Nottingham Live: Six of the Best

The Black Belt Live events are renowned for their added value, and this year's upcoming Nottingham Live promises to be no different with a lineup of bounties so terrifying that they would make Ivey quiver with fear.

Already confirmed are bracelet winners Richard Ashby and Marty Smyth, as well as all three reigning Black Belt Live Champions. Also joining the ranks will be League Champion Stephen 'FalconAyr' Dickson.

However, they're not alone as six of Black Belt Poker's finest warriors will similarly be on the 'Wanted: Dead or Alive' list, although we'd prefer them to fall into the 'Alive' category if possible.

Ambushing Dusk Till Dawn Poker Club will be Brighton's most fearsome army, made up of Blue Belts Ben Meredith, Jamie Burland, Kevin Williams and Black Belt Sam Razavi. Between them, they boast a near million in live tournament winnings, two UKIPT victories... and one Roshambo title.

Flying the flag for the London faithful will be Black Belt Poker co-founders Neil Channing and Nik Persaud.

An online pro and celebrated poker coach, Nik has collated 427,262 in winnings, and is the 2010 World Heads-Up Poker Champion. We've also heard he can defeat tables of more than one opponent.

Neil, meanwhile, has won an incredible $3.3 million, including the 2008 Irish Open, 2010 London GUKPT and runner-up finishes in two WSOP events. He's also famed for his presence in the high stakes cash games at the Vic, who once rang round the hospitals when Neil decided to take a night off.

Together, they will be gracing the Nottingham Live felt this August 10-12, and looking to add a Black Belt Live title to their already impressive résumé.

To take advantage, you need to be a minimum of Orange Belt on the day of the event. If you eliminate a bounty, you will receive $100, whilst Purple Belts earn a free Samurai seat worth $250+25.

Nottingham Live is a $200+20 Main Event. Registration is exclusively via the Black Belt Poker cardroom: Scheduled > Black Belt Tournaments > Day 1A/B Nottingham Live 2012.

If you attempt to buy in via another cardroom, then you may struggle.

Alternatively, you can purchase a token in the Black Belt Poker Store, or qualify through one of our three weekly satellites.

The current bounties are as follows:

Ben Meredith
Jamie Burland
Kevin Williams
Marty Smyth
Neil Channing
Nik Persaud
Peter Wigglesworth
Richard Ashby
Sam Razavi
Sonny Pomroy
Stephen Dickson
Stuart Hyson

They might not look like much, but confidence is high, and space in the cabinet has been cleared for a new arrival - it's up to you to stop them. You can even have the chocolate bar for your troubles.
Please click here for our Nottingham Live FAQs.

Clowning Around; Play Notts Live for Free

If you've ever wondered what it's like to be a sponsored player, then now's your chance as Black Belt Sam 'Koddzilla' Razavi is offering five lucky players the unique chance to play the upcoming Nottingham Live for free!

Yes, Kodzilla's Carps are back, bigger and fishier than ever, and once again Sam will be sending a team of sea life to Dusk Till Dawn shores to compete for the illustrious title.

This time around, he's upping the ante with more value than an Asda summer sale. If a Carp makes the final, they'll receive free entry into the $250+25 Samurai, but if they win the tournament, they'll earn themselves a trip to Vegas next year worth £2,000!

All Carps will play on a 50-50 deal with Sam's half going to Cancer Research, but of course there's a catch… all backed players must play the event dressed as a clown.

For the first time ever, it's 50-50 without make-up, but with make-up… if you can work that one out.

Koddzilla the Clown isn't alone in his adventure as he's being flanked by the mysterious but wonderful Sideshow Babis, a good friend of Sam's who has kindly agreed to sponsor Black Belt Poker players alongside his fellow entertainer.

"People often say I'm always clowning around," joked Sam, "so why not prove them right at Nottingham Live? Along with Sideshow Babis and my five Carps, the Gilly Clowns will be ready to ambush DTD and fill those deep pockets. There have been quite a few clowns in poker who have won a prestigious event - hopefully we can keep that trend going.

"Babis and I were at the World Series of Poker this year and were thinking about how great it would be if we could fly someone over to enjoy the whole Vegas experience. And if they win Nottingham Live, we don't mind paying up as it means a chunk of money will also be going to Cancer Research."

The Nottingham Live is a $200+20 No Limit Hold'em freezeout with a deep structure, added value, and a $75,000 guaranteed prize pool. Bounties already confirmed include Marty Smyth, Richard Ashby, Neil Channing and all reigning Black Belt Live Champions.

