Day 1B of Nottingham Live - Sold Out!

The November Nine are still dreaming of bracelet-gold; we're yet to light our sparklers for Bonfire Night; our doors haven't even been graced by the ghouls and ghosts of Halloween!

Yet, with over three weeks to go, Day 1B of the Black Belt Nottingham Live has already sold out.

Earlier today, the final seats for the second starting day were snapped up quicker than a hiccup as players looked to secure a seat into the most exciting event of the year. Making its debut this November 18-20, the Nottingham Live is a $125+15 No Limit Hold'em freezeout boasting pro bounties, Belt Bonuses and a mouth-watering $50,000 guaranteed prize pool.

In addition to the Main Event, there will also be five side events spread across the three days, including a two-day £1,000 High Roller event taking place at 7pm on Saturday. Players can register for these tournaments and the other side events at the Dusk Till Dawn cashier.

With three days remaining, it's not too late to increase your Belt Level and take advantage of the sumptuous added value on offer. Play the event as an Orange Belt and you'll receive $100 for each bounty and 10% added to all prizes, but play as Purple, and you'll earn $250 per bounty and an amazing 20% added!

With 15,000 starting stacks and 40-minute blind levels, the Nottingham Live provides players with a fun-filled, yet competitive tournament for an affordable price. 200 players have already booked their place in Saturday's starting day, but there are still seats available for Day 1A on the Friday. However, they will sell out, and fast, so don't delay, register now before it's too late.

Registration is via the Black Belt Poker poker client only. To buy in directly, locate the event in the lobby at Scheduled > Black Belt Tournaments > Nottingham Live Day 1A. Alternatively, you can purchase a token using Spending Points, or qualify through one of our three weekly satellites. If you haven't donwloaded the software, then you can do so by clicking here.

For more information, please see our FAQs.

Razavi Tops UKIPT Leader Board

With the London EPT marking the conclusion of this season's UKIPT, Black Belt Poker sponsored pro Sam Razavi has been crowned UKIPT Leaderboard Champion, winning buy-ins and accommodation for the entire third season.

Sam topped the table with 240.35 points, fending off a tough chasing pack that included serial casher Rupinder Bedi, double finalist Chris Dowling, and Edinburgh Champion Fintan Gavin.

Despite being an online cash game pro, Sam secured victory with four in-the-money finishes totalling an impressive $108,754. These included cashes in Nottingham, Manchester, Edinburgh and Cork, where he left with the title in hand, thus giving Black Belt Poker its second Champion to date after Jamie Burland won Season 1's Brighton leg.

The final results were as follows:

1st Sam Razavi -- 240,35
2nd Rupinder Bedi -- 220,9
3rd Chris Dowling -- 206,95
4th Paul Nash -- 194,7
5th Nick Abou Risk -- 192,3
6th Mike Hill -- 178,8
7th Fintan Gavin -- 167,5
8th Richard Lawlor -- 165,25
9th Richard Haile -- 165,1
10th Sam MacDonald -- 164

Fellow Black Belt Poker pros Jamie Burland and Kevin Williams finished 14th and 19th respectively with a combined five cashes.

A former thespian from Brighton, Sam was a product of the Black Belt Poker Grading, which led him to Sidney where he final-tabled the Aussie Millions Main Event for A$225,000. His sixth place finish awarded him enough Prize Points to join Neil Channing and Richard Ashby as one of three Black Belts earning $10,000 a month in live tournament backing.

"Although I have a long way to go to cement a name for myself in tournament poker," commented a jubilant Sam, "I've enjoyed consistently deep runs throughout 2011. I only decided to put my foot into tournament poker at the start of this year, so to then go and top the UKIPT leaderboard is the icing on the cake. It should put a temporary 'cork' into the mouths of those people who think I just sit around all day waiting for fish without working on my game."

"With regards to Season 3 of the UK," he continued, "and in the words of Tony G: ''I'm going to destroy you. I'm going to send you all home. Go on. On your bike!''"

Before Season 3, however, Sam will be busy with the Champion of Champions, which is due to be filmed prior to the opening leg.

