League XIV: Mix-Up in Leg 4

This week once again saw the Black Belt Poker League grace the cyber felt, as 83 hopefuls battled it out for a spot in the end-of-season Second Chance SNG, and some vital-as-always points in the overall standings.

As with last week's shenanigans, it was a debutant winner who emerged from the smoke as top dog, mikeymixitup morphing his $5.50 investment into $121.00 and donning the temporary seven-day crown.

Close, but no cigar was Anthony BoraBoraBoy Giuntini in second, whilst fellow Orange Belt Tony 7onyB Booth lapped up the bronze medal in third. Further down the list, last week's victor Chris SchnauzerSoze04 Cope came in at 71st, whilst reigning League Champion Adam JHobbit1 Saunders departed in an equally uncharacteristic 53rd.

Such eliminations meant that the final table boasted some new faces, and a completely fresh lineup from the week prior:

1st mikeymixitup -- $121.00
2nd BoraBoraBoy -- $81.40
3rd 7onyB -- $61.60
4th losbert40 -- $41.80
5th RiverSiren -- $30.80
6th JosseWales -- $23.10
7th PhilDee64 -- $18.70
8th sandy1611 -- $15.40
9th 10Royals -- $13.20
10th ourkidsid -- $11.00
11th 4KSuited -- $11.00
12th Cursonator -- $11.00

Bambury's 60th place has led to a changing of the guards at the top of the standings with Sean 10Royals Lassman leading the way by a mere four points after sneaking onto the final table. Jamie doochats White remains in second, whilst Steve gnomeeee Cash jumps to third.

1st 10Royals -- 261 points
2nd doochats -- 257 points
3rd gnomeeee -- 250 points
4th russellhansen -- 249 points
5th ourkidsid -- 237 points
6th ChipRead77 -- 236 points
7th BoatDrink -- 231 points
8th Touagorimou -- 223 points
9th 7onyB -- 221 points
10th liquidpoker101 -- 220 points

11th myteamouse -- 220 points
12th Bambury -- 218 points
13th PhilDee64 -- 216 points
14th mikeymixitup -- 215 points
15th TeeDeeEye1 -- 206 points
16th BoraBoraBoy -- 204 points
17th thehingster -- 204 points
18th shaolin4aces -- 197 points
19th pbsef81 -- 196 points
20th JosseWales -- 196 points

Each week, the East End Live edges closer (as is the nature of time), and in doing so, the list of entrants continues to extend. The last few days churned out yet another batch of satellite winners, including Blue Belt Kevin Williams who shrewdly took advantage of yet another overlay in Wednesday's qualifier.

Monday, $15+1.5 freezeout, 10 runners…

1st tentofollow -- East End Live seat ($200+20)
2nd sceage2
3rd Mart07Fish
4th paul6543
5th GIRLWONDER77

Tuesday, $5+50 rebuy, 14 runners...

1st JKitin -- East End Live seat ($200+20)
2nd jfdiwins
3rd S0lution
4th diiscostu
5th puggy1979

Wednesday, $25+2.50 freezeout, 12 runners...

1st Kevish47 -- East End Live seat ($200+20)
2nd myteamouse -- East End Live seat ($200+20)
3rd JYswampster
4th retxabam
5th HammerHorror

In other news, this week's Orange Belt Freeroll drew 43 to the site, Mulligan king Kevin S0lution Birt extending his repertoire with a first place finish, thus earning him a piece of Neil Channing in this year's Irish Open. If you're going to have a percentage of someone in an event, then a former Champion is always a good start.

1st S0lution -- $100 sponsorship
2nd Sarannedipity -- $50 sponsorship
3rd nickhem1 -- $25 sponsorship
4th Snotterz -- $25 sponsorship

30 minutes later, 16 warriors crossed swords in the Deepstack Mulligan. This week's honour went to an in-form Hasmukh 45683ah Khodiyara, who added to the circa $15,000 he won in a recent MicroMillions event.

1st 45683ah -- $108.00 (50 Belt Points)
2nd Bambury -- $72.00 (30 Belt Points
3rd S0lution -- $36.00 (10 Belt Points)
4th johnnycoot123 -- $24.00 (5 Belt Points)
5th G3OFF (5 Belt Points)

Of course, the action doesn't end there, as tonight sees the latest Samurai satellite grace our screens. If you fancy playing a $250+25 event with a $10,000 guarantee, then don't miss out on your chance to qualify for the reduced fee of $30+3. The action kicks off at 20:30, and will include losbert40, who secured his seat in a $5+0.50 feeder earlier in the week.

