Festive Overlays on Black Belt Poker

 
It's tradition for many sites to reduce their guarantees during the 'season of giving', but Black Belt Poker fought irony face on during the festive period by refusing to tamper with our offers and continue to shower players with value.

The result was juicy overlays in four of our exclusive tournaments, starting with the Nifty at Nine on Christmas Eve.

Just 15 players managed to escape the family celebrations and part with the 50-Spending Points buy-in, thus creating an overlay of 500 Belt Points.

The man who took maximum advantage was Russ nicenutter Cocrhan who earned himself an early Christmas present.

1st  nicenutter -- 500 Belt Points
2nd  PhilDee64 -- 350 Belt Points
3rd  Sarannedipity -- 225 Belt Points
4th  Touagorimou -- 125 Belt Points
5th  Barty1uk -- 50 Belt Points

Players took a well-earned break on Christmas Day, but 18 Orange Belts returned on Boxing Day to compete in the inaugural January Sales Freeroll.

With eight prizes up for grabs, almost half the field were paid, with the lucky winner booking his seat in the $200,000 Sunday Special - a ticket worth $130.

1st  liquidpoker101 -- $200,000 Sunday Special ($120+10)
2nd  nickhem1 -- $30,000 GP Freezeout ($50+5)
3rd  CareybearBBP -- $20,000 Sunday Warm-Up ($40+4)
4th  ChipRead77 -- $200,000 Mega Satellite ($25+2.50)
5th  LillJem -- $2,000 GP Freezeout ($10+1)
6th  PhilDee64 -- $2,000 GP Freezeout ($10+1)
7th  WiseOwlBB -- $15,000 Guaranteed ($5+0.50)
8th  sandy1611 -- $15,000 Guaranteed ($5+0.50)

Later that evening, the Black Belt Poker bus made its third stop in Valuetown with the Deepstack Mulligan, in which the top five are guaranteed Belt Points on top of the standard payout structure.

For the first time ever, all competing players received the added bonus, with Phillip PhilDee64 Dronfield capturing top-dog honours.

1st  PhilDee64 -- $60.00 (50 Belt Points)
2nd  bagpussrocks (30 Belt Points)
3rd  stevegw (10 Belt Points)
4th  ourkidsid (10 Belt Points)

To finish the week, we're serving up another guarantee in tonight's Yellow Belt No-Lose Deepstack at 20:00. Regardless of the number of entrants, there's $100 up for grabs with all players guaranteed their $1 entry fee back.

Last week, 34 entered, and 10 walked away with a profit, with first place finisher Kim insider66666 Vernon thickening his wallet to the tune of $31.00.

1st  insider66666 -- $31.00
2nd  bagpussrocks -- $21.00
3rd  shaolin4aces -- $13.50
4th  LockhartFlawse -- $10.50
5th  kippery -- $8.50
6th  BlackCB-- $7.00
7th  BlackMadonna26 -- $6.00
8th  MForce16 -- $5.00
9th  SurrealKiller -- $4.00
10th  FLYINGPROFISH -- $3.50

All our exclusive tournaments will be back for the new year, but you'll also want to look out for the January Sales which runs from January 07-20.

Check out our promotions page for the full schedule.

If you would like to join in the fun on Black Belt Poker, then make sure you open an account now: simply download the poker client and follow the step-by-step process provided.

On the 12th Day of Christmas...

 
The 12 Days of Christmas promotion came to its conclusion last night as players traded in their hard-earned gift vouchers one last time.

Although no one was fortunate enough to book a trip to Ireland, there was an abundance of prizes given away including four ergonomic mice for those who like to click the raise button regularly.

The biggest winner was former League Champion Andy RedKiteBlackBelt Brisland who finished in the money four times from just five tournaments - that's an 80% cash record!

"Thanks," posted Andy on the Black Belt Poker boards. "I'm quite surprised that nobody else managed at least four. Maybe I should run a Dojo before next Christmas [laughs]."

Andy walked away with a Widescreen HD TV but will surely be wondering what could have been if he'd collected the maximum 12 vouchers and continued his impressive form.

No one went away empty-handed, and even the 22 who were unable to find a cash can expect to find a pair of Christmas socks waiting for them under the festive tree.