Registration is available exclusively via the Black Belt Poker online cardroom in Scheduled > Black Belt Tournaments > Day 1A/B Nottingham Live 2012.

Last year, Patrick Scott was the sole Carp to make the money when he finished 52nd whilst dressed as a giant yellow chicken. He donated his entire $200 winnings to Cancer Research. Winner winner chicken dinner!

If you would like to be a Kodzilla Carp and play Nottingham Live as a backed player, then please submit your request to snoopy@blackbeltpoker.com before Friday, August 3. The five Carps will be drawn from a (clown) hat and announced on Sunday, August 5.

Please read the appropriate FAQ on our promotions page before emailing.

League XVI - Prizes Make Points

It's sweet sixteen for the Black Belt Poker League as we celebrate another two months of hot poker action.

The Black Belt Poker League is a series of eight $5+0.50 No Limit Hold'em freezeouts taking place every Tuesday at 19:30 from July 31 through September 18.

As always, we're offering added value on top of the standard prize pool.

You've all heard Bruce Forsyth cry 'Points Make Prizes', but with League XVI, prizes make points as we shower you with over 15,250 of Belt Points worth over $500.

If you play your cards right then you could win yourself the first prize of 2,500 Belt Points - that's five months of free Orange Belt maintenance and a load of points to spend on merchandise, training, tournaments and more.

And it doesn't end there. If you participate in all eight legs, then we'll credit your account with a Brucie Bonus of 200 Belt Points, regardless of finishing position. That's free points just for turning up!

For the first time, we're offering prizes to the top 20 finishers in the overall standings. And even if you don't make the cut, then you can still win big in our Second Chance SNG in which all leg winners will compete for an additional 2,500 Belt Points.

Prizes will be awarded as follows:

1st               2,500 Belt Points & Personalised Hoodie
2nd              2,000 Belt Points
3rd               1,750 Belt Points
4th               1,500 Belt Points
5th               1,250 Belt Points
6th               1,000 Belt Points
7th               750 Belt Points
8th               500 Belt Points
9th               300 Belt Points
10th             200 Belt Points
11th-20th     100 Belt Points
SNG Winner  2,500 Belt Points

Last time, Orange Belt Stephen Dickson became the newest League winner when he took down the fifteenth league to date. As a result, he has won an all-expenses paid package to Nottingham Live at Dusk Till Dawn, including free entry into the $200+20 Main Event.

Don't be the joker in the pack, make sure you join us next Tuesday for the opening leg which is sure to be a good game... good game.

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

For more information on the Black Belt Poker League, see our promotions page.

Bracelet Winners Confirmed for Nottingham Live

With the October Nine set, attention has now turned from Vegas to Nottingham where the Black Belt Live bus will be making its next stop.

This August 10-12, the Nottingham Live will be returning to Dusk Till Dawn for another week of fun and frolics including Belt bonuses and pro bounties.

In keeping with WSOP fever, two former bracelet winners have now been confirmed for Nottingham Live II and will be playing the event with a giant target etched onto their foreheads as bounties.

With a near four million in live tournament winnings, Marty Smyth is Ireland's second biggest winner of all time, and is considered to be one of Europe's best Omaha players.

In 2007, he preceded Neil Channing as the Irish Open Champion, before winning the World Open just one year later. Then, in the summer of 2008, he captured his first bracelet when he won the $10,000 PLO Championship for a hefty $859,549.

Marty's greatest achievement, however, is surely his back-to-back final tables in the Poker Million, where he came second to Joe Beevers in 2007, before going one better 12 months later for a cool $1,000,000.

The second bracelet winner to take his seat in Nottingham will be Black Belt Poker sponsored pro Richard Ashby.

Richard adorned his wrist in 2010 when he took down the title and $140,467 first prize in the $1,500 Seven-Card Stud event, only to add a further $378,027 to the kitty less than a fortnight later for his second place finish in the $10,000 H.O.R.S.E. Championship.

Meanwhile, he established a formidable reputation at high stakes Omaha, and has won millions of dollars playing in some of the biggest games available, against some of the world's best players such as Phil Ivey, Tom 'durrrr' Dwan, and Ilhari 'Ziigmund' Sahamies.

Now his eyes are firmly fixed on Nottingham Live, and improving on his finish at the inaugural East End Live where he placed fifth for $3,400, plus $680 for being a Black Belt.

Marty and Richard bring the list of announced bounties up to five after we announced that all three Black Belt Live winners - Sonny Pomroy, Peter Wigglesworth, and defending Champion Stuart Hyson - would be vying to become the first two-time winner.