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

Previous League Reports:

League XIV: Super Samurai Tuesday
Week 1 - Reaching for the Brass
Week 2 - Leg 2: The Unusual Suspects

Go to Vegas with Black Belt Poker

For over 40 years, the World Series of Poker has been the holy grail; the pinnacle of a poker player's career and the most hotly anticipated date on everyone's calendar. It's an event rich in history, prestige and honour, with the most sought after prize in poker: the WSOP Main Event bracelet.

Now, with Black Belt Poker, you can live the dream and join our team of Brown and Black Belts in Vegas.

A plethora of satellites are now running on Black Belt Poker, with feeders from as little as 12 cents, meaning you can live the high life and compete for millions of dollars regardless of bankroll size!

There are four packages for you to vie for, including a WSOP Main Event package which includes entry into the $10,000 Main Event, flights, and accommodation at the luxury Wynn Casino.

WSOP Experience Package
Mondays (21:30)
$50+5 No Limit Hold'em rebuy

WSOP Side Events Package
Saturdays (21:30)
$200+15 No Limit Hold'em freezeout

WSOP Main Event Package
Sundays & Wednesdays (21:30)
$500+25 No Limit Hold'em freezeout

If MTTs aren't your area of expertise, then you can still spend your summer in Sin City by playing SNGs. Win six consecutive $10+1.90 WSOP Executive Jackpot SNGS and you'll receive an Executive Package worth an amazing $24,000 including exclusive perks such as Cirque de Soleil tickets, a helicopter trip over the Grand Canyon, and more!

With so many routes to Vegas, there's never been a better time to play on Black Belt Poker and secure your seat at the biggest event of the year.

If you're worried the dream is out of reach, then think again, as Black Belt Poker can already boast its first qualifier.

In the very first Main Event satellite, Orange Belt Chris Nicol won a $13,000 package for just $66! Now he'll be playing alongside some of the world's greatest players and having the time of his life under the bright lights of Vegas.

With satellites to suit all wallet-sizes, the next qualifier could be you...

Click here for full details of our WSOP satellites.

April Academy: Poker by Numbers

Blow the dust off your abacus and ink those quills as Black Belt Poker take you back to school with our next Academy: Poker by Numbers: The Basics of Odds & Outs.

Hosted by poker coach and theorist Alex Rousso alongside Blue Belt Jamie Burland, Black Belt Poker's latest Academy will focus on the fundamental elements of the game, ambushing the mathematical side of poker and making simple those areas that many players still find daunting.

Topics to be covered include odds and outs, optimum bluffing, bet-sizing, and more, but our mentors will also be on hand to answer any questions you personally have regarding the more technical aspects of the game.

Unlike previous Academies, the structure of the day will be largely decided by you, the attendee, with hand analysis workshops interspersed with mini-workshop sessions on the subjects you choose.

"Over the years we've received loads of requests for a live seminar just covering the basics of the game," explained Academy mentor Alex Rousso. "Many players know roughly about odds, outs and so on, but rarely get a chance to totally nail the concepts. Now we're giving them that opportunity in a largely free-form setting. This is your seminar for 'everything you wanted to know about poker but were afraid to ask'."

The Academy will take place one week following the inaugural East End Live, on Saturday, April 28, with the Grosvenor Victoria Casino in London the venue once again.

Tickets remain a bargain-bucket price of £99, yet the level of training will be top shelf with Alex and Jamie sharing the many pearls of wisdom that they have gained from their years in the game.

To secure your seat, simply drop us a line at training@blackbeltpoker.com, where you'll then be guided through the various payment options. Similarly, if you are Green Belt and above, and would like to utilise your free ticket, then contact us at the same address.

If you're intent on taking your game to the next level, then make sure you join us at the Vic next month. Forget the April showers; we're showering you with knowledge, and giving you the expert training you require to truly master those rudimentary, yet key skills.

Click here for more information.

Leg 2: The Unusual Suspects

With the advent of promotions such as the Cash Point, Spring Sales, and iPOPS and the inaugural East End Live and Samurai events nearing, there was a buzz heading into this week's Black Belt Poker League as players looked to build momentum during this action-packed period.

With just one leg down, League XIV was still anyone's game, and the second leg would be the perfect time to either build on a strong start, or bounce back from a disappointing performance the week prior.

After finishing 87th in Leg 1, you could say that first-time winner Chris SchnauzerSoze04 Cope fell into the latter category, but he responded in emphatic fashion this week by toppling a round-numbered field of 100 to cushion his account with a welcome $137.50.

And despite the name, there was no limping in sight!

Two Blue Belts emerged from the grind to play the event, including Ross MrStarch619 Jarvis, who finished bubble to the bubble in 14th. Meanwhile, last week's top two - russellhansen and Khayless01 - could only manage a 69th and 53rd place finish respectively.

