showed to slip from sixth to thirteenth.

1st StilettoMafiosa -- 378 points
2nd CroadYuk -- 326 points
3rd tristiano -- 314 points
4th insider6666 - 313 points
5th mork1971 -- 308 points
6th UliKoko -- 287 points
7th BoatDrink -- 281 points
8th JimmyTheBhoy -- 280 points
9th nakgeela4 -- 268 points
10th ScarredGenitals -- 266 points
11th sandy1611 -- 264 points
12th Mrdroodle -- 264 points
13th rattersbrfc -- 261 points
14th CareybearBBP -- 260 points
15th losbert40 -- 255 points
16th pbsef81 -- 254 points
17th Stewboi -- 253 points
18th generalshifty -- 246 points
19th Bambury -- 242 points
20th TeeDeeEye1 -- 239 points

With the distraction of the Academy satellite, it would have been easy to forget about the Deepstack Mulligan. 11 didn't:

1st Brewski1 -- $82.50
2nd UsainZeus88 -- $49.50
3rd losbert40 -- $33.00
4th Chriopractor
5th Touagorimou
6th ourkidsid
7th CroadYuk
8th JHobbit1
9th lionrampant27
10th StilettoMafiosa
11th russellhansen

Our congratulations go out to both Gareth and Chris - we look forward to seeing you at the weekend - as well as Black Belt Poker pro Jamie Burland for taking the League by the scruff of the neck and giving it an aggressive shake. With his current momentum, he could be hard to catch, but, to quote Lord Winton, "You have to be in it to win it," so we'll be seeing you next week for another action-packed Super Tuesday.

To download the software, simply click here and follow the step-by-step process provided.

League IX: Backin' Black
Great Scott; course00 Takes Opener
A Tripz to the Podium
Inside Job & G3OFF Wins Leg 3
99Ranny Hits the Mark in Leg 4

2 WSOP Academy Seats Added - Tomorrow!

This Saturday, Black Belt Poker present its latest Academy: How to Win Your WSOP Main Event Seat. Hosted by poker theorist Alex Rousso alongside UKIPT Brighton Champion Jamie Burland and WSOP veteran Neil Channing, this promises to be our best Academy yet with mentors discussing a variety of topics from basic satellite strategies to ICM and bubble play. Check out the video here.

The Academy is an absolute snip at just £150, but, for one night only, we're giving away not one, but two free tickets in tomorrow's Super Tuesday. The event will replace the Donkament at 9.30pm and will be a $10+1 No Limit Hold'em Freezeout with two guaranteed Academy seats added to the standard prize pool.

As per usual, the $5+0.50 League event and $15+1.50 Deepstack Mulligan will be taking place at 7.30pm and 8.30pm respectively. If you're yet to participate in either of these, then make sure you join us on tomorrow for what is a highly competitive, yet fun-filled night of poker.

Leg 5 of League IX is destined to be another slobberknocker as hopefuls aim to topple Kim 'insider66666' Vernon from the top of the League Standings. With so few points separating the top spots, the game is still wide open and any one of a number of players can finish the season with one of three incredible prizes: shares in our Black Belts in the WSOP $10,000 Main Event.

Week in, week out, Black Belt Poker serves up helpings of value to our loyal players, and this week is no different. If you fancy the opportunity to play for millions of dollars at the upcoming World Series, then Saturday's Academy could be the stepping stone you've been searching for. Just locate the qualifier in Scheduled > Black Belt Poker Tournaments, select register, and maybe you'll be one of two lucky players joining us at this Vic this weekend.

Viva Las Vegas!

To donwload the software, simply click here and follow the step-by-step process provided.

99Ranny Hits the Mark in Leg 4

With the inaugural Orange Belt Freeroll and the London Live Vegas Freeroll both hitting Black Belt Poker shores last night, it will have been easy to forget that we were graced with another League event this Super Tuesday as Leg 4 marked the halfway point of this season's venture.

Heading into the Leg, only four points separated the top three spots, meaning that the game was still wide open with numerous players still in with a shot of not only hitting the top 10 and securing a prize, but snapping up that number one spot and earning the maximum shares in our Black Belts in Vegas.