If you would like to join them in Nottingham, then registration is available now exclusively via the Black Belt Poker cardroom. The Main Event is a $200+20 No Limit Hold'em Freezeout with a $75,000 guaranteed prize pool.

If you're a new player, then click here to download the poker client.

And remember, if you make Orange Belt before August 1, then you will receive a juicy $100 for eliminating a bounty, as well as 10% added to any winnings. It's value that's too good to ignore. See here for more information.

Day 4: Show Them the Money

A rather sinister 666 players made the money this week in the World Series of Poker Main Event, of which included former Irish Open winner James Mitchell and Blue Belt Kevin Williams.

James and Kevin were participants in the Vegas Prize Fund promotion, in which 2% of any Main Event winnings would be spread equally among our Orange, Purple and Green Belts.

Heading into Day 4, they had 95,000 and 260,000 in chips respectively with just 720 of the initial 6,598 field remaining. Whilst James was expected to sail into the money, Kevin was required to survive a coin flip early in the day when his A-K improved against 8-8 to bring his stack up to 178,000.

"After the bubble burst," he explained, "I played in the weirdest pot ever where the short-stack moved all in with K-K, another player called with A-K, and I re-shoved with J-J. I lost the main pot, but won the side meaning I dropped from 124,000 down to 90,000, but there was some confusion as to the position of the button before the hand and if it had been in the correct place I would had the A-K and been knocked out."

The bubble itself also presented an unusual set of circumstances as four players were eliminated simultaneously with 669 players remaining. As it was hand-for-hand, the first cash prize was split equally, whilst the bubble prize - which is traditionally free entry into next year's event - went to David Kelley, who spared the tournament directors a headache when he offered to purchase the seat from the other players.

The fun didn't end there - with players evading the splash of the bubble and securing a minimum payday of $19,227, the subsequent level witnessed more all-ins than the Hokey Cokey and led to an early dinner break so Harrah's could ensure that the departed were receiving the correct pay.

Despite making the money, Kevin was unable to survive another day as he hit the rail in 558th for $21,707 when his 9-9 failed to hold against A-K. "One flip too many," he confessed. "Farewell Vegas. Someone please give me an excuse to come back in October."

One man who hoped to meet the request was James, but not long after Kevin's exit, he followed suit with Ks-Qh running into Ac-Kh. The 4h-3d-8s-8h-3s board was of no use and he collected $24,808 for 508th.

With Andrew Miles kindly donating 5% of his winnings from his 46th place finish in event #59, the Vegas Prize Fund finished on $1,470.35. This means that all eligible Black Belt Poker players will receive a minimum of $10.73 - free money credited into their account.

Although expectations were high for a Black Belt Poker player to make the final table, all hopes now lie with the UK's sole representative Sam Holden, who is currently one of 97 players still battling for a return visit in October. Sam is struggling with 765,000, but was in a similar position last year when he turned a short stack into a November Nine appearance, and a ninth place finish for $782,115.

Joining Sam in the fight for poker's ultimate title are the likes of Amnon Filippi, Gavin Smith, Vanessa Selbst, and Jason Somerville. Chip leader moving into Day 6 is Kyle Keranen of the United States, who possesses more chips than Harry Ramsden's with a whopping 6,935,000.

A number of big names made the money, including Marcel Luke (102nd), Daniel Negreanu (160th), Freddy Deeb (211st), John Juanda (237th), Johnny Chan (353rd), Antonio Esfandiari (501st) and Huck Seed (527nd), whilst notable UK players like Craig McCorkell (172nd), JP Kelly (203rd), Chris Moorman (358th), and Liv Boeree (631st) also took their place in the payout queue.

Results from the Black Belt Poker players:

Greg Moore - eliminated on Day 2ab
James Mitchell - eliminated on Day 4 (508th - $24,808)
Jamie Burland - eliminated on Day 1b
Jerome Bradpiece - eliminated on Day 1b
Kevin Williams - eliminated on Day 4 (558th - $21,707)
Neil Channing - eliminated on Day 2ab
Sam Razavi - eliminated on Day 2ab
Tristan McDonald - eliminated on Day 3
Chris Nicol - eliminated on Day 2ab

Day 3: McDonald - Close, But No Cigar

For the first time this year, the remaining field in the World Series of Poker Main Event were squeezed into one place - the Amazon Room a hive of poker festivity as players looked to survive yet another day.

Among them were Kevin Williams, Tristan McDonald, and James Mitchell, all of whom were proud members of the Vegas Prize Fund promotion in which 2% of any of their winnings would be spread equally among Black Belt Poker's Orange, Purple, and Green Belts.

It was of no surprise that the community were watching with the keenest of eyes.