1st SchnauzerSoze04 -- $137.50
2nd PhilNe2Q -- $92.50
3rd griffyid7777 -- $70.00
4th 2LAMCHOP2 -- $47.50
5th maffew1 -- $35.00
6th Ourkid888 -- $26.50
7th Bambury -- $21.50
8th kippery -- $17.50
9th gnomeeee -- $15.00
10th jojosiejo -- $12.50
11th Touagorimou -- $12.50
12th doochats -- $12.50

Whilst SchnauzerSoze04's triumph isn't quite enough to pull him into the top 20 (although it does secure him a spot in the Second Chance SNG), Papa Bambury Wooldridge's final table appearance means he's now top of the poker pops for the first time with 189 points, just two points ahead of Orange Belt Jamie doochats White in second.

1st Bambury -- 189 points
2nd doochats -- 187 points
3rd Khayless01 -- 181 points
4th liquidpoker101 -- 181 points
5th 10Royals -- 179 points
6th TeeDeeEye1 -- 178 points
7th gnomeeee -- 177 points
8th ChipRead77 -- 177 points
9th Touagorimou -- 176 points
10th shaolin4aces -- 174 points

The chasing pack aren't too far behind, and one shouldn't count out tough opponents such as Mulligan maestro Kevin S0lution Birt, the aforementioned Blue Belt Ross Jarvis, and former League Champion Robert myteamouse Bulman.

11th russellhansen -- 173 points
12th BoatDrink -- 170 points
13th losartan88 -- 168 points
14th ACarey -- 167 points
15th UliKoko -- 166 points
16th myteamouse -- 163 points
17th TheZartog -- 163 points
18th AmazingRossy -- 161 points
19th ourkidsid -- 157 points
20th S0lution -- 155 points

Keeping players entertained during the league was our East End Live satellite, which was one of three weekly routes into April's inaugural Live event at Olympic Park. The results this week were as follows, and included an incredible $215 overlay in Wednesday's $25+2.50 satellite (two seats guaranteed):

Monday...

1st PBBlack -- East End Live seat ($200+20)
2nd whooshwhoosh710
3rd kippery
4th hoover65
5th Mart07Fish

Tuesday...

1st BobbersAllin -- East End Live seat ($200+20)
2nd S0lution -- $58.50
3rd RykanShadow -- $39.00
4th Ka7ieVick -- $19.50
5th vinsangel -- $13.00

Wednesday...

1st Ka7ieVick -- East End Live seat ($200+20)
2nd karllorenzo -- East End Live seat ($200+20)
3rd sceaga2
4th paul6543
5th vinsangel

Also on Wednesday was our latest exclusive Orange Belt Freeroll giveaway, which this time gave satellite casualties yet another bite of the East End Live cherry. Victory was, of course, elementary, my Dean Watson.

1st LAYERCAKE35 -- East End Live seat ($200+20)
2nd myteamouse -- East End Live satellite token ($25+2.50)
3rd RykanShadow -- East End Live satellite token ($25+2.50)
4th UliKoko -- East End Live satellite token ($25+2.50)

21 played in the Deepstack Mulligan this week. The winner was Peter Touagorimou Brown who earned a bonus 100 Belt Points (usually 50) for being a Purple Belt in the Belt-Up Rewards Scheme.

1st Touagorimou -- $126.00 (100 Belt Points)
2nd 45683ah -- $85.05 (30 Belt Points)
3rd paul6543 -- $47/25 (10 Belt Points)
4th ourkidsid -- $31.50 (5 Belt Points)
5th originalcynic -- $25.20 (5 Belt Points)

Nine players made it for the $30+3 Samurai satellite, but only one man ever seemed likely to progress to the Main Event: Darren TheZartog Meredith.

1st TheZartog -- Samurai seat ($250+25)
2nd Ka7ieVick
3rd losbert40
4th kippery
5th lionrampant27

A number of exciting promotions have been announced recently, the most recent of which are the arrival of our WSOP satellites. Now running are a plethora of satellites with players vying for four different packages including a WSOP Main Event package worth $13,000, and a special SNG Jackpot Executive package worth an amazing $24,000.

For details on all our promotions, check out the site now, or visit our Tournaments page to see when our various tournaments and events are taking place.

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

Previous League Reports:

League XIV: Super Samurai Tuesday
Week 1 - Reaching for the Brass

Black Belt Poker Sponsor UKAPP

Last month, Black Belt Poker sponsored the 2012 UK Amateur Pub Poker (UKAPP) Open, which took place at the Rendezvous Casino in Brighton.

Offering players competitive poker at an affordable price, the event was the perfect chance for pub poker players to showcase their skills and give their bankroll a boost.

The tournament drew a healthy 121 to the South Coast, and had somewhat of a World Series of Poker feel, with WSOP logo-ed chips, 10,000-deep stacks, and a bracelet for the winner.