Despite the fierce battle at the top of the tree, this occasion saw an old face come out smelling of roses as League VII Champion Mark '99Ranny' Ranson headed the 64-strong field, his closest contender being Barry 'JosseWales' Styles who just missed out in second.

Whilst the unfortunate bubble boy was Papa 'Bambury' Wooldridge, the final table was graced with the presence of UKIPT Brighton Champion Jamie 'StilettoMafiosa' Burland (who also finished third in the Vegas Freeroll) as well as a number of other tough competitors.

1st 99Ranny -- $102.40
2nd JosseWales -- $70.40
3rd sprinterz -- $43.20
4th 45683ah -- $32.00
5th AngelVickie48 -- $24.00
6th tristiano -- $19.20
7th StilettoMafiosa -- $16.00
8th Wally19 -- $12.80

Although he was unable to impact the final table, Kim 'insider66666' Vernon's 21st place finish was enough to see him hold onto the top spot with 312 points, whilst CroadYuk hung into second with 306 points. StilettoMafiosa's seventh place finish, however, saw him leapfrog over mork1971 and latch onto third with 293 points.

1st insider66666 -- 312 points
2nd CroadYuk -- 306 points
3rd StilettoMafiosa -- 293 points

As it stands, those three will be playing the WSOP Main Event vicariously through our Black Belts, but still in contention are the following motley crew, all braced like coiled springs and ready to pounce:

4th mork1971 -- 289 points
5th ScarredGenitals -- 266 points
6th rattersbrfc -- 261 points
7th BoatDrink -- 256 points
8th sandy1611 -- 248 points
9th UliKoko -- 242 points
10th JimmyTheBhoy -- 243 points

Below them - and just inches away from the prize zone - are an eclectic bunch of Belt holders, the likes of Green Belt Richard 'nakgeela4' Dally, Orange Belt Trevor 'TeeDeeEye1' Ingman and Purple Belt Sean 'bolden1212' Bolden all mustard keen to scale the ranks and break into those top 10 slots.

11th nakgeela4 -- 241 points
12th tristiano -- 237 points
13th Mrdroodle -- 235 points
14th losbert40 -- 234 points
15th Stewboi -- 231 points
16th stevegw -- 210 points
17th TeeDeeEye1 -- 206 points
18th generalshifty -- 206 points
19th bolden1212 -- 206 points
20th pbsef81 -- 205 points

As always, the $15+15 Mulligan followed...

1st PKRLocke -- $75.00
2nd russellhansen -- $45.00
3rd JHobbit1 -- $30
4th UliKoko
5th StilettoMafiosa
6th Touagorimou
7th 99Ranny
8th bolden1212
9th G3OFF
10th CroadYuk

whilst the $0.50+0.05 Donkament arrived an hour later...

1st Touagorimou -- $12.50
2nd JHobbit1 -- $7.50
3rd UliKoko -- $7.50
4th insider66666
5th 45683ah
6th PKRLocke
7th ukbbfulltilt
8th StilettoMafiosa
9th MajorMustard
10th CroadYuk

So, as you can see, it's tighter than an Italian waiter's pants up top, and the League is wide open with just three legs remaining. If you're still in with a shot, then make sure you don't miss out on Leg 5 next Tuesday. If you're falling behind, then join us anyway, as nowhere else will you find a competetive event played in such good spirits. See you then.

To donwload the software, simply click here and follow the step-by-step process provided.

League IX: Backin' Black
Great Scott; course00 Takes Opener
A Tripz to the Podium
Inside Job & G3OFF Wins Leg 3

BBP Give Away Vegas Package

Last night, Black Belt Poker hosted its much anticipated London Live Vegas Freeroll, in which the winner would earn himself a free trip to Vegas and the opportunity to face the Black Belts for WSOP tournament buy-ins including the $10,000 Main Event.

The event was exclusive to Black Belt London Live II entrants who either maintained their Belt during April, or were promoted to a higher one. In the end, 74 players were eligible, but only 57 players entered the tournament, thus creating what was surely the best added value tournament in town.