Sadly, Tristan's venture was destined to go no further as he dropped before the close of play. A silent assassin of sorts, Tristan boasts two final tables at the Amsterdam Master Classics, and has cashed in the WSOP Main Event twice before - but on this day, it was close, but no cigar.

"I had 78K heading into the day," reported Tristan, "which rose to 90K when I knocked out a short stack with Q-Q versus K-J suited. It went downhill from there when Freddy Deeb joined my table.

"In one hand, I raised Q-Q, the button three-bet, and Freddy cold-called. I four-bet, the button folded, and Freddy called again. The A-K-J two-heart flop was checked down, as well as the 2h turn, before he bet me off the 9d river. It was too much for me to call.

"After that," he continued, "I lost a bit pot against Kelly Kim with A-T versus 5-5 with a T-5-2 flop, and then squeezed my final 15 big blinds with A-5. I was called by A-T which made the nut flush. It's the first time I've ever been out on Day 3."

Whilst Tristan's day witnessed more troughs than peaks, Kevin's stack was up and down like a kangaroo on a trampoline, before eventually settling on virtually the same figure he'd started the day with.

"I got rivered for a 90K pot early with a straight versus trips on flushing board," he revealed, "but I could have gone broke. I doubled up with A-A versus A-K to get back up to 90K, and then got some bets through to climb right up to 143K. I stationed my way to 196K, before dropping back down to 100K, and then recovering to 192,800.

"After dinner, I moved to the same table as the chip leader, which had lots of cameras hovering around it. It was a bit of a grind from here, and I ended up with 30 big blinds in the last level, before eventually ending the day on 95,000 - more chips than I started, just not by very much."

Despite his efforts, the star of the show, and the biggest hope for the Vegas Prize Fund is 2010 Irish Open Champion James Mitchell, who takes 260,000 into Day 4 after commencing the day with 213,000. Having failed to cash at this year's Series, James is odds on to break that duck as the money nears.

Just 720 bagged up chips at the final whistle, including poker phenoms Vanessa Selbst (814,000), Sorel Mizzi (738,000), and Marcel Luske (602,000), whilst Britain's young guns are also in with a shot with Daniel Rudd (834,500), Craig McCorkell (638,500), and Marc Wright (635,500) joining the chase.

The chip leader, however, is Dave D'Alesandro, who has 1,100,000 with the average stack at 274,917.

Play will recommence later today with blinds at 2,500/5,000 (500) and the top, and rather sinister, 666 players receiving a pay - let's hope the Black Belt Poker players make the cut.

'FalconAyr' Flies Away With League XV

Earlier this week, Orange Belt Stephen FalconAyr Dickson became the latest Black Belt Poker League Champion when he pipped David livinginhope2 Hall by just a single point to secure the title.

League XV saw a total of 153 players compete for the honour, with 87 stumping up the $5+0.50 buy-in fee for the eighth and final leg. The lineup was as illustrious as always, with the likes of League XIV Champion Craig ChipRead77 McKelvie and reigning Nottingham Live Champion Stuart The Dyson Hyson vying to go out in style.

However, with just one leg remaining, only a handful of players could capture the crown and finish on top. Despite final table finishes from Ken NPStars1 Johnston and Phillip PhilDee64 Dronfield, FalconAyr's 22nd place finish meant it was close, but not cigar for the aforementioned members of the chasing pack.

The pressure therefore lay solely on the shoulders of livinginhope2, who needed a minimum third place finish in order to overtake his nemesis at the death. However, disaster struck when he departed in fourth, leaving him just one point short of FalconAyr who could now breathe a welcome sigh of relief and celebrate his victory.

Meanwhile, the final bragging rights went to Jonathan tandy26 Tandy whose second consecutive final table improved to first place and a $130.52 payday. His triumph over runner-up Shaun TableKnight Herran-Venables means he's snapped up the final seat in next week's Second Chance SNG featuring all leg winners, the last man standing of which will receive a free Nottingham Live seat worth $200+20.

1st  tandy26 -- $130.52
2nd  TableKnight -- $87.00
3rd  nicenutter -- $54.37
4th  livinginhope2 -- $41.32
5th  Yosemity2207 -- $32.62
6th  themackem1968 -- $26.10
7th  Elysiumjay -- $21.75
8th  shaolin4aces -- $17.40
9th  NPStars1 -- $13.05
10th  PhilDee64 -- $10.87

The final standings saw eight Orange Belts and two Yellow make the final 10, with the positions of the top six remaining unchanged from the week prior, despite the last-leg drama.