In the meantime, he will be sharing his knowledge to debuting players in a live Dojo Session at the Black Belt Nottingham Live. Tickets are a snip at just 300 Spending Points and are available via the Black Belt Poker Store under Live Events.

In the Nick of Time

After finishing second in January's event, the Black Belt Poker faithful returned to the APAT UK Team Championships this past weekend with the goal of climbing one more rung and bringing home the coveted team title.

'The British Cowboy' Jon Woodfield jumped into the saddle once more, captaining an eight-player team that included a trio of Orange Belts in Richard Hurst, Chris Osborne and Nick Mazur. They were joined by Alan Lake, Michelle Gascoine, and future husband-wife combo Adam Sharples and Julie Holness.

In the end, 184 runners ambushed the G Casino in Luton, thus creating a £9,200 prize pool. 50 percent would end up in the welcome hands of the top three teams, whilst the other half would be spread across the highest individual finishers.

Although Black Belt Poker boasted two players in the top 50, only one man made it to the money, Nick Mazur, and with the final table set, he lay in a respectable fourth place with 195,000. The then-leader was Rob Swindells of the Gambling Network Forum with 353,000.

Thankfully, Black Belt Poker's lone soldier enjoyed a fruitful start when he eliminated Phil Laws in ninth, Nick's aces holding against kings in an unavoidable cooler. A few spots later, and Nick found the bullets again, this time snipering down fourth-place finisher John Murray who'd moved all in from the button with 4-2.

After disposing of Karl McDonald in third (A-J improving versus T-T), Nick found himself heads-up for the title against final hurdle Ian Thompson of the APAT Forum. Armed with a substantial chip lead, Nick saw off his foe an hour later with 7-4 versus K-J, all in on the turn of a J-4-x-4 board. A harmless river and Nick was the Champion, earning himself £1,300 and giving Black Belt Poker back-to-back titles following Niall Farrell's triumphant performance in January.

As per that occasion, Black Belt Poker weren't quite able to compliment individual success with a team victory for the desired double. That honour instead went to Gambling Network Forum (who boasted two finalists) whilst The Hendon Mob came second. Team Black Belt didn't miss out entirely, however, as their pooled performance was enough to pick up third for a highly respectable £920, placing them above no less than 20 other teams.

"I'm glad I managed to secure some money for the team," beamed Champion Nick Mazur later than night. "I'm also very happy that the boss agreed to give me the morning off since I've just got in after a few beers and jaegerbombs with Jon!"

"The structure of these APAT games are superb," added Chris Osborne, "and there are loads of play in them if anyone is looking for live games to play."

So, all in all, a profitable journey for Team Black Belt, in particular Nick who left with some silverware in hand. Our thanks go out to Jon for organising the team, and the team members themselves for keeping Black Belt Poker on the podium.

Individual results:

1st Nick Mazur -- £1,300
2nd Ian Thompson -- £700
3rd Karl McDonald -- £450
4th John Murray -- £350
5th George Lawson -- £250
6th Gary Peniket -- £200
7th Rob Swindells -- £170
8th Peter Lawton -- £150
9th Phil Laws -- £130

Team results:

1st Gambling Network Forum (120 points) -- £2,300
2nd The Hendon Mob Forum (108 points) -- £1,380
3rd Black Belt Poker (105 points) -- £920

4th APAT Forum (101 points)
5th Hetton Social Poker League (98 points)
6th Blonde Poker (91 points)
7th A World Of Poker (89 points)
8th Live Pub Poker League (89 points)
9th Newcastle Poker Forum (89 points)
10th Punters Lounge (80 points)
11th Black Country Poker Club (44 points)
12th APAT Luton Club (41 points)
13th Lee Barrett Poker Nights (38 points)
14th Bristol Meetup (36 points)
15th Elite Amateur Poker League (35 points)
16th Eatmystack Forum (34 points)
17th Chorley Poker League (21 points)
18th London Poker Meetup (20 points)
19th Maple Dragon Poker Club (18 points)
20th APAT Champions (10 points)
21st FISO (8 points)
22nd Betfair Forum (0 points)
23rd iLovePlayingPoker (0 points)

Deepstack Mulligan: Value to a Tee

Every Wednesday at 20:30, Black Belt Poker host the Deepstack Mulligan. At just $15+1.5, the tournament offers players an affordable avenue into the world of deep-stacked poker, serving up a blind and level structure that gives skill the utmost chance to prevail over luck.