The man who got his hands on the jewellery was Dan Pickering, who also captured the spondoolies, trophy and all important bragging rights.

Runner-up was James Winter, who was unlucky on the final hand. All in with K-J versus K-T, the flop brought Dan two pair and James was left out in the cold.

During the event, Black Belt Poker filmed some of the proceedings, as well as interviewing organiser Russ Cochran and defending Champion Bill Schiavone, who also appeared as Elvis at the Black Belt Nottingham Live as one of Koddzilla's Carps.

Click this link to view the video footage.

"The day was a great success and Dan was a worthy winner," added Russ following the event. "We were well looked after by the Rendezvous, and we'll be returning in June for our next big event: a £15+6 Bounty tournament with a 10,000 starting stack and 25-minute blinds.

"The UKAPP covers pub poker at the grassroots, and we want to continue offering players an inter pub league tournament platform. In what is a bit of a scoop, I'm proud to reveal that we're set to expand with another UKAPP title encompassing low to mid stakes players and will be holding larger buy-in events in Autumn of this year.

“We're highly committed to our partnership with Black Belt Poker as we feel they give the players a lot more than any other average online cardroom. On the first Sunday of the month, we hold an exclusive six-max double-chance tournament on Black Belt Poker. The password is 'monthly', so feel free to come and give it a go."

UKAPP is now in its third year and is a non-profit organisation. If you play in or run a pub poker night and would live to get involved with the UKAPP, then you can get in touch with them an email at ukamateurpubpoker@gmail.com. Alternatively, check out the website (ukamateurpokerplayers.com) or visit their page on Facebook.

Black Belt Roshambo Live

Black Belt Poker are proud to announce details of the first ever Black Belt Roshambo Live, taking place alongside the inaugural East End Live at the Aspers Casino, Stratford.

Braced for an April 22 debut, Roshambo Live will pit competitors against each other in the ancient and celebrated art of rock-paper-scissors, with sixteen teams of four vying for the illustrious honour of Black Belt Roshambo Live Team Champions.

Adopting the tough and thankless role of tournament director will be Blue Belt and UKIPT Brighton luckbox Jamie Burland.

"Roshambo, like the noble sports of chess and darts, is almost 100 percent skill," confirmed Jamie. "In poker, the best man might not win, so I wanted to run an event at East End Live that wasn't dictated so much by variance and where the eventual Champions can go home knowing that they are truly the best in their field."

For those who have encountered Jamie at the poker table and are expecting an easy ride, think again; Jamie will be ruling with an iron fist and has compiled a detailed rules of conduct to ensure a smooth and seamless operation.

"As the 2011 Team UK Rock-Papers-Scissors Champion, Jamie comes with bags of experience," commented Black Belt Neil Channing, "and I have the utmost confidence that he is the right man for the job. He'll be enforcing the law impartially and won't hesitate to show a yellow, or even red card if a player steps out of line."

Entry into the event is £50 per team, with the winners taking home a sumptuous £400 first prize as well as the knowledge that they outwitted their opponents with mere hand gestures and an intimidating stare.

If you would like to participate, then simply find three other willing victims and submit your team and team name to tournaments@blackbeltpoker.com. You will then be sent payment details. The deadline for registration is Monday, April 16, although don't delay as the event is capped at 16 teams.

For more information including payout structure, start time, and more, please click here.

Reaching for the Brass

The Black Belt Poker League made it's unprecedented 14th outing on Tuesday, attracting 116 players to the felt and serving up the usual feast of value. For a mere $5.50 investment, players got to battle it out in a fun, competitive tournament, whilst hoping for a fruitful start to their journey towards Samurai gold.

Of course, there could only be one winner, and that man happened to have been a winner before: former League Champion Mark russellhansen Brassington. Like his moniker, his play bamboozled his opponents and left them for dead as he snapped up pole position, and the $145.00 first prize.

Blue Belts were represented by Jamie StilettoMafioso Burland and Ross MarStarch619 Jarvis, who finished 81st and 43rd respectively, whilst reigning League Champion Adam JHobbit1 Saunders was unable to carry over momentum with a below par 58th place finish.

1st russelhansen -- $145.00
2nd Khayless01 -- $98.60
3rd TheZartog -- $75.40
4th The8ofSpades -- $53.65
5th S0lution -- $37.70
6th 10Royals -- $30.45
7th browny0602 -- $24.65
8th PhilDee64 -- $20.30
9th sprinterz -- $15.95
10th ourkidsid -- $13.92
11th nakgeela4 -- $13.92
12th BoatDrink -- $13.92
13th UliKoko -- $12.18
14th JosseWales -- $12.18
15th mikeymixitup -- $12.18

It doesn't take a rocket surgeon or brain scientist to work out who's on top of the league standings. As it stands, russellhansen and Khayless01 will be playing for a $10,000 guaranteed prize pool in May, whilst TheZartog would be forced to settle for the bronze medal and the lowest platform of the podium.

