Elysiumjay Denies Golden Boy

The race to Nottingham heated up this Tuesday as 65 players took to the virtual felt for the sixth leg of the latest Black Belt Poker League. With the finishing line in sight, every decision was now vital, and could prove the difference between winning a free seat into the Black Belt Nottingham Live, or being forced to come up with the $125+15 entry fee via other means. Naturally, participants sought the former, and Leg 6 had the potential to separate the close-knit pack currently vying for a free ride.

After former Champion Andy 'RedKiteBlackBelt' Brisland snapped up the bubble, the final table was set, with 10 new faces from last week's line-up. Among them were first-time finalists, as well as debutants in the League.

One of those was 'GOLDENSOMBRE', who despite an incredible performance, wasn't quite able to mark his arrival with a win, ultimately succumbing to Orange Belt Jason 'Elysiumjay' Layland at the death. Consequently, it was 'Elysiumjay' who picked up the $104.01 cheque.

1st Elysiumjay -- $104.01
2nd GOLDENSOMBRE -- $71.50
3rd rustypokerhead -- $43.87
4th SUGGADADDI -- $32.50
5th BoatDrink -- $24.37
6th BigClub1980 -- $19.50
7th insider66666 -- $16.25
8th Mrdroodle -- $13.00

194 players have competed in the League so far, and of them, it's 'myteamouse 'who holds firm at the top with 539 points after a credible 24th place finish. The other members of the top 10 seemed to merely shuffle around with the only new addition being 'MrDroodle'.

1st myteamouse -- 539 points
2nd BoatDrink -- 497 points
3rd KBV1TALS -- 495 points
4th nickhem1 -- 477 points
5th 1894IAIN -- 446 points
6th sceaga2 -- 444 points
7th Mrdroodle -- 443 points
8th tristiano -- 441 points
9th ourkidsid -- 434 points
10th RykanShadow -- 430 points

Breathing down their necks, however, are the following motley crew:

11th dajaroo -- 402 points
12th Touagorimou -- 390 points
13th mavperth -- 386 points
14th BoraBoraBoy -- 383 points
15th PaulFauret -- 380 points
16th mork1971 -- 378 points
17th Perseus10 -- 374 points
18th lionrampant27 -- 374 points
19th Essxhg -- 373 points
20th StakattakBBP -- 370 points

League XI is just one of many avenues into the Nottingham Live as we also run three satellites a week with buy-ins ranging from $3 to $20. On Monday, top dog was 'beatyouto' who secured his seat for $10.

1st beatyouto -- Nottingham Live seat
2nd ACarey -- $10.00
3rd blackbeltninja -- $6.00
4th daveyb15 -- $4.00

On Super Tuesday, he was followed by 'RedEyeJohnnyB', who became the second person to win a seat for just $3.

1st RedEyeJohnnyB -- Nottingham Live seat
2nd AlwaysMissing -- $36.50
3rd Pickwell73 -- $21.90
4th Snotterz -- $14.60

17 players turned up last night for the $20 satellite, with 'jcruickshank' and 'bally73' the two players picking up the guaranteed seats.

1st jcruickshank -- Nottingham Live seat
2nd bally73 -- Nottingham Live seat
3rd OUTTOBEATYOU1983 -- $30.00
4th discostu241 -- $18.00
5th slapdash1248 -- $12.00

Also last night, we hosted our weekly Deepstack Mulligan...

1st slapdash1248 -- $75.00
2nd Elysiumjay -- $45.00
3rd Snotterz -- $30.00

... preceded by the White Belt Freeroll which attracted a field of 126:

1st D0l14hyd3 -- $13.50
2nd Riverlady23 -- $8.00
3rd 1PedroMex -- $5.00
4th danderfluff -- $4.00
5th donielyons -- $3.50
6th daveyation -- $3.00
7th ourkidsid -- $2.50
8th FLYINGPROFISH -- $2.00
9th HERB1DIAN -- $1.50
10th DierDIKKKU -- $1.00

Finally, and perhaps the highlight of what has been an action-packed week, we witnessed the debut of a brand, spanking new Orange Belt Freeroll: The Barney Rubble. If offering a total of nine tournament tokens into the $10+1 $6,000 GTD MTT wasn't enough, Black Belt Poker have also agreed to double any winnings, meaning that if a player happens to take down the event, they could be in for a very handsome payday indeed.