Starting this week, Black Belt Poker will now be offering Belt Points for the top five finishers in the Mulligan, as well as the usual cash prizes.

Belt Points will be awarded as follows:

1st 50
2nd 30
3rd 10
4th 5
5th 5

The Mulligan is a small tournament mainly populated by community players, so with five prizes up for grabs, it now presents a great opportunity to add some vital points to your Belt Points balance, whilst aiding your Belt maintenance/promotion for the month.

If you're yet to taste the value on offer at Black Belt Poker, then now is the perfect time to join, in particular with the upcoming Nottingham Live hitting Dusk Till Dawn shores this November.

To sign up, simply download the Black Belt Poker client and follow the step-by-step instructions provided. The tournament can then be found in the tournament lobby under Scheduled > Black Belt Tournaments > Deepstack Mulligan.

The Mulligan isn't the only great tournament exclusive to Black Belt Poker. As well as thrice-weekly satellites into the Nottingham Live (20:30, Mon-Wed), we also host three freerolls for various Belts, including a $50 White Belt Freeroll every Wednesday at 20:00.

On Tuesday, November 01, the Black Belt Poker League will return for its twelfth outing with players once again battling it out over the course of eight legs of $5+0.50 No Limit Hold'em. This time, the winner will be invited to the Black Belt Poker Christmas party where they'll get to wine and dine with the pros, before participating in a £100 SNG with the likes of Neil Channing and Richard Ashby.

For more details on League XII, and any other of our promotions, check out the site now.

iPOPS Live: Czech-Raise to Prague

This December 9-11, Black Belt Poker are offering players the chance to exchange the online world for the live felt and celebrate the festive season in style with the first ever iPOPS Live Open.

Set to grace the Corinthia Hotel in Prague, the iPOPS Live Open will be a €700+70 No Limit Hold'em freezeout with players Czech-raising their way through two days of hot poker action. Entry will initially be exclusive to network players, with open registration on the day of the event.

Players currently have three opportunities every week to qualify for the event via the following super satellites:

Sundays (19:00) -- €80+8 NLH freezeout
Wednesdays (19.00) -- €50+5 rebuy
Thursdays (19:00) -- €80+8 NLH freezeout

As always, Black Belt Poker are also supplying an array of feeders and catering for all wallet sizes with tiered qualifiers starting from as little as $0.66+0.06. There will also be also be numerous SNGs running throughout the week.

If you're fortunate to earn entry into a super satellite and then go on to secure your seat into the iPOPS Open Live, you will receive a package worth €1,450. The package includes:

€770 buy-in for the Main Event
€255 for 4 nights of accommodation
€25 for handling fees.
€400 for flights and spending.
Players' party December 9 at 20:30.

The iPOPS Live Open will also play host to the conclusion of the iPOPS (iPoker's Online Poker Series), taking place from November 28 to December 4 and serving up a cool $1,000,000 in guarantees. The final 27 players in Event #4's $125+10 freezeout will be flown to Prague where they will play to a finish on December 10.

December is usually a quiet month in poker, but iPoker are ensuring that Christmas comes early with the iPOPS. So, whether you wish to play the live event, or soak up the guarantees in the online mini-series, be sure to do so on Black Belt Poker and we'll see you in Prague.

Going Live with Sensei Razavi

Excitement is reaching boiling point as the inaugural Black Belt Nottingham Live is fast-approaching and now less than four weeks away. Scheduled for November 18-20, the Nottingham Live will see players from across the nation ambush the Dusk Till Dawn Poker Club to participate in the year's most affordable and fun-filled event.

For many, the Nottingham Live will be their first foray into the world of live poker, and some will likely be anxious about making that nerve-wracking transition from the virtual felt to green of the live baize and competing in a 400-runner field in the UK's largest poker cardroom.

But don't worry, as help is available in the form of Black Belt and UKIPT Cork Champion Sam Razavi.

Armed with a decade of experience at the live felt, Sam will seek to guide you through those first steps in a one-off live Dojo Session. Starting at 7pm on Friday, November 18, our 'Going Live' Dojo Session is the perfect opportunity for Day 1B players to learn from one of the game's best players before entering the battlefield themselves the following day.