1st russelhansen -- 141 points
2nd Khayless01 -- 133 points
3rd TheZartog -- 129 points
4th The8ofSpades -- 125 points
5th S0lution -- 122 points
6th 10Royals -- 119 points
7th browny0602 -- 116 points
8th PhilDee64 -- 113 points
9th sprinterz -- 110 points

Forming the early chasing pack are a plethora of formidable names including Craig ChipRead77 McKelvie who won the penultimate leg of League XIII.

10th ourkidsid -- 108 points
11th nakgeela4 -- 106 points
12th BoatDrink -- 105 points
13th UliKoko -- 104 points
14th JosseWales -- 103 points
15th mikeymixitup -- 102 points
16th ACarey -- 101 points
17th ChipRead77 -- 100 points
18th D0l14hyd3 -- 99 points
19th doochats -- 98 points
20th RykanShadow -- 97 points

The League isn't the only path into Samurai, and indeed a quicker one may be our weekly satellites. This week, TheZartog cemented his spot into the $30+3 satellite, which takes place tonight at 20:30. With one seat guaranteed, the tournament has enjoy an overlay on previous weeks, so be sure to give it a crack.

Running alongside are our East End Live satellite, the Main Event of which occurs from April 20-22 when the Black Belt Poker tour bus makes its inaugural stop at Aspers Casino in Stratford. We might need a bigger boat, though, as four more players secured their seat into the $200+20 Main Event:

Monday - $15+1.50 freezeout (9 entries)

1st tandy26 -- East End Live seat ($200+20)
2nd tentofollow
3rd p1nk1ce
4th bagpussrocks
5th hoover65

Tuesday - $5+0.50 rebuy (21 entries)

1st losbert40 -- East End Live seat ($200+20)
2nd JKitin -- $33.75
3rd insider66666 -- $22.50
4th JHobbit1 -- $11.25
5th puggy1979 -- $7.50

Wednesday - $25+2.50 freezeout (19 entries)

1st NPenfold666 -- East End Live seat ($200+20)
2nd debsuk67 -- East End Live seat ($200+20)
3rd puggy1979
4th Ourkid888
5th hoover65

Although Tuesday is a buffet of poker delights, Wednesday is equally filling with an array of hors d'oeuvres and sumptuous entrées for you to munch on. At 20:00, the first ever Satellite Sensation hit cyber shores, as Orange and Purple Belts battled it out for satellite seats in an exclusive Freeroll. The results were as follows:

1st lionrampant27 -- $30+3 Samurai & $25+2.50 East End Live
2nd kippery -- $30+3 Samurai & $15+1.50 East End Live
3rd RykanShadow -- $30+3 Samurai & $5+0.50 East End Live
4th sprinters -- $8+0.80 Samurai & $15+1.50 East End Live
5th BoatDrink -- 2 x $8+0.80 Samurai
6th bagpussrocks -- $8+0.80 Samurai & $5+0.50 East End Live
7th BobbersAllin -- $8+0.80 Samurai & $5+0.50 East End Live
8th clevski1 -- $8+0.80 Samurai & $5+0.50 East End Live

30 minutes later, 17 rolled up for the Deepstack Mulligan. Dawn bagpussrocks Cooke took the spoils, whilst those in the top five also earned some additional Belt Points.

1st bagpussrocks -- $114.75 (50 Belt Points)
2nd JHobbit1 -- $76.50 (30 Belt Points)
3rd HammerHorror -- $38.25 (10 Belt Points)
4th 7onyB -- $25.50 (5 Belt Points)
5th Ourkid888 (5 Belt Points)

With only one leg down, there's still plenty of time for you to make your mark on the league and overtake current leader russellhansen. And remember, if you play in all eight legs, then you automatically receive 200 Belt Points just for turning up! If only all tournaments subscribed to this mantra…

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

Previous League Reports:

League XIV: Super Samurai Tuesday

Strike Gold With an East End Live Bonus

What do you want, a medal? No, you want some hard cash, and that's exactly what we'll be dishing out this April when Black Belt Poker travel to Olympic Park for the inaugural East End Live.

As with our previous live events, we've dipped into the murky depths of the Black Belt Poker vault to guarantee an array of sumptuous Belt Bonuses for you to feast upon.

This includes an incredible 20% added to your prize, as well as thousands in Samurai seats, a $10,000 Guaranteed online tournament debuting in May.