Within the field lay a number of blood-thirsty sharks, including Blue Belts Kevin 'Kevish47' Williams, David 'bh0yw0nder' Docherty and latest recruit Ben 'AsboKid666' Meredith, all of whom had their eyes firmly fixated on a free outing to Sin City.

Also partaking were reigning Black Belt Poker League Champion Trevor 'TeeDeeEye1' Ingman and Rob 'SirNutFlopper' Weston, who won a Vegas trip this time last year in our Quad Aces promotion.

The field quickly thinned, and after James 'JimmyTheBhoy' Carrigan bubbled and League XII Champion Mark '99Ranson' Ranson bubbled bubbled, the final table was set with a line-up tougher than a two-dollar steak.

As well as inaugural League winner Adam 'JHobbit1' Saunders, players would be obliged to overcome no fewer than two current Blue Belts, and one former one: Adam 'trojandonkey' Latimer, Jamie 'StilettoMafiosa' Burland and Robert '7Enygma7' Jarrett-Smith.

Despite their presence, one man did indeed achieve that feat, Philip 'xxxiluvsjhxxx' Mildon overcoming 'sanja441' heads-up to secure his flight to Vegas, and accommodation alongside Neil Channing, Richard Ashby and our other sponsored pros in the Black Belt Poker luxury mansion.

For Philip, the fun doesn't end there, as he'll now be presented with the opportunity to supplement his prize with tournament entries into the 2011 World Series of Poker in a series of heads-up battles against our Black Belts.

If he can defeat Neil Channing, he'll earn a $1,500 seat, $5,000 for beating Richard Ashby and, finally, a Main Event seat for toppling recent Aussie Millions finalist Sam Razavi, thus bringing the total tournament giveaway to a spectacular $16,500.

The final standings were as follows:

1st xxxiluvsjhlxxx
2nd sanja4411
3rd StilettoMafiosa
4th wowsickriver
5th TableKnight
6th JHobbit1
7th 7Enygma7
8th WarSunTzu
9th Ca5gaR
10th trojandonkey

With the Orange Belt Freerolls commencing this month, and League IX and the WSOP Warrior Master League also underway, there's never been a better time to play on Black Belt Poker. As the summer nears, we'll be continuing to search for ways to throw more promotions and added value your way.

If you're new to Black Belt Poker and want to join the party, then opening an account is a doddle: simply download the poker client download the poker client and follow the step-by-step process provided, and if you encounter any hurdles, then drop us a line at info@blackbeltpoker and we'll do our utmost to assist.

A Feast of Value - Tonight!

Brush the dust off your tux, take a seat and dig in as you are cordially invited to a Black Belt Poker feast at ValueTown's finest restaurant.

The hors d'oeuvre for the evening will be the inaugural Orange Belt Freeroll, served at 8pm. The first freeroll of the month is 'Merchandise Madness', and will feature an array of delicious prizes including shirts, hats and various other goodies. The top four will be paid with the winner taking home a luxury chip set (as used in the recent Black Belt London Live II) worth over £150.

The free helpings don't stop there, however, as the rest of the month will be crammed full of other delicacies to tickle your taste buds, including:

Week 1: Merchandise Madness
Wed May 4
Win exclusive merchandise including chip sets, hoods, hats and shirts

Week 2: The Season Ticket Giveaway
Wed May 11
Win tickets to the Black Belt Poker League

Week 3: A Slice Of The Action
Wed May 18
Win a live tournament share in a Black or Brown Belt

Week 4: The Enlightenment Freeroll
Wed May 25
Win variance training such as Academies, 1-1 Enlightenment and Dojo Tickets

The main course of the dinner will be the much anticipated London Live Vegas Freeroll, in which we're guaranteeing flight and accommodation in Vegas and the chance to win a seat for the $10,000 World Series of Poker Main Event in a series of heads-up battles against our Black Belts.

The event will commence at 9pm and is exclusive to London Live II entrants who have either maintained their Belt, or been promoted to a higher Belt during the month of April. Currently, there are less than 50 entrants, so this is your chance to head to Sin City.

Never before has there been so much sumptuous value crammed into one poker site. So, sit back, relax, and enjoy the feast! Just make sure dessert's a trip to Vegas.