About to set off on that adventure are the following three players:

1st JHobbit1 -- 5 tokens
2nd russellhansen -- 3 tokens
3rd LegendKing1 -- 1 token

Congratulations to all of this week's winners, and our thanks to those of you who participated in the festivities. If you're watching from the wings and would like to get involved, then signing up couldn't be easier: simply click here to donwload the software and follow the step-by-step process provided.

Learn Omaha With Chufty

This October, the Black Belt Poker Academy returns to Vic shores with its latest instalment of poker wisdom and game-tweaking. On this occasion, players will be invited to take their PLO game into the pit stop and allow our pros to turn them into well-oiled Omaha machines.

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

PLO: The Action Game takes place on Saturday, October 22 and will be hosted by professional Omaha cash game pro and Bluff Europe columnist Alex Rousso. Joining Alex will be Black Belt and Omaha specialist Richard 'Chufty' Ashby.

Richard - who was recently voted Best Mixed Games Player at the 2011 British Poker Awards - is one of the game's most talented Omaha players, and boasts experience at all levels, including the nosebleeds in which he took on world-renowned players such as Tom 'durrrr' Dwan and Ilhari 'Ziigmund' Sahamies at the highest stakes available online.

In 2010, Richard proved that he was equally adept at the tournament felt when he won bracelet-gold in the $1,500 Seven-Card Stud event for $140,467 at the WSOP. Just over a week later, he added a further $378,027 for second in the $10,000 HORSE Championship event. The following year, he made two more final tables for a combined $378,027.

For the incredible price of just £99, Alex and Richard will guide you through the ins-and-outs of life at the Omaha felt, covering a wide range of topics such as tournaments, polarity and playing short-stacks. The full schedule will be as follows:

- Introduction: The Action Game
- Two PLO concepts: Domination & Duplication
- Workshop: Full-Ring Games
- Two PLO Concepts: Nuttiness & Polarity
- Workshop: Six-Max Games
- Watch the pro: Chufty
- Workshop: Short-Stackers - How to Deal with Them & How to Be One
- Workshop: Tournament PLO
- Final session: Watch the Pro / Live Hand Analysis

To secure your ticket for Saturday's event, or any future Academy, please drop us an email at training@blackbeltpoker.com to discuss payment options. Alternatively, you can purchase a token in the Black Belt Poker Store under Live Events.

If anyone knows anything about 'Action' and 'Omaha', it's Richard, and he'll be on hand to share his secrets through demonstrations and workshops. Don't miss out on what is a unique opportunity to hear from one of the best, about a game many predict as being the future of poker.

Winning With Fennesse-y

This week's League winner was a familiar face to the Vegas 11.

Earlier in the year, Sean 'Snotterz' Fennessey won one of 30 guaranteed seats in iPoker's mega WSOP satellite, and so joined fellow Black Belt Poker qualifiers Greg Moore and Jeremy Rickard in the Main Event in Vegas.

In a one-off deal unique to Black Belt Poker, if any of our qualifiers finished in the money, we'd buy them into next year's Main Event as an added bonus. Although Greg Moore achieved that feat - ultimately finishing 157th for $54,851 - Sean was close, but no cigar when he departed on Day 3.

However, he's bounced back with a vengeance in this week's Super Tuesday to snap up Leg 5 of League XI for $114.00. In the process, he overcame 75 others, including 'nickhem1' and 'mork1971', both of whom were enjoying their second League final table in as many weeks.