All players have the option of entering East End Live armed with one of three of the following packages:

Standard Package
Yellow Belts
Bounty prize: 2 x Samurai satellite tokens ($8+0.80)

VIP Package
Orange Belts
Bounty prize: $100 and Samurai satellite token ($30+3)
10% added to all prizes

VIP Plus Package
Purple Belts (and above)
Bounty prize: entry into Samurai ($250+25)
20% added to all prizes

At last year's Nottingham Live event, eventual winner Stuart Hyson added $1,500 to his first prize of $14,000 to take home a total of $15,500. This included $1,400 for cashing as an Orange Belt, as well as $100 for eliminating a bounty. Several months on and he is now a Purple Belt and will be looking to reap even more lucrative rewards in the East End Live.

To see how you can follow in Stuart's steps, check out our Belt-Up Rewards System. To qualify for a package, you must be the relevant Belt colour on the day of the tournament, meaning you will need to have met the Belt threshold by Sunday, April 1.

To register for the event, you can either buy in directly by locating the tournament in Scheduled > Black Belt Tournaments > $200+20, East End Live Day 1A/B or, alternatively, purchase a token from the Black Belt Poker Store using Spending Points.

If you don't already have an account, then opening one is easy: simply download the poker client and follow the step-by-step process provided.

We're also hosting weekly satellites on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 20:00pm, as well as feeders on Tuesday and Wednesday. For as little as $5.50, you can secure your seat into the $200+20 Main Event and enjoy one of the best-structured, affordable and fun-filled events on the poker calendar.

So, what are you waiting for? Start targeting that next Belt level for your chance to top the podium of value.

League XIV: Super Samurai Tuesday

Last week, Orange Belt Adam 'JHobbit1' Saunders raised the bar when he broke the record for the highest League points score, capturing his second League crown in crushing style and earning himself a free seat into a Black Belt Live event of his choosing.

For the League's fourteenth outing, we're swapping brick and mortar for the cyber felt and inviting Black Belt Poker's finest warriors to battle for one of three free seats into Samurai.

Armed with a $10,000 guaranteed prize pool and a $250+25 entry fee, Samurai is a quarterly online tournament exclusive to Black Belt Poker, meaning you don't have to defeat hundreds of opponents to win a major prize.

There are weekly satellites from as little as $5+0.50, but with League XIV you can qualify for free. The first leg takes place in just seven days on Tuesday, March 13 and costs just $5+0.50 to play. The tournament is open to all players.

As usual, the League will run over eight legs, taking place every Tuesday. The event can be located in the lobby under Scheduled > Black Belt Tournaments. You can also buy in using Belt Points by purchasing a token in the Black Belt Poker Store.

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, we're also giving away Belt Points to those who make it into the top 10, but just miss out on a star prize:

1st Samurai Seat & Personalised Hoodie
2nd Samurai Seat
3rd 1,000 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

We're also offering all leg winners who missed out on the top two spots one final bite of the cherry in a Second Chance SNG. The SNG will take place the day after the final leg of the League on Wednesday, May 2, with the last man standing reaping the same rewards as the overall winners and earning free entry into Samurai on May 3.

This means that even if you're in last place with just one leg to go, you still have a chance of winning the star prize!

And it doesn't end there. Anyone who manages to sweet-talk the Mrs. (or Mr.) and escape to the computer to play all eight league legs will once again be rewarded with an additional 200 Belt Points. That's extra value just for turning up, regardless of your final position in the standings!

The Hobbit dominated the most recent League. Next time - as the giant blue finger would say - it could be you...

Previous Winners:

League I: Adam Saunders
League II: Mark Brassington
League III: David Meunier
League IV: Andy Brisland
League V: Trevor Myers
League VI: Mark Ranson
League VII: Tom Drew
League VIII: Trevor Ingman
League IX: Jamie Burland
League X: Tom Drew
League XI: Robert Bulman
League XII: Mark Atkinson
League XII: Adam Saunders
League XIII: ?...

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

Spring Break: Over $250 Added

The daffodils are blooming, the birds are singing, and the Easter Eggs are filling the shelves; Spring is a joyous time for many, but it's about to get even more jubilant with Black Belt Poker's latest value-added offering.

With the League enjoying a one-week hiatus, there's a gaping hole in tomorrow's Super Tuesday. But don't despair, as we'll be filling the void with Spring Break, a $5+0.50 No Limit Hold'em freezeout with over $250 worth of Spring Sales' tournament entries added to the standard prize pool.

The tournament will take place tomorrow, at the same time of 19:30, and is exclusive to Black Belt Poker players. If you don't have an account, then opening one is easy: simply download the poker client and follow the step-by-step process provided. The tournament can be located in the lobby via Scheduled > Black Belt Tournaments > Spring Break.

Running from April 2-7, the Spring Sales will be discounting seven of the network's most popular tournaments by up to 80 percent, meaning you can play for the same fantastic guarantees at just a fraction of the cost. Meanwhile, there will also be two new $5+0.50 warm-up tournaments, both with $5,000 guarantees.