An poker pro from the mean streets of Brighton, Sam burst onto the Black Belt Poker scene when he was one of two winners in Grading III, earning himself an Aussie Millions package. Several weeks later and Sam was A$225,000 richer courtesy of a sixth place finish in the Main Event and had enough Prize Points to become the first player ever to work their way through the Belt-Up Rewards system to Black Belt. He would late go on to win UKIPT Cork and become the overall UKIPT Leaderboard Season Two Champion.

Oozing in onfidence and a master of 'table talk', Sam is the perfect host and will be on hand to answer any questions you may have regarding the live experience, as well as warning you about some of the pitfalls debutants tend to stumble into. And if anyone can tell you about what live tells to be aware of, it's Sam, whose thespian background has made him an expert of reading players and detecting bluffs.

If you would like one of the game's best young(ish) players to help quench those last-minute nerves and introduce you to the world of live poker, then sign up now by purchasing a token with your Spending Points. Tickets are a bargain at just 300 Spending Points, and can be located in the Black Belt Poker Store under 'Live Events'. But don't delay, as the Session is limited to 10 seats and will sure to sell out long before the event.

League XII: A Black Belt Poker Christmas

O come, all ye faithful, the new league is upon us, and we're once again decking the halls with boughs of value with a festive star prize, as well as some added bonuses yet to be seen on Black Belt Poker.

League XII is coming to town on Tuesday, November 01 at 19:30. Players will compete over eight weeks of $5+0.5 No Limit Hold'em shenanigans with the final leg concluding on Tuesday, December 20.

For many, all they want for Christmas is the chance to meet Neil Channing, but in League XII, the lucky winner will receive an invite to the Black Belt Poker Christmas dinner on Thursday, December 22 at the Grosvenor Victoria Casino where he or she will dine with our entire team of sponsored pros.

After the mistletoe and wine of dinner, the Champion will then be entered into a one-table £100 SNG to battle it out across the live felt against the BBP pros, including the likes of UKIPT winners Jamie Burland and Sam Razavi, and bracelet-winner Richard Ashby.

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

Once again, 10 players will be having themselves a very merry Christmas with some juicy added prizes:

1st Invite to BBP Christmas Party & Seat in £100 Pro SNG
2nd 1,000 Belt Points
3rd 850 Belt Points
4th 725 Belt Points
5th 600 Belt Points
6th 500 Belt Points
7th 400 Belt Points
8th 300 Belt Points
9th 200 Belt Points
10th 100 Belt Points

The BBP Wonderland doesn't end there, however, as on Wednesday, December 21, we'll be hosting a Second Chance SNG online for all leg winners. The winner will then join the overall Champion at the Christmas party to play and participate in the Pro SNG, thus meaning that even if you fall behind in the standings or join proceedings as late as Leg 8, you still have a shot at the star prize!

And it doesn't end there. In keeping with the season of giving, we'll be dishing out an additional 200 Belt Points to anyone who participates in all eight league legs, absolutely free and regardless of position.

So here it is, Merry Xmas, everybody. On the 12th day of Christmas, my true love gave to me 12 drummers drumming; on the 12th league, we're going to shower someone in added value and add them to an illustrious list.

This time, it could be you...

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
League VIII: Trevor Ingman
League IX: Jamie Burland
League X: Tom Drew
League XI: Bob Bulman
League XII: ?

League XII can be located under Scheduled > Black Belt Tournaments in the tournament lobby. To download the software, simply click here and follow the step-by-step process provided.

iPOPS: $1,000,000 in Guarantees

Start plucking the turkey and hanging up the stockings as Christmas has come early for Black Belt Poker players this year with our latest mouth-watering promotion: iPoker's Online Poker Series.

Starting November 28, iPOPS is a mini-series of four online tournaments that will see players fight it out for an incredible $1,000,000 guaranteed prize pool, including $500,000 for the Main Event.