1st  FalconAyr (630 points) -- Nottingham Live Package & Personalised Hoodie
2nd  livinginhope2 (629 points) -- 1,000 Belt Points & Notts Live token ($30+3)
3rd  PhilDee64 (590 points) -- 800 Belt Points & Notts Live token ($30+3)
4th  NPStars1 (581 points) -- 700 Belt Points & Notts Live token ($15+1.50)
5th  ryang3691 (573 points) -- 600 Belt Points & Notts Live token ($15+1.50)
6th  TeeDeeEye1 (541 points) -- 500 Belt Points & Notts Live token ($5+0.50)
7th  eixip50 (516 points) -- 400 Belt Points & Notts Live token ($5+0.50)
8th  13kendo13 (515 points) -- 300 Belt Points & Notts Live token ($5+0.50)
=9th  7onyB (502 points) -- 150 Belt Points & Notts Live token ($5+0.50)
=9th  lionrampant27 (502 points)  -- 150 Belt Points & Notts Live token ($5+0.50)

11th  Barty1uk (475 points)
12th  liquidpoker101 (473 points)
13th  Touagorimou (452 points)
14th  tandy26 (451 points)
15th  habbad (448 points)
16th  Bartukbb (442 points)
17th  omnipokerist1 (436 points)
18th  nickhem1 (431 points)
19th  S0lution (430 points)
20th  nakgeele4 (425 points)

As always, there was plenty of other action for players to get their teeth into this week, in particular with the Nottingham Live satellites which kicked off on Monday with a $15+1.50 freezeout. The winner was Adam sixnout Reid.

1st  sixnout -- Nottingham Live seat ($200+20)
2nd  russellhansen
3rd  diiscostu
4th  craigsidders
5th  bagpussrocks

On the following evening, 15 players rocked up for the $5+0.50 rebuy with unknown entity hoover65 sucking up all the chips and snapping up his ticket to Dusk Till Dawn.

1st  hoover65 -- Nottingham Live seat ($200+20)
2nd  tristiano
3rd  diiscostu
4th  G3OFF
5th  topboy230583

Wednesday saw the return of our Orange Belt Freeroll, in which just 40 players competed for a free seat into Nottingham Live, with satellite tokens for the runner-ups. Inaugural League Champion Adam JHobbit1 Saunders was the man who stole the show.

1st  JHobbit1 -- Nottingham Live seat ($200+20)
2nd  BoatDrink -- Nottingham Live satellite token ($30+3)
3rd  bagpussrocks -- Nottingham Live satellite token ($30+3)
4th TFMonty007 -- Nottingham Live satellite token ($30+3)
5th  LAYERCAKE35

Finally, the Mulligan was back one again, and it was no surprise to see who took top honours: Mulligan expert Kevin S0lution Birt, who simply can't stop winning this particular event. He, and four others, all received added Belt Points for their efforts.

1st  S0lution -- $101.25 (50 Belt Points)
2nd  TheSimian -- $67.50 (30 Belt Points)
3rd  losbert40 -- $33.75 (10 Belt Points)
4th  4KSuited -- $22.50 (5 Belt Points)
5th  paul6543 (10 Belt Points)

It's been a great league season, which, not for the first time, ended on a photo finish. But the fun isn't over; on August 30 we're holding our second $10,000 GTD Samurai, and you can qualify tonight at 20:00 in our weekly super satellite. The game is No Limit Hold'em, and there will be one seat guaranteed into the $250+25 Main Event. And for our newer players, there's the Yellow Belt No-Lose Deepstack at the same time.

Good luck, and see you at the tables.

Opening an account is easy: simply click here download the poker client and follow the step-by-step provided.

Day 2: Channing Hits the Deck

Day 2 of the WSOP Main Event begins to sort the men from the boys, and six Black Belt Poker players were looking to slot into the former category and move that one rung closer to contributing to the Vegas Prize Fund.

2,044 returned to the Amazon Room for their second outing, the remaining fields from Day 1a and 1b pooling together to make the Rio even busier than the respective opening days.

Among the masses was Black Belt Neil Channing, who was vying for his first bracelet after coming so close in event #43. He took 43,700 into the start of the day, but was unable to survive the five levels of play.

"I really struggled to win a pot in the early stages and dropped down to 28,000," he explained, "but I managed to double up when I shoved 19 big blinds with A-K and was called by A-T. I then squeezed A-Q, but was snapped off by T-T and failed to improve. It was a very frustrating day; I made five standard raises and was three-bet on all of them!"