1st Snotterz -- $114.00
2nd Touagorimou -- $76.00
3rd JosseWales -- $47.50
4th Werrrrd -- $36.10
5th UliKoko -- $28.50
6th mork1971 -- $22.80
7th Ourkid888 -- $19.00
8th nickhem1 -- $15.20
9th sprinterz -- $11.40
10th SUGGADADDI -- $9.50

Sean's triumph didn't enable him to break into the top 10, those honours instead being left to 'sceaga2' and 'dajaroo' whose 16th and 13th place finishes were enough to see them to sneak into the prize spots.

At the top, 'myteamouse' remains on his throne despite a disappointing (by his high standards) 31st, whilst 'KBV1TALS' has closed the gap to just 10 points after being eliminated in 15th.

By this stage, the men are usually being sorted from the boys, but there is still a ferocious battle going on for those two other Nottingham Live seats. 'Nickhem1''s second 8th place finish means he jumps to 3rd, whilst 'ourkidsid', 'RykanShadow', 'tristiano' and '1894IAIN' are all still in contention.

1st myteamouse -- 497 points
2nd KBV1TALS -- 487 points
3rd nickhem1 -- 436 points
4th BoatDrink -- 426 points
5th 1894IAIN -- 414 points
6th tristiano -- 403 points
7th dajaroo -- 401 points
8th RykanShadow -- 396 points
9th sceaga2 -- 393 points
10th ourkidsid -- 388 points

With the top four failing to pull away, and three legs still remaining, it's still feasible for the chasing pack to enjoy a late surge and win free entry into the Nottingham Live, as well as a last-longer for the London Live.

11th Mrdroodle -- 381 points
12th Essxhg -- 359 points
13th BoraBoraBoy -- 354 points
14th Perseus10 -- 353 points
15th StakattakBBP -- 346 points
16th mavperth -- 343 points
17th Ourkid888 - 341 points
18th Touagorimo -- 341 points
19th PaulFauret -- 336 points
20th stevegw -- 334 points

60 minutes after the starting whistle blew for the League, the latest Nottingham Live satellite commenced with 22 players battling it out for that one guaranteed seat. He may have enjoyed League glory, but Snotterz picked up the wooden spoon on this occasion, tree-topping honours being left to Nick 'Penfold666' Mazur who became the first player to secure a trip to Dusk Till Dawn for just $3.

1st NPenfold666 -- Nottingham Live seat
2nd ACarey -- $8.00
3rd Pickwell73 -- $4.80
4th BigClub1980 -- $3.20

The day prior, the $10 satellite enjoyed a small, but valuable overlay as just 13 players took a shot. The eventual winner was Purple Belt Chris 'seven7777777s' Brider, whilst poor 'discostu241' will be forced to return to The Simpsons empty-handed after bubbling in second.

Tonight is another feast of poker action as both the $15+1.5 Deepstack Mulligan and the $20+2 Nottingham Live satellite (two seats guaranteed) hit our virtual screens, simultaneously kicking off at 8.30.

Also, for those of you who have been Tangoed, don't forget that at 8pm we're serving another Orange Belt Freeroll to tickle your palette. Tonight's event is our 'Slice of the Action' Freeroll with four lucky winners receiving shares in Sam Razavi's EPT London venture.

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

Previous reports:

Week 1 - New League, New Records
Week 2 - Godlike Performance from Chaplin
Week 3 - And It Was All Yellow
Week 4 - Alan Steer to Victory

Koddzilla's Carps; Your Black Belt Needs You

Aussie Millions finalist and UKIPT Champion Sam Razavi is giving Black Belt Poker members the unique opportunity to play the inaugural Black Belt Nottingham Live for free.

The Nottingham Live is a $50,000 guaranteed No Limit Hold'em event, scheduled for November 18-20 at the Dusk Till Dawn Poker Club. For just $125+15, players get to play a deep-stacked, added value, fun-filled event with Belt bonuses and pro bounties of up to $250.