Reduced is nice, but free is even better, and anyone who finals Spring Break will receive a Spring Sales token, with the winner earning entry into two freezeouts that normally cost $100 and €100 to enter.

1st $35+3.50 Saturday $40,000 GTD & €40+4 €15,000 GTD
2nd €40+4 €15,000 GTD
3rd $35+3.50 Saturday $40,000 GTD
4th $35+3.50 Saturday $40,000 GTD
5th $5+0.50 Saturday Warm Up $5,000 GTD
6th $5+0.50 Saturday Warm Up $5,000 GTD
7th $5+0.50 Saturday Warm Up $5,000 GTD
8th $5+0.50 Saturday Warm Up $5,000 GTD
9th $5+0.50 Saturday Warm Up $5,000 GTD

Also, don't forget our Spring Clean Freeroll, taking place at 18:00 on April 1. The winner will receive free entry into all nine Spring Sales events, whilst all other finalists will also earn tokens - the cost: absolutely nothin. To qualify, you must be Orange, Purple or Green at the turn of the month. See our rewards page for details on how to scale the Belt rankings.

Want a break? Don't have a Kit-Kat; play tomorrow's Spring Break tournament instead.

JHobbit1: Lord of the League

Last Tuesday, we went full circle as Adam JHobbit1 Saunders was crowned League XIII Champion, a near three years on from winning the inaugural League during Black Belt Poker's infancy.

This victory was even more dominating, and the most convincing in the League's history with The Hobbit encountering far less obstacles than his movie counterpart. After the eight legs, he was a massive 82 points ahead of his nearest competitor, despite a below-par 49th showing in the final leg.

Instead, The Hobbit paved the way for a final table of fresh faces, with recent Green Belt Phil PhilNe2Q Quelch pulling out his first League win to date. He was closely following by Jon Ourkid888 Laight in second, with Kim insider66666 Vernon picking up the bronze.

1st PhilNe2Q -- $122.41
2nd Ourkid888 -- $82.32
3rd insider66666 -- $62.30
4th NPStars1 -- $42.27
5th pbsef81 -- $31.15
6th JKitin -- $23.36
7th bas2604 -- $18.91
8th bagpussrocks -- $15.57
9th LizLemmon -- $13.35
10th thehingster -- $11.12
11th FlopTheNuts77 -- $11.12
12th Essxhg -- $11.12

The Hobbit's reward was a combination of bragging rights, personalised hoodie and free entry into a Black Belt Live event, the latter of which was also embraced by Mark 99Ranny Ranson and Stewart Stewboi Morrison who snapped the next two spots.

Although former Champion 99Ranny didn't have to crank his neck too much, Stewboi was forced to sweat it out to the bitter end with just a handful of points separating him from the chasing pack. After dropping in 28th, the window opened for kippery and ZoeRiZZ0 to steal third with a minimum placing of 13th and 9th respectively. In the end, they finished 22nd and 25th, and Stewboi survived.

Despite the lack of movement in the top six, it was all change lower down with TheZartog, WiseOwlBB and Sarrendipity replaced in the top 10 by doochats, Mrdroddle and NPStars, the latter emerging from nowhere to grab some last-second Belt Points.

197 competed in this League, but the prize winners were, amazingly, all Orange:

1st JHobbit1 -- East End Live seat & personalised hood (766 points)
2nd 99Ranny -- East End Live seat (684 points)
3rd Stewboi -- East End Live seat (667 points)
4th kippery -- 750 Belt Points (659 points)
5th ZoeRiZZ0 -- 600 Belt Points (655 points)
6th BoraBoraBoy -- 500 Belt Points (631 points)
7th doochats -- 400 Belt Points (619 points)
8th clevski -- 300 Belt Points (617 points)
9th NPStars1 -- 200 Belt Points (603 points)
10th Mrdroodle -- 100 Belt Points (603 points)

11th AlRawling -- (598 points)
12th Sarannedipity -- (596 points)
13th Essxhg -- (594 points)
14th TheSimian -- (591 points)
15th BubbleCloud -- (585 points)
16th WiseOwlBB -- (578 points)
17th thehingtser -- (575 points)
18th TeeDeeEye1 -- (563 points)
19th TheZartog -- (560 points)
20th bornTOflirt -- (558 points)

The final whistle may have sounded, but there remained a ray of hope for the eight leg winners who were invited to compete in the Second Chance SNG for a bonus Black Belt Live seat.

A depleted field of seven (PhilNe2Q was notable by his absence) took their seats, although only one could walk away with the last laugh, and that man was Leg 2 winner Sean TableKnight Herran-Venables.