In total, Black Belt Poker gave away 45 prizes, as well as 184 gift vouchers worth over a thousand dollars, which many players turned into a payday.

Ruaction and StilettoMafiosa both managed second and third respectively, but on Day 10 Stephen eixip50 Andrews bested a field of 810 to win the entire tournament for $725.29.

The 12 Days of Christmas was a promotion exclusive to Black Belt Poker which saw players compete for gift vouchers which they could then use to enter the daily $3,000 GP during the dates of December 6-17.

For every cash, they earned themselves an early Christmas gift, with the top prize an all-expenses paid trip to Dublin to compete in the 2013 Irish Open for seven cashes.

If you were one of the lucky winners, then be sure to check your emails as we need to confirm postal addresses.

Razavi Has China in His Hand

The ever-expanding World Poker Tour made its first ever stop in mainland China this week as 542 players ambushed Sanya for the $1,500 Main Event.

With an Asian backdrop Black Belt and recent APT Player of the Year Sam Razavi was naturally present, alongside poker legends Johnny Chan, David Chiu and 'Poker Brat' Phil Hellmuth.

Sam's journey was far from smooth as he hit early hurdles in customary fashion, dropping from 20,000 to 7,000 within the opening level. Nevertheless, he rebuilt to 80,000 before doubling up in the last level and progressing to Day 2 sixth in chips.

On Day 3, Sam shared a table with former WPT Champion McLean Karr, but despite the tough company was able to not just survive the day, but head into the final table first in chips with 2.7 million.

Sam slipped down the rankings after a couple of unfortunate pots, but made it to the final three where he open-shoved 14 big blinds with A-4 but was picked off by the A-Q of eventual winner Zheng Hua Lei.

"In China, players peel too much regardless of their hole cards and implied odds," revealed Sam, "which is why I jammed. Hellmuth was commentating on the final, so I asked him for his thoughts about my exit hand. He said that the Internet kids would definitely do it, but he wouldn't, although that didn't mean it was wrong."

Third place netted Sam ¥300,000 ($48,101), thus bringing his total career winnings in live tournaments to just shy of the one-million mark. In just the last 12 months, he has won titles of the APT and ANZPT variety, and is third in the world for number of cashes with 33.

"I was disappointed not to win," he added, "as it would have been an unbelievable way to cap off the year, but I've had such a big share of the cake that I can't really be too upset. The top three received a package to the WPT L.A. Poker Classic, so that was a real sweetener."

1st  Zheng Hua Lei -- ¥1,200,000 ($192.406)
2nd  You Jia Wang -- ¥600,000 ($96.203)
3rd  Sam Razavi -- ¥300,000 ($48,101)
4th  Yue Cao -- ¥200,000 ($32,067)
5th  Lei Xu -- ¥150,000 ($24,050)
6th  Li Fu Lui -- ¥120,000 ($19,240)
7th  Xue Yi Lin -- ¥95,000 ($15,232)
8th  Zhi Yong Li -- ¥80,000 ($12,827)
9th  Ji Wei Deng -- ¥70,000 ($11,223)
10th  Jia He Li -- ¥60,00 ($9,620)

Become the Wizard of Oz with BBP

 
This festive season Black Belt Poker are inviting you to follow the Yellow Brick Road to Oz and take part in the 2013 Aussie Millions.

You won't need slippers for your trip, but a brain, courage and heart will certainly come in handy if you want to follow in the footsteps of previous Champions.

In 2011, Black Belt and globetrotting wizard Sam Razavi battled his way to sixth place in the Main Event, taking home a cool A$225,000.

If you fancy emulating his success, or going even further, then look no further than our ongoing satellites.

From as little as 48 cents, you could be jetting off to the Crown Casino in Melbourne armed with a $16,000 package, including flights, accommodation, and spending money.

For those with a thick wallet, Black Belt Poker have a $500+35 super satellite running every Saturday until January 12, 2013. Kick off is 19:30 GMT.

If you're practising sensible bankroll management, then you can qualify through our numerous Stage 1 feeders throughout the week, ranging from an $80+8 freezeout to a $30+3 turbo rebuy.