As a Black Belt in the Belt-Up Rewards System, Sam receives $10,000 a month in live tournament backing, and now he's giving you the chance to be a sponsored player for a day. Instead of 50-50 with make-up, his terms are 50-50 with costume (exc. Belt Bonuses).

This means that you can become a sponsored player just by wearing a silly costume. It can be a pirate, Freddy Krueger, Little Bo Peep, whatever tickles your fancy. You may even choose to play as one of Nottingham's most celebrated icons, Robin Hood, or, better yet, Maid Marian.

Sam is a professional heads-up cash player, who plays under the moniker 'KODDZILLA'. In 2010, he won an Aussie Millions package via the Black Belt Poker Grading, and went on to finish sixth for €225,000. It didn't end there, as just a few months later, he became the UKIPT Cork Champion, winning a further €71,000.

The Nottingham Live is all about value, and Koddzilla's Carps will get to keep 100 percent of any Belt Bonuses or bounties, but this will also be a plus EV tournament for charity as Sam has kindly agreed to donate his 50 percent of the winnings from the Carps to Cancer Research, the UK's leading cancer charity.

"At the London Live, I had to walk into the Vic looking like a tube of toothpaste with a bright, white judo suit," laughed Sam. "It's about time others share the humiliation. So, whichever nine players suggest the most ridiculous costumes, they'll have the honour of being one of my prize Carps."

"It's about time the fish rose to the the top, but it'll be for a good cause if they do. 50 percent is going to Cancer Research, who are the world's leading charity dedicated to saving lives through research. Hopefully all my nine Carps can make the final and we'll help save even more."

Anyone who wishes to participate will need to submit their request to snoopy@blackbeltpoker.com, along with details of what costume they intend to wear. In four weeks time, on Monday, October 17, Sam will announce the nine players who have been selected. Those players will then become Kodzilla's Carps and compete in Day 1B of the Nottingham Live as one of Sam's sponsored players.

Alan Steers to Victory in Leg 4

This week, Super Tuesday returned for another thrilling night of poker festivities as the Black Belt Poker League reached its halfway point. Leg 4 attracted 80 runners in all, many of whom were still in with a chance of mounting a late attack on the league standings.

With Andrew 'thehingster' Hingston bubbling in eleventh, we were left with our final table and a completely different lineup to last week… except for one man: Bob 'myteamouse' Bulman, who impressed yet again with a fifth place finish to go with his victory seven days prior.

On this occasion, the podium ceremony was left to the following trio of attendees: 'bagpussrocks', '1894IAIN' and, finally, Alan 'tealcSVU' Steer, who (ahem) steered to victory for a $120.00 payday.

1st tealcSVU -- $120.00
2nd 1894IAIN -- $80.00
3rd bagpussrocks -- $50.00
4th Essxhg -- $38.00
5th myteamouse -- $30.00
6th RykanShadow -- $24.00
7th BoraBoraBoy -- $20.00
8th nickhem1 -- $16.00
9th mork1971 -- $12.00
10th eixip50 -- $10.00

Myteammouse's consecutive final table appearances means that he extends his lead at the top and now sits on a healthy 451 points, 26 ahead of his nearest competitor. The top three remain the same, perhaps suggesting that the most competitive battle will be the one for that fourth Dusk Till Dawn seat. Currently, several players are in contention including 'nickhem1', 'RykanShadow' and '1894IAN', who replaced Leg 2 winner 'tristiano' in fourth after his third place finish.

1st myteamouse -- 451 points
2nd KBV1TALS -- 425 points
3rd BoatDrink -- 383 points
4th 1894IAIN -- 367 points
5th nickhem1 -- 363 points
6th tristiano -- 353 points
7th ourkidsid -- 351 points
8th RykanShadow -- 341 points
9th Mrdroodle -- 339 points
10th Perseus10 -- 338 points

Also still in with a shout of snapping up a star prize and securing one of four seats into the inaugural Nottingham Live are the following motley crew, including serial Leg winner Mike 'sceaga2' Shaw:

11th dajaroo -- 337 points
12th sceaga2 -- 332 points
13th stevegw -- 332 points
14th PaulFauret -- 328 points
15th StakattakBBP -- 323 points
16th Essxhg -- 323 points
17th BoraBoraBoy -- 310 points
18th Ste4dy3ddie -- 303 points
19th paul6543 -- 302 points
20th mavperth 298 points

For those wondering what happened to the Mulligan… it's been moved, to 8.30pm every Wednesday. This week, top honours when to 'mutesuperstar'... who refused an interview.