The schedule is as follows:

Nov 28 -- $100+9 NLH six-max freezeout ($200K GTD)
Nov 30 -- $50+5 NLH turbo rebuy ($150K GTD)
Dec 02 -- $100+9 PLO six-max single rebuy ($150K GTD)
Dec 04 -- $125+10 NLH Main Event freezeout ($500K GTD)

If you are lucky to make the final 27 of the Main Event, then you will be whisked off to the Czech Republic where the tournament will play to a finish at the Corinthia Hotel in Prague. You'll also be playing alongside the first ever iPOPS Live Open, a €700+70 freezeout taking place on December 10-11.

With such huge guarantees, there's a very high chance that the iPOPS will boast overlays, in particular the Main Event which will require a hefty 4,000 entrants in order to reach the guarantee - the maths suggest that this could be yet another visit to Valuetown.

If the buy-ins put a strain on your bankroll, then don't fret, as Black Belt Poker are serving up satellites from as little as $0.1+$0.01, as well as the usual array of SNG qualifiers. And for those looking to play in the iPOPS Live Open, qualifiers are also available via the tournament lobby.

Don't miss out on this i-popping promotion!

Click here for more information.

Academy - PLO: The Action Game

In less than a week's time, Black Belt Poker will be ambushing the Grosvenor Victoria Casino in London for our penultimate Academy of the year. Scheduled for Saturday, October 22, the topic of discussion will be: PLO: The Action Game.

Although Hold'em may be the game of choice for many players, Omaha is quickly increasing in popularity as players go in search of a more action-packed game. As a result, there is a lot of value in Omaha, and our mentors will be on hand to teach you just how you can take advantage of all that value and become a winning Omaha player.

And who better to learn from than bracelet-winner Richard Ashby? An online pro with decades of Omaha experience, Richard has played at some of the highest stakes available, competing against many of the biggest names in the game including Phil Ivey, Tom 'durrrr' Dwan, Patrik Antonius and Ilhari 'Ziigmund' Sahamies.

Richard will be joined by poker theorist and Bluff Europe Columnist Alex Rousso. Like many before him, Alex decided to make the transition from two cards to four, and has been making his living at the Omaha cash tables ever since. Armed with an in-depth knowledge of the game, Alex will take you through all the nuances of the four-card format, as well as ensuring you have the fundamentals in place to profit from what many believe to be the future of the game.

Very rarely will you be offered an intensive course in Pot Limit Omaha, but we're serving up that opportunity this Saturday with lectures, demonstrations, and workshops within smaller groups. Our mentors will also be happy to answer any questions or queries you might have.

"If this one doesn't get 25 people involved," commented Black Belt Poker co-founder Neil Channing, "then I really will wonder what people expect. To spend a day learning from one of the world's best for less than a hundred quid is amazing value."

Tickets cost a mere £99. If you would like to attend, then drop us an email as soon as possible at training@blackbeltpoker to discuss payment options and secure your seat. Alternatively, you can purchase a token in our Store under Live Events using Spending Points accrued at the Black Belt Poker tables.

See you there!

Jerome Bradpiece Finals WSOPE Event #3

After four years in the English Capital, this week marked the debut of the World Series of Poker Europe in Cannes, a tourist hotspot in the French Riviera which also plays host to the hugely popular Partouche Poker Tour.

One player who pursued the WSOPE down the English Channel is Black Belt Poker pro Jerome Bradpiece. Having already cashed in Event #2, Jerome further lined his pockets with a final table finish in Event #3's Pot Limit Omaha freezeout, ultimately departing in fifth place for €57,912.

A respectable 180 stumped up the €5,300 entry fee, including a seemingly endless array of poker talent: Tom 'durrrr' Dwan, Daniel Negreanu, Patrik Antonius, Jason Mercier, Bertrand 'ElkY' Grospellier and recent Hall of Fame nominee Barry Greenstein. But despite the esteemed opposition, Jerome finished Day 1 third in chips with 128,500, before surviving turbulent winds on Day 2 to make the final table in seventh place with 146,000.

The final lineup was tougher than a two-dollar steak with the likes of Ramzi Jelassi, Erich Kollmann, November Niner Eoghan O'Dea and Sam Trickett, the latter holding a mammoth chip lead with almost double that of Steve Billirakis in second. It was also an eclectic final, with Britain boasting the only duplicated flag.