And for those with a penchant for single-table tournaments, there are also ongoing €53.50+5.30 and €107+10.70 SNGs available.

Check out our promotions page now for the full schedule.

The Aussie Millions is an annual poker event that takes place from January 17 to February 03, 2013. Previous Main Event Champions include Lee Nelson, Alexander Kostritsyn, and Gus Hansen.

If you'd like to echo the achievements of Brits Tony Bloom and Peter Costa, as well as former Brown Belt James Keys who finished second in 2011 for just over a million, then be sure to tackle our many satellites.

Your first step on the Yellow Brick Road starts here.

Increased Guarantees & New Sunday Line-Up

 
Thirteen might be unlucky for some, but for Black Belt Poker players it signifies the number of events enjoying increased guarantees this month.

Starting in December and carrying over into the new year, there will be increased guarantees in no fewer than thirteen tournaments, including events such as the $25+2.50 six-handed rebuy which sees an extra $2,000 added to the prizepool.

These changes are fresh off the recent upgrade to the $200+15 Monday major, which has now returned to its original $200,000 guarantee.

All these events can be located in the Black Belt Poker lobby under Scheduled.

Saturday (14:30) -- $1,000 Guaranteed R/A ($5+0.50)
Guarantee increased to $1,500

Weekdays (11:05) -- $1,500 Guaranteed R/A ($5+0.50)
Guarantee increased to $2,000

Daily (12:05) -- $3,000 Guaranteed R/A ($25+2.50)
Guarantee increased to $3,500

Weekdays (16:30) -- $3,000 Guaranteed R/A ($3+0.30)
Guaranteed increased to $4,000

Saturday (17:10) -- $4,000 R/A (6-Player tables) ($25+2.50)
Guarantee increased to $5,000

Weekdays (17:10) -- $5,000 R/A (6-Player tables) ($25+2.50)
Guaranteed increased to $7,000

Sunday (17:10) -- $6,000 R/A (6-Player tables) ($25+2.50)
Guarantee increased to $7,500

Daily (exc. Sun) (17:15) -- $2,000 Guaranteed R/A ($7+0.70)
Guarantee increased to $3,000

Sunday (17:15) -- $5,000 Guaranteed R/A ($7+0.70)
Guarantee increased to $6,000

Weekdays (18:10) -- $2,000 GP Freezeout ($100+9)
Guarantee increased to $3,000

Weekends (18:20) -- $1,750 GP Freezeout ($5+0.50)
Guarantee increased to $2,000

Daily (22:45) -- $1,500 Gtd Double Stack ($25+2.50)
Guarantee increased to $2,000

Daily (23:45) -- $3,000 Guaranteed R/A ($7+0.70)
Guarantee increased to $4,000

In other news, Sunday's line-up has been strengthened meaning there is now a whopping $280,000 in guaranteed prizepools being offered across just four tournaments.

$20,000 Sunday Warm Up (16:00)
$80+8 No Limit Hold'em Freezeout

$200,000 Sunday Special (18:00)
$200+15 No Limit Hold'em Freezeout

$30,000 GTD Sunday (19:00)
$100+9 No Limit Hold'em Freezeout

$30,000 Sunday 2nd Chance
$200+15 No Limit Hold'em Freezeout

These are just some of the great changes that have been made for the new year, but there's going to be even more value to be had in 2013 with the return of the January Sales.

Check out our promotions page for the full schedule.

Razavi Goas to the Top at APT India

Black Belt Poker sponsored pro Sam Razavi has become the APT [Asian Poker Tour] Player of the Year after winning the final leg of the season at the Casino Carnival in Goa, India.

With a background in SNGs, the 150,000 rupee Main Event was well-suited to a man of Sam's experience as just nine players entered, and after the opening day's play, he found himself heads-up for the title.

With 190 versus 255 big blinds, there was more space to play than a game on Mars, but nevertheless, Sam managed to double through relatively early with J-J versus T-T all in preflop, before securing the title just a few hands later.

With blinds at 300 and 600, Sam limped with A-T before calling a shove from K-5. Although the 5-J-Q flop teased defeat, justice prevailed on the A turn before hammering in the final nail on the blank river.