1st mutesuperstar -- $90.00
2nd paul6543 -- $54.00
3rd bagpussrocks -- $36.00

Throughout the week, we've also been hosting Nottingham Live satellites, where players can qualify for the year's most fun-filled poker event for as little as $3. Monday's $10 freezeout was won by the curiously named 'SKULLMANglobal'…

1st SKULLMANglobal -- Nottingham Live seat
2nd ujokingme -- $60.00
3rd retxabam -- $36.00
4th plusEVldn -- $24.00

… whilst Tuesday's $3 rebuy saw Kevin 'S0lution' Birt lap up a seat for just $9 with fourth place finisher 'MajorMustard' almost achieving the feat without the need for a rebuy.

1st S0lution -- Nottingham Live seat
2nd Snotterz -- $35.00
3rd ACarey -- $21.00
4th MajorMustard -- $14.00

Then, one day later, 13 players turned up to compete for a further two spots. With two seats guaranteed, the event boasted a nice little overlay, and once again showcased the value on offer. 'Brigal19' and 'Touagorimou' were the welcome recipients.

1st brigal19 -- Nottingham Live seat
2nd Touagorimou -- Nottingham Live seat

Finally, congratulations to former Grader Andy 'RedKiteBlackBelt' Brisland for besting a field of 133 to take down last night's White Belt Freeroll. Tonight sees $100 added to the Yellow Belt Freeroll, so don't miss out.

And that's a wrap, folks, for another week. Join us again next time for what should be another hectic week of pokers, including Leg 5 of the League, three Nottingham Live satellites, the Yellow and White Belt Freerolls, the Deepstack Mulligan and our 'Slice of the Action' Orange Belt Freeroll in which the winners will receive a piece of Sam Razavi's action in the London EPT.

He won four Orange Belts over $16,000 last time - could be worth a go…

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

Week 1 - New League, New Records
Week 2 - Godlike Performance from Chaplin in Leg 2
Week 3 - And It Was All Yellow

Play Nottingham Live for Free

Falling short in the satellites? Propping up the table in the League? Don't quite have enough points to purchase a token? If you tick those boxes, then don't fret, as we're offering you yet another way of securing your seat at the inaugural Black Belt Nottingham Live with our Nottingham Live Freeroll.

Just days after announcing the 'Barney Rubble', the Nottingham Live Freeroll will replace Merchandise Madness for the months of September and October as the fourth Orange Belt Freeroll, taking place on the first week of the month.

For no buy-in fee whatsoever, players will get to battle it out over the virtual felt for two juicy Nottingham Live packages worth $250 and $200 respectively, meaning that not only will you win the $125+15 buy-in, but you'll also have some spending money to boot.

The Black Belt Nottingham Live takes place on November 18-20 at the Dusk Till Dawn Poker Club in Nottingham, offering players a deep-stacked and fun-filled event at an affordable price. As well as Belt bonuses and bounties, Black Belt Poker have guaranteed a $50,000 prize pool.

This is your chance to play for free!

The Nottingham Live Freeroll is exclusive to Orange and Purple Belts. To enter, simply locate the tournament in the Black Belt Poker client under Scheduled > Black Belt Tournaments. The first event will take place at 8pm on Wednesday, September 5.

"I heard once that poker players like free stuff," commented Black Belt Neil Channing, "This is a perfect example of how we like to give away free stuff to our players, as well an opportunity to play in what I'm confident will be the most fun live event of the year."