Joining him on the sidelines was fellow Black Belt Sam Razavi, who after suffering from the same cold cards, eventually met his maker on the final level of the day:

"I lost a key pot when my set of nines were outdrawn by A-7," he reported. "He made a backdoor flush to leave me with 20K. I managed to get it up to 52K, but then went out with K-Q when my opponent decided to get it in with Q-9 for a 60K pot. It's been a fun Vegas, but once again the paradox continues - I cashed for about $50K, yet there's nowt but cobwebs in the safe."

Other members of the Vegas Prize Fund endured the same fate with Chris Nicol and Greg Moore both biting dust, and even Hasmukh Khodiyara couldn't emulate recent successes when his Ah-Qh missed on a T-x-8 two-heart flop against K-T midway through the day.

However, it wasn't all doom and gloom, as there were three Black Belt Poker gladiators who managed to evade the melee; Kevin Williams, Tristan McDonald and James Mitchell all increasing their stacks for Day 3, the latter to the dizzy heights of 213,100.

Tristan, in particular, experienced a roller coaster day as his stack fluctuated from as low as 12,000, right up to 160,000. After a brutal set-under-set encounter that would have made the Saw franchise look family-friendly, Tristan doubled up twice with K-K versus 9-9 and A-Q versus 9-9, before winning "a big pot with aces" to exceed the magic 100,000 mark.

"In one hand," he recalls, "Mike McDonald raised from early position, the guy on my right called, and I three-bet with A-A on the button. McDonald folded and the other player flat-called. The flop was 7-8-9 with two clubs and I continuation bet. He check-raised all in and I called, which may have been a mistake. Either way, he had 9-9 to put me back down to 90,000. I didn't play another pot and ended the day with 78,000. Mixed feelings, but still there."

Also "still there" is Blue Belt Kevin Williams, who flies the flag the highest with 92,600. He enjoyed a solid start after lapping up three streets of value with K-8o on a 9-8-8-K-3 board, but then ran aces into queens for a 100K pot.

"This left me with just 18,000," he divulges. "I doubled up with T-T versus A-J, but then dropped back down to the starting stack…. from 10 years ago! I turned 10K into 32K, and then 60K with K-K versus 6-6, before climbing to a peak of 103K. Am happy to be returning for Day 3."

And so our hopes and prayers for the Vegas Prize Fund rest on three men, all of whom will be returning to the Rio later today where all remaining players join together for the first time. The biggest stack will belong to Gaelle Baumann who has 505,800, and whilst the Brits certainly aren't making the biggest of impacts, their presence is nevertheless felt with the likes of Jake Cody (322,000), James Keys (203,000) and former finalist Sam Holden (352,600) boasting chunky stacks.

Greg Moore - eliminated on Day 2ab
James Mitchell - 213,100
Jamie Burland - eliminated on Day 1b
Jerome Bradpiece - eliminated on Day 1b
Kevin Williams - 92,600
Neil Channing - eliminated on Day 2ab
Sam Razavi - eliminated on Day 2ab
Tristan McDonald - 78,000
Chris Nicol - eliminated on Day 2ab
Hasmukh Khodiyara - eliminated on Day 2ab

The WSOP Main Event might be capturing the poker world's attention this month, but in just four week's time the true summer blockbuster will be making its long-awaited return.

On August 10-12, Nottingham Live will be returning to Dusk Till Dawn Poker Club for another weekend of poker fun and frolics with deep stacks, a fun atmosphere, and a guaranteed prize pool of $75,000.

The Main Event is a $200+20 buy-in freezeout. Registration is available exclusively via the Black Belt Poker online cardroom in Scheduled > Black Belt Tournaments > Day 1A/B Nottingham Live 2012.

And unlike the WSOP, we'll be offering free money and added value in the form of our Belt Bonuses.

Anyone who is Orange Belt by August 1 will receive $100 for eliminating one of our many bounties, as well as an incredible 10% added to any cash winnings.

In last year's event, Stuart Hyson collected $15,500 for capturing the inaugural title, including $1,400 in added money and $100 for eliminating bounty Nick Wealthall.

And all for playing a few hands online and reaching Orange Belt!

If you would like to echo Stuart's achievement and take advantage of the value on offer, then check out our Belt-Up Rewards System now to see how easy it is to get to Orange Belt in time for Nottingham Live.

If you're a new player, then there's plenty of time to get involved. Simply click here to download the poker client and follow the step-by-step process provided. If you have any queries, then don't hesitate to get in touch.

For more information on Black Belt Nottingham Live II, please see our FAQs.

Day 1: Six of the Best

The trio of starting days at this year's World Series of Poker Main Event are in the bag, as are the remaining chips of a number of Black Belt Poker players.

