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
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