1st TableKnight -- Black Belt Live seat ($200+20)
2nd SebastianKat
3rd ChipRead77
4th BoraBoraBoy
5th sceaga2
6th seven7777777s
7th TheZartog

The Black Belt Poker tournament lobby is busier than a bee working overtime at the moment with a plethora of promotions and events to catch your eye.

This week once again created qualifiers for April's East End Live; they were: Cursonator, barberq88, Yosemity2207 and splendidninja. Meanwhile, degen4good earned entry into the Samurai, and TheZartog and ChipRead77 won Tuesday's $5+0.50 feeder for a shot in a $30+3 super satellite of their choosing.

Our regular events also hit the cyber felt, including:

Orange Belt Freeroll (Limit Up), Wednesday (20:00)

1st Mrdroodle -- 500 Belt Points
2nd JHobbit1 -- 300 Belt Points
3rd myteamouse -- 100 Belt Points
4th CareybearBBP -- 100 Belt Points

$15+1.50 Deepstack Mulligan, Wednesdays (20:00)

1st thehingster -- $126.00 (50 Points)
2nd nickhem1 -- $85.05 (30 Points)
3rd JKitin -- $47.25 (10 Points)
4th bagpussrocks -- $31.50 (5 Points)
5th WiseOwlBB -- $31.50 (5 Points)

$1 Yellow Belt No-Lose Deepstack, Thursday (20:00)

1st catacetina4 -- $31.00
2nd PhilDee64 -- $21.00
3rd adygolf -- $13.50
4th TEOTeD01 -- $10.50
5th shaolin4aces -- $8.50
6th Ourkid888 -- $7.00
7th vinvgo -- $6.00
8th Bambury -- $5.00
9th hiddenacesBBP -- $4.00
10th LizLemmon -- $3.50

If the aforementioned looks value-packed, then next week is braced to be reminiscent of cans of sardines in an elevator, starting with Tuesday's Spring Break event. The new League will commence on March 13, but to fill the gap we're hosting a special one-off tournament with tokens into the recently announced Spring Sales event added to the standard prize pool.

Along with our usual array of tournaments, you'd be mad to miss out.

If you'd like to take a munch out of the value being dangled above, then there's nothing to stop you: simply click here to download the software and open an account by following the step-by-step process provided.

Previous reports:

Week 1 - League XIII: Cool for 'SebastianKat'
Week 2 - No Knightmare for Shaun in Leg 2
Week 3 - Gorilla Warfare in Leg 3
Week 4 - Mike Check; Shaw Wins Leg 4
Week 5 - Purple Patch; Zartog Strikes Back
Week 6 - Seven Heaven in Leg 6
Week 7 - A Great Read; McKelvie Top Leg 7

Clean Up in Our Spring Sales Freeroll

Easter is almost upon us, but before you unwrap your chocolate treats, Black Belt Poker have some Easter Eggs of our own.

Only yesterday, we announced details of the Spring Sales, in which seven of the network's most popular tournaments will enjoy discounts of up to 80 percent during the opening week of April, yet maintain the same juicy guarantees.

See here for more information.

The Sales are a bargain and will undoubtedly save you huge amounts of your bankroll, but Black Belt Poker have an even better deal…

At 18:00 on Sunday, April 1, we're giving you the opportunity to win entry into all nine events of the Spring Sales, including the $200+15 High Roller Monday. Meanwhile, every single finalist will receive a seat into one of the other events.

1st Prize - Spring Sales Package (all nine events)
2nd Prize - €15,000 GTD (€40+4)
3rd Prize - Saturday $40,000 GTD ($35+3.50)
4th Prize - Super Tuesday $40,000 GTD ($30+3)
5th Prize - Friday $60,000 GTD ($25+2.50)
6th Prize - Monday Night Omaha ($20+2)
7th Prize - Wednesday $30,000 GTD ($12+1)
8th Prize - Saturday Warm Up ($5+0.50)
9th Prize - Tuesday Warm Up ($5+0.50)

The Spring Clean Freeroll is exclusive to Orange, Purple and Green Belts, meaning that if you are a minimum of Orange Belt by the turn of the month, then you'll get to compete for the Spring Sales Package.

To reach Orange Belt, you need just 500 Belt Points in your account, which equates to $250 of rake, or just $125 if using a Belt Boost. What's more, you have an entire month to achieve your goal.

Orange Belt also comes with numerous other benefits including our weekly Orange Belt Freerolls, In March, you'll get to compete for prizes such a seat into the inaugural East End Live, and and shares in former Champion Neil Channing at this year's Irish Open.

Don't miss out on this eggcellent offer. To register, located the tournaments in Scheduled > Black Belt Tournaments > Spring Clean Freeroll.

If you don't have an account, then opening one is easy: simply click here to download the software and follow the step-by-step process provided.