6,598 hopefuls stumped up the $10,000 buy-in fee, of which 3,418 registered for Day 1C, thus making it the largest one-day Main Event field in its 43-year history.

This year, eight Black Belt Poker players entered the Main Event on behalf of the Vegas Prize Fund promotion, in which 2% of all winnings will be spread equally among our Orange, Purple and Green Belts.

Despite the formidable lineup, there were two casualties: Jamie Burland and Jerome Bradpiece, the latter tweeting in the aftermath: "Did a kamikaze semi-bluff for half my stack. Did the rest with qq vs aa of table idiot."

The remaining six managed to survive the day with their tournament life in tact, including Greg Moore who was Black Belt Poker's highest finisher in 2011 when he came 157th place for $54,851.

Greg Moore - 40,975
James Mitchell - 23,100
Kevin Williams - 55,725
Neil Channing - 43,700
Sam Razavi - 38,825
Tristan McDonald - 50,975

"Chad Brown was on my left, and playing well, so I didn't have the easiest of tables," reported Black Belt Sam Razavi, "I ended up getting most of my stack in pretty early on when I three-bet the table 'Internet superstar' with Q-Q and moved all in on a 9-3-4 two-diamond flop. I held against his K-4 of diamonds. It was a roller coaster for most of the day, and it was looking like I'd bag up 22,000 until they announced last six hands. On the penultimate hand, I opened with K-T and fired twice on a 9-7-2-Q board before over-shoving to a lead with the nut straight on the J river. I thought he could have T-8, but he quickly folded."

"The only face I recognised at my table was Greg Raymer," confessed Blue Belt Kevin Williams, "and I had a chance to bust him at one point but had a bad feeling and folded in a spot where I probably should have called. I got up to a peak of 80,000, but the lineup became unfavourable later in the day and I ended up with four aggressive players to my left. I had the choice of entering into a high variance war, or playing pretty tight and running the risk of blinding down if I didn't win any pots - I chose the latter, although I did play a few pots and yoyo-ed around a little before taking over 50K into Day 2, so I'm happy."

"I started well, but then went really cold," regaled Neil Channing. "I then gambled A-K versus K-J and T-T and busted two people to hit 50K. From there, I cruised to 100K where I lost a 'flip for 50K three hours from the end. After that, it just got worse and worse, and I think I only won one pot. I'm happy to have a day off."

"I had the best table imaginable," beamed BBP shareholder Tristan McDonald. "Lots of limping and folding to three-bets, and the one 'hoodie pro' got moved early on - the look on his face was hilarious. There weren't too many highlights to my day. I won a nice pot when I turned a straight with 7-5, but lost a 10K pot with Q-Q just before the end against A-T which had check-called a T-high flop and checked an ace on the river! Phew."

Keeping Tristan company at his table was Black Belt Poker qualifier Chris Nicol, who finished the day on 46,625 and kindly offered to donate a further 2% to the Vegas Prize Fund. "It was a pleasure to play Chris," added Tristan, "and the highlight was seeing him get the table rock to bet into him on the river when he had quad kings!"

Talking of generous donations, a special thanks should also go to Andy Miles who offered an incredible 5% of his winnings from event #59 into the Fund. Despite a whopping 4,620 entries, he finished an impressive 46th place for $10,811, thus getting the kitty up and running to the tune of $540.55.

The majority of the Black Belt Poker team played Day 1B and so will be returning to action later today along with the survivors from the opening two starting days, of which includes Hasmukh Khodiyara who carries over 25,500, and fellow Brits such as Niall Farrell (100,950), Barny Boatman (98,200), and Marc Wright (88,150).

Barry Styles His Own Success in Leg 7

There was $129 up for grabs in this week's League outing, and it was Barry JosseWales Styles who fashioned his way to the win.

DContour1 fell at the last hurdle and finished in second place, cashing for $86.

Peter Touagorimou Brown just escaped the bubble with a 10th place finish and now shifts up to 17th place on the leaderboard.

Here are the top 10 players from leg 7:

1st  JosseWales -- $129
2nd  DConTour1 -- $86
3rd  Thehingster -- $53.75
4th  Speighty84 -- $40.85
5th  BobbersAllin -- $32.25
6th  S0lution -- $25.80
7th  themackem1968 -- $21.80
8th  nickhem1 -- $17.20
9th  tandy26 -- $12.90
10th  Touagorimou -- $10.75

The leaderboard has changed once again, with Steve FalconAyr Dickson reclaiming the top spot after finishing in 14th place. Last week’s winner, Ryan ryang3691 Godson, has slipped down to fifth position, after being overtaken by PhilDee and NPStars1.