After O'Dea seeped first blood in ninth, Jerome dispatched of Canadian Sam Chartier before climbing another two rungs when Kollmann and Konstantin Uspenskiy departed in seventh and sixth respectively.

With five remaining, Jerome was left as the short stack, but would enjoy a fortunate double-up after moving all in with Kh-Jh-Td-5d on a 7s-Js-Jd flop. Despite Trickett holding Ks-Kc-Jc-5c, Jerome snatched victory from the jaws of defeat when the As turn was pursued by a house-filling Tc river.

Those chips proved to be a temporary luxury, however, as Jerome doubled up American Billirakis shortly after, flat-calling a three-bet preflop with 6s-6h-2s-2h before open-shoving the Qs-8s-4c flop. Billirakis made the call with Ah-Ac-Th-7d and duly held firm on a harmless 8c turn and 3d river.

This setback left Jerome as the short stack once again, and upon returning from the dinner break, he moved his final chips in on a 9c-Kc-2s flop with Kd-Qc-Td-9d. Nemesis Billirakis' Jd-Tc-7c-3d improved to a flush and Jerome was forced to settle for fifth.

Although he later commented, "Cheers for the funk. I'm pretty gutted at the moment, but I'm sure I'll see the upside soon," this confirmed a return to form for the Brown Belt and former GUKPT Walsall Champion who has now cashed an impressive eight times since July for over $100,000, including a win in a London Calling Mini Festival side event in which girlfriend Sarah Berry finished in the runner-up spot.

In total, Jerome now has $602,502 in live tournament winnings, but makes his bread and butter online at Black Belt Poker where he plays Pot Limit Omaha cash, along with Black Belt Richard Ashby who had been railing him throughout the final. In this event, Jerome sold a small percentage of his action to a number of Black Belt Poker members, including Blue Belt Kevin Willams who'd shrewdly purchased a two percent share.

Following Jerome's demise, it was Billirakis who took top honours, adding to the gold he won in Vegas four years prior when he became the youngest bracelet-winner to date having only been above the minimum age for 11 days. Trickett, meanwhile, finished fourth and, like Jerome, will have to wait before adorning his wrist with a first bracelet win.

1st Steve Billirakis (United States) -- €238,140
2nd Michele Di Lauro (Italy) -- €147,171
3rd Ramzi Jelassi (Sweden) -- €105,937
4th Sam Trickett (United Kingdom) -- €77,642
5th Jerome Bradpiece (United Kingdom) -- €57,912
6th Konstantin Uspenskiy (Russia) -- €43,950
7th Erich Kollmann (Austria) -- €33,922
8th Samuel Chartier (Canada) -- €26,610
9th Eoghan O'Dea (Ireland) -- €21,221

The End Is Now; Bullseye for Bulman

The eleventh Black Belt Poker League drew to an exciting close last night as four Merry Men secured their seat into the inaugural Black Belt Nottingham Live in November. Not only do they receive buy-in to the $125+15 Main Event, but they'll automatically be entered into a last-longer with the last man standing (or sitting, rather) earning entry into the 2012 Black Belt London Live.

Heading into the final Leg, the top four was populated by Bob 'myteamouse' Bulman, Andy 'BoatDrink' Butcher, Nick 'nickhem1' Hemming, and Karl 'KBV1TALS' Briggs, and despite the chasing pack snapping at their heels like starved alligators, impressive performances from all four poker gladiators led to them holding firm to those spots and walking away with a star prize in their hands.

Although both 'nickhem1' and 'KBV1TALS' final-tabled (the latter losing the heads-up battle), the eighth and final leg was won by the debuting and fittingly named 'Th3End1sN1gh'. He defeated a super tough lineup to pick up the final bragging honours of League XI, as well as $81.61 in prize money.

Also notable in his presence was Jason 'Elysiumjay' Layland, who had been running hotter than the sun following wins in both previous legs. Vying for a record-breaking third consecutive League win, Layland just missed out on an incredible feat by departing in third.