Not only did victory earn him a 790,000 rupee first prize (circa $14,500), but it also crowned him Player of the Year ahead of nearest rival Martin Nilsson of Sweden.

Sam's first notch on the poker bedpost came in February when he finished second in Cebu for just under $45,000, followed by two more final table appearances in Macau and Bavet City.

With victory in Goa, he can now look forward to playing the entire next season free of charge, including the opening leg in Jeju, South Korea, an event that will mark the sixth year of the Tour.

"I didn't realise there was actually a POY title to be won on the APT until midway through the year," admitted Sam, "but as soon as I noticed, it became one of my main targets. It was never about the money for me; it was all about being number one.

"The competition was tough and I'm obviously over the moon to have won, but I really worked hard to attend as many events as possible and winning the title here [in Goa] really rounded things off nicely."

With a near one-million in tournament winnings, globetrotting sensation Sam has dominated Asian poker over the last 12 months and can now add a POY title to the UKIPT leaderboard trophy he won on home soil last year.

The only question left is: where next? With an ANZPT title in Melbourne and an Aussie Millions final in the bag, he's quickly running out of continents to conquer, unless he fancies a trip to Antarctica.

"I'm thinking South America…" pondered Sam.

Su-Spence in League XVII

 
It was heaven 17 for Spencer dionysian Lawrence last night as he became the latest addition to the esteemed list of Black Belt Poker League Champions.

A 33-year old pro from London, Spencer's victory comes in the wake of a runner-up spot the season prior when he finished just two points behind eventual winner BobbersAllin in a dramatic photo finish.

The cameras were braced once again this week as Spencer and Tim HammerHorror O'Mahoney headed into Leg 8 neck and neck on 524 points with Carey CareybearBBP Hollick snapping on their heels like a starved alligator on 523 points.

A field of 67 stood in their way, including Leg 7 winner CarpyGAS. He couldn't quite repeat the feat this time, and after tristiano felt the splash of the bubble in ninth, we had our final table, of which featured Blue Belt Jamie StilettoMafiosa Burland.

Notable in his presence was Spencer, and with his two nearest rivals dropping in 19th and 42nd respectively, victory was his. He ultimately finished third for $45.22, leaving former Champion Mark bornTOflirt Atksinon to dispatch of liquidpoker101 heads-up to collect the $107.21 first prize.

1st  bornTOflirt -- $107.21
2nd  liquidpoker101 -- $73.70
3rd  dionysian -- $45.22
4th  ChipRead77 -- $33.50
5th  StilettoMafiosa -- $25.12
6th  sprinterz -- $20.10
7th  KBV1TALS -- $16.75
8th  Touagorimou -- $13.40

Spencer has the maximum amount of gift vouchers heading into the 12 Days of Christmas, but he's not the only player with the delicious dozen: 21st was enough for Nick Penfold666 Mazur to leapfrog CareybearBBP into third for 8 gift vouchers.

In total, eight players now have a chance of winning an all-expenses package to the Irish Open, including myteamouse who snuck into the top 20 for 100 Belt Points.

1st  dionysian -- 12 gift vouchers (604 points)
2nd  HammerHorror -- 9 gift vouchers (573 points)
3rd  NPenfold666 -- 8 gift vouchers (556 points)
4th  CareybearBBP -- 7 gift vouchers (549 points)
5th  CarpyGas -- 6 gift vouchers (527 points)
6th  livinginhope2 -- 5 gift vouchers (523 points)
7th  liquidpoker101 -- 4 gift vouchers (511 points)
8th  Sarannedipity -- 3 gift vouchers (497 points)
9th  BoatDrink -- 2 gift vouchers (480 points)
=10th  Wally19 -- 1 gift vouchers (469 points)
=10th  NinjamanUK -- 1 gift vouchers (469 points)
12th  RedKiteBlackBelt -- 100 Belt Points (467 points)
13th  Touagorimou -- 100 Belt Points (459 points)
14th  Chipread77 -- 100 Belt Points (455 points)
15th  nickhem1 -- 100 Belt Points (454 points)
16th  KBV1TALS -- 100 Belt Points (449 points)
17th  MisterSmudge -- 100 Belt Points (438 points)
18th  cikarang5 -- 100 Belt Points (433 points)
19th  WiseOwlBB -- 100 Belt Points (429 points)
20th  myteamouse -- 100 Belt Points (419 points)