1st  FalconAyr -- 564 points
2nd  livinginhope2 -- 533 points
3rd  PhilDee64 -- 511 points
4th  NPStars1 -- 500 points
5th  ryang3691 -- 499 points
6th  TeeDeeEye1 -- 476 points
7th  13kendo13 -- 453 points
8th  eixip50 -- 445
9th  7onyB -- 445 points
10th  lionrampant27 -- 439 points
11th  habbad -- 438 points
12th  Bartukbb -- 436 points
13th  Barty1uk -- 433 points
14th  liquidpoker101 -- 424 points
15th  ToddCoxeter -- 409 points
16th  losbert40 -- 404 points
17th  Touagorimou -- 402 points
18th  Berajo -- 402 points
19th  nickhem1 -- 399 points
20th  craigsidders -- 388 points

The Samurai takes place next month. The $5.50 Tuesday Feeder saw six runners this week with one seat guaranteed into the $35+3.50 Satellite:

1st  eixip50 – Samurai satellite token ($35+3.50)
2nd  JHobbit1
3rd  Stevegw

The Deepstack Mulligan was upon us once again on Wednesday and attracted 18 entrants. Congratulations to Bob myteamouse Bulman who took it down this week:

1st  myteamouse -- $121.50 (100 Belt Points)
2nd  nickhem1 -- $81 (30 Belt Points)
3rd  sprinterz -- $40.50 (10 Belt Points
4th  Bambury -- $27 (5 Belt Points)
5th  Ourkid888 (5 Belt Points)

This week’s Orange Belt Freeroll offered a Slice of the Action to the top  four finishers. Those players now have a chance at big money should Neil Channing stride to further success at this year’s WSOP.

1st  TeeDeeEye1 -- $100 Slice of the Action
2nd  eixip50 -- $50 Slice of the Action
3rd  WiseOwlBob -- $25 Slice of the Action
4th  BoraBoraBoy -- $25 Slice of the Action

That wraps up this week’s report. Next week may be the final leg of the current League, but don’t forget that even if you haven’t played a single leg previously, you can still win entry into the Nottingham Live as all leg winners get to compete for a bonus seat in our Second Chance SNG.

Even if you don't have an account with Black Belt Poker, then it's not too late to join in the fun and partake in our many tournaments. Opening one is easy: simply click here download the poker client and follow the step-by-step provided.

Merry Men in League XV
Week 1 - 'UsainZeus' Sets Pace in League XV
Week 2 - 'Bas2604': Straight AheadWeek 3 - Happy as Barry in Leg 3
Week 4 - Orange Belt Roard to Victory
Week 5 - RiverSiren Sails to Victory in Leg 5
Week 6 - Running Like God-son

Nottingham Live II: $75,000 Guaranteed

Black Belt Poker are delighted to announce that next month's Black Belt Nottingham Live II will be accompanied by a $75,000 guaranteed prize pool.

With the WSOP the focal point of the summer, pockets are often lighter this time of the year with players keeping a closer eye on their bankroll, but we're adding a guarantee to Nottingham Live nonetheless in order to assure there is plenty of money up for grabs.

"August tends to be a quiet month for poker," explained Neil Channing," with many people out enjoying the weather and taking holidays abroad, so a lot of tournaments don't risk a guarantee. But we want to make sure that the next Nottingham Live Champion goes away with a nice payday."

The Nottingham Live is set to return to Dusk Till Dawn Poker Club this August 10-12. The Main Event will be a $200+20 No Limit Hold'em freezeout with cash games and side events available for any early casualties.

Registration is available exclusively via the Black Belt Poker online cardroom. To enter, locate the tournament in Scheduled > Black Belt Tournaments > Day 1A/B Nottingham Live 2012 and select 'register'.

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..

If you would like to win your seat, then we host regular satellites and feeders from as little as $5+0.50 with four seats guaranteed every week. Alternatively, you can buy in with your Belt Points by purchasing a token in the Black Belt Poker Store.

Last week we announced that the Black Belt Live Champions from all three of our Live tournaments will be gracing DTD as illustrious bounties, as well as vying to become the first ever two-time Champion. In the coming days, we'll also be confirming the bounty prizes and Belt bonuses for those searching for even more value, so watch this space.

With an affordable buy-in, deep structure, and friendly, yet competitive atmosphere, Nottingham Live II is a fantastic event for both amateurs and pros alike, and now with a guaranteed prize pool, we're giving you the chance to turn a small investment into a juicy pot of gold. Don't delay; register now.

For more information, please click here to see our FAQS.