1st Th3End1sN1gh -- $81.61
2nd KBV1TALS -- $56.10
3rd Elysiumjay -- $34.42
4th stevegw -- $25.50
5th ChipRead77 -- $19.12
6th TheZartog -- $25.50
7th nickhem1 -- $12.75
8th sceaga2 -- $10.20
9th RykanShadow
10th UliKoko

The overall Champion - of whom will now also receive a personalised Black Belt Poker hoodie - was 'myteamouse'. He'd already sewn up his seat heading into the event, but finished in style with a highly credible 16th place finish.

1st myteamouse (614 points) -- Nottingham Live seat & personalised hoodie
2nd KBV1TALS (587 points) -- Nottingham Live seat
3rd BoatDrink (574 points) -- Nottingham Live seat
4th nickhem1 (571 points)-- Nottingham Live seat

Despite the final League standings and scores, there were a handful of players who were still in touching distance of a Nottingham Live seat, but ultimately fell the wrong side of Lady Luck. '1895IAIAN', for example, was a mere six points behind fourth place 'KBV1TALS' at the start of play, but a disappointing 39th place finish saw him slip into sixth.

5th MrDroodle (526 points) -- 600 Belt Points
6th 1894IAIN (526 points) -- 500 Belt Points
7th sceaga2 (522 points) -- 400 Belt Points
8th Elysiumjay (509 points) -- 300 Belt Points
9th tristiano (506 points) -- 200 Belt Points
10th stevegw (505 points) -- 100 Belt Points

A number of players were close, but no cigar, with poor 'RykanShadow' dropping from 9th to 11th, replaced in the top 10 by 'stevegw', whose second consecutive final table was just about enough to see him pick up some prize points at the death.

11th RykanShadow (500 points)
12th dajaroo (467 points)
13th mork1971 (453 points)
14th ourkidsid (441 points)
15th PaulFauret (438 points)
16th Touagorimou (435 points)
17th BoraBoraBoy (429 points)
18th lionrampant27 (423 points)
19th ACarey (421 points)
20th StakattakBBP (418 points)

With the Nottingham Live nearing, players flooded into this week's satellites in an effort to earn their seat at a reduced rate. Four players achieved that feat" Geoff 'G3OFF' Douglas, Barry 'JosseWales' Styles, 'AnthonyZuzs85' and 'jaws30'. Mulligan honours went to 'CreamfieldsAA'.

If you were unable to find momentum in League XI, then don't fear as League XII is just around the corner and will commence in three weeks time on Tuesday, November 1. Details of the event will be announced shortly.

Previous reports:

Week 1 - New League, New Records
Week 2 - Godlike Performance from Chaplin
Week 3 - And It Was All Yellow
Week 4 - Alan Steer to Victory
Week 5 - Winning With Fennesse-y
Week 6 - Elysiumjay Denies Golden Boy
Week 7 - Elysiumjay Does the Double

Elysiumjay Does the Double

You've heard the saying: you wait ages for a bus then all of a sudden two come at the same time. Jason 'Elysiumjay' Layland can empathise with that.

It wasn't exacly centuries ago, but the last time the Orange Belt tasted victory in the BBP League was back in Leg 8 of League IX. Since then, things haven't been going as well.

But then, last week, Lady Luck returned as he took down Leg 6 of our latest League. It seems she liked him so much, she decided to stick around for another week too!

On Tuesday night, Elysiumjay bested a field of 58 runners in the penultimate leg of League XI to win $92.80 and 83 points. That win has lifted him into 10th place in the overall standings.

Despite that, it's not all rosey. Jason is cursing at the moment because he missed Leg 5, which he says was due to "laptop failure". To have any chance of finishing within the top four spots, he is hoping for a big turn out in the eighth and final leg, as well as an unprecedented third win on the spin.

Yellow Belt Steve 'stevegw' Westcott vastly improved on last week's 30th place exit to finish second this time around. He picked up a $63.80, 75 points and is currently breathing down Elysiumjay's neck in 11th place.

Coming in third was Gary 'browndog0' Brown. The Orange Belt, who was absent last week, claimed $39.15 and 71 points. He is 35th in the overall standings with 312 points.