The week also witnessed several other exclusive tournaments. The results were as follows:

Turbo Takedown (Monday):

1st  Elysiumjay -- $100.00
2nd  Touagorimou -- $67.50
3rd  liquidpoker101 -- $37.50
4th  tristiano -- $25.00
5th  jimmyt31 -- $20.00

Nifty at Nine (Monday):

1st  BeatTheDonk123 -- 580 Belt Points
2nd  myteamouse -- 406 Belt Points
3rd  Touagorimou -- 261 Belt Points
4th  UliKoko -- 145 Belt Points
5th  bornTOflirt -- 58 Belt Points

Orange Belt Freeroll (Wednesday):
 
1st  ChipRead77 -- 5 gift vouchers
2nd  tristiano -- 4 gift vouchers
3rd  LillJem -- 3 gift vouchers
4th  browndog0 -- 2 gift vouchers
5th  TheSimian -- 1 gift voucher

Deepstack Mulligan (Wednesday):

1st  BubbleCloud -- $101.25 (50 Belt Points)
2nd  NinjamanUK -- $67.50 (30 Belt Points)
3rd  Ruaction -- $33.75 (10 Belt Points)
4th  ChipRead77 -- $22.50 (5 Belt Points)
5th  paulmarrow (5 Belt Points)

The first League of 2013 arrives on January 22. If you want to follow Spencer as the next Champion, then make sure you mark the date in your calendar. Meanwhile, tonight sees players battle it out in our Grab a Grand Freeroll, while also trying to qualify for next week's events in our Takedown and Mulligan satellites.

If you would like to check out all the action on Black Belt Poker, then make sure you open an account now: simply download the poker client and follow the step-by-step process provided.

Previous league reports:

Celebrate Christmas Early With Black Belt Poker
Week 1 - Luck Beer Lady Tonight
Week 2- 'Sceaga2' Wins AgainWeek 3 - Wiltshire Leighs Down the LawWeek 4 - Bulman Takes Leg 4 by the HornsWeek 5 - 'CareybearBBP' Claws to VictoryWeek 6 - Mazur Nicks Leg 6

Sit 'N' Win a Gift Voucher

 
Black Belt Poker's advent calendar is down to its final few windows with the 12 Days of Christmas kicking off this Thursday and placing early gifts under the festive tree.

If you're yet to fill your stocking with the maximum 12 gift vouchers, then don't fear as we're giving you the chance to do some late Christmas shopping and pick up some last-minute items.

Starting from noon on Tuesday, December 04, we're offering a gift voucher to any player who wins two full-ring SNGs of $5+0.50 buy-in or higher on Black Belt Poker. Win five and you'll earn two vouchers.

The deadline is midnight, Wednesday, December 05 meaning you have 36 hours in which to complete the task. If you manage to win the desired amount, then simply email us at info@blackbeltpoker.com to claim your voucher/s.

This isn't the only route; tonight, at 19:30 sees the final leg of the latest Black Belt Poker League grace your monitor with a total of 67 given away including the full 12 to the overall Champion.

Don't forget that all leg winners get to battle it out in the Second Chance SNG for 10 gift vouchers, meaning that even if you haven't played a single leg, you can still win enough vouchers to play for an amazing prize.

For Orange and Purple Belts, you can also win up to 5 vouchers in this week's Gift Voucher Freeroll, taking place at 19:30 on Wednesday, December 05. With a modest field and 15 vouchers up for grabs, this is an opportunity you can't miss.

The 12 Days of Christmas is an exclusive promotion in which players use their vouchers to play the daily $5+0.50 event during December 06-17. For every cash, they will win a prize, with a star prize of an Irish Open package for seven cashes.

Currently, four players have a chance of playing the biggest poker event outside of Vegas, and you could join them. Remember, everyone is guaranteed a prize, and even if you don't cash a single time, you'll still receive a pair of socks for Christmas.

Points don't win prizes; vouchers do. Good luck at the tables.

Click here for more information on the promotion.