1st Elysiumjay -- $92.80
2nd stevegw -- $63.80
3rd browndog0 -- $39.15
4th 1894IAIN -- $29.00
5th Ourkid888 -- $21.75
6th uSayMrE -- $17.40
7th newrhino -- $14.50
8th S0lution -- $11.60
9th Snotterz -- $0.00
10th generalshifty -- $0.00

So, as we approach the final leg of League XI, 'myteamouse' still clings on to the top spot with a total of 578 points. The Orange Belt's 21st place exit for 39 points in Leg 7 was enough to keep him ahead of the chasing pack.

Yellow Belt Andy 'BoatDrink' Butcher remains second with 541 points. He edged a few points closer to 'myteamouse' after finishing in 15th for 44 points.

This week, third and fourth place swapped hands. After weeks of chasing, Nick 'nickhem1' Hemming finally leapt past 'KBV1TALS' after finishing 16th to claim 43 points. He is now third in the overall standings with 520 points. 'KBV1TALS', now fourth with 519 points, finished in 36th place for 24 points.

1st myteamouse -- 578 points
2nd BoatDrink -- 541 points
3rd nickhem1 -- 520 points
4th KBV1TALS - 519 points
5th 1895IAIN -- 513 points
6th Mrdroodle -- 485 points
7th tristiano -- 475 points
8th sceaga2 -- 474 points
9th RykanShadow -- 455 points
10th Elysiumjay -- 445 points

11th stevegw -- 445 points
12th dajaroo -- 439 points
13th ourkidsid -- 436 points
14th Touagorimou - 418 points
15th Ourkid888 -- 417 points
16th mork1971 -- 416 points
17th PaulFauret -- 398 points
18th StakattakBBP -- 397 points
19th ACarey -- 396 points
20th generalshifty -- 392 points

With Nottingham Live seats going to the top four finishers, this league has been hotly contested throughout. The current top four may have held those positions for most of League XI, but it's far, far from over. As history has proven, anything can happen, and there are still a few players that could creep in to snatch those coveted seats.

Join us again next Tuesday for the climax of League XI. Who will win those seats to our inaugural event in the East Midlands? Find out here on Black Belt Poker!

Previous reports:

Week 1 - New League, New Records
Week 2 - Godlike Performance from Chaplin
Week 3 - And It Was All Yellow
Week 4 - Alan Steer to Victory
Week 5 - Winning With Fennesse-y
Week 6 - Elysiumjay Denies Golden Boy

Nottingham Live Bonuses: Last Chance Saloon

With the Nottingham Live gracing the poker circuit in November, this month is your last chance to ascend the Belt-Up Rewards System and hit Dusk Till Dawn shores as one of our VIP players.

All entrants receive a minimum of $20 for every bounty eliminated, but if you play as an Orange Belt, you will receive our VIP package and earn a welcome $100 per bounty. What's more, we'll add an incredible 10% to any winnings!

To become Orange Belt, you need to reach the 500 Belt Points threshold before November 1. Your journey is dependent on numerous factors such as stakes, session length and playing style, but you should also take into account the potential for community points, as well as our one-month Belt Boost for new sign-ups.

If Orange Belt seems like a doodle, then you'll be pleased to know that we're offering a VIP Plus Package for anyone who hits Purple Belt or above. If you are Purple at the turn of the month, then bounties will earn you a hefty $250, with a juicy 20% added to all prizes.

At the 2011 London Live, Black Belt Poker paid out an additional $4,075, including $1,600 to third-place finisher and Green Belt Gareth Alder. Meanwhile, if Champion Peter Wigglesworth had been Purple or above, he would have earned an extra $3,204, excluding any bounties he may have despatched of along the way.

If you would like to follow in the footsteps of Gareth and ensure you take full advantage of all the benefits on offer in Nottingham, then be sure to hit the table over the next few weeks and start racking up the points, whether you're a brand new player, or a Black Belt Poker veteran.

In the meantime, signing up is easy: simply locate the tournament in Scheduled > Black Belt Tournaments and select your preferred starting day.

The Black Belt Nottingham Live makes its debut this November 18-20 at the Dusk Till Dawn Poker Club in Nottingham. The event will be a $125+15 No Limit Hold'em Freezeout offering a deep blind and clock structure for an affordable price. Every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, we hold satellites from as little as $3, with five seats guaranteed every week.

Click here for more information on our Belt-Up Rewards System.