If you're a White or Yellow Belt and wondering how you can take advantage of this incredible value, then all you have to do is work your way up to Orange Belt by the turn of the month. Even if you've never deposited a dime, it's not to late to hit Orange. For more information, check out our Belt-Up Rewards System now.

See here for information on all Orange Belt Freerolls.

No Cigar for Docherty & Burland

Black Belt Poker were once again out in full force this weekend, with the majority of troops marching to Dublin to tackle the latest stop of the UKIPT and vie for the final title before October's Grand Final.

A mere 718 flocked to the Ballsbridge Inn, including flag-fliers Kevin Williams, Tom Drew, Joe Roberts and Cork Champion Sam Razavi. They all hit the deck prior to the money, leaving David Docherty and Andy Miles to cover the front line.

Although Andy was stretchered off in 31st for €1,530, David gave his best war cry and charged all the way to the final table, armed with 958,000 (sixth in chips) and the chance of becoming Black Belt Poker's third UKIPT Champion to date.

David was wounded early on when he clashed with chip leader Jason Tompkins. On a four-way flop of Qc-7s-4s, David flat-called a c-bet of 180,000, and then 244,000 on the Kd turn, before folding to an all-in on the 8h river.

Down to 660,000, David became the first casualty of the day when he moved over the top of Joeri Zandvliet's open of 82,000 with Ah-Jc. The Dutchman made the call with 8h-8s which stood firm on an uneventful 9s-6d-9h-Qc-7h board to send the Scottish pro back to base.

This pot catapulted Zandvliet into a commanding lead. He went on to become the last man standing, capturing his second UKIPT title - after winning last year's Manchester leg - not to mention the small matter of the €83,500 treasure chest. David, meanwhile, was forced to settle for a consolidatory €8,000.

"I'm pretty gutted to be honest," confessed David. "I was feeling very confident this morning despite being one of the shorter stacks. It sucks to bust in eighth and I do feel like I could have done one or two things differently, but ultimately you have to win some showdowns anyway. If I win the flip against Joeri, I have 1.2 million and overtake him in chips. That would have been a big momentum switch, but it wasn't to be on this occasion."

1st Joeri Zandvliet (Netherlands) -- €83,500
2nd Chuck Fabian (USA) -- €49,600
3rd Robert Csire (Hungary) -- €22,650
4th Max Silver (United Kingdom) -- €22,650
5th Jason Tompkins (Ireland) -- €17,600
6th Noel O'Brien (Ireland) -- €13,950
7th Roy Curtis (United Kingdom) -- €10,450
8th David Docherty (United Kingdom) -- €8,000

On the other side of the Irish Sea and deep in the heart of the East Midlands, fellow Vegas 8 member Jamie Burland was also enjoying a deep run and final table appearance, this time in the Sky Poker Tour Grand Final.

A respectable 374 stumped up the £200+20 buy-in fee before taking their seats at the Dusk Till Dawn Poker Club in Nottingham alongside the likes of Carlo Citrone, Ian Frazer and Tony 'tikay' Kendall.

Jamie made the final with 20 big blinds, but suffered the same fate as David when he was snipered down in eighth. He received £1,712 for his efforts.

1st James Williams -- £22,264
2nd Astel Cowan -- £13,015
3rd Kristian Downer -- £7,809
4th Alan Jenkinson -- £5,480
5th Saifon Lambe -- £4,110
6th Daniel Green -- £3,082
7th Sian Dyson -- £2,397
8th Jamie Burland -- £1,712
9th Richard Beauchamp -- £1,370

And so ended a weekend of close-but-no-cigar moments for Black Belt Poker; we advanced to the nitty-gritty, but were unable to get our mitts on the big bucks. But the road is long, and as another tournament closes, another one opens. Next mission: Operation EPT London.

Barney Rubble Up With BBP's New Freeroll

This month, Black Belt Poker have decided to introduce a brand spanking new tournament to the current schedule of Orange Belt Freerolls.

Making its debut on Wednesday, September 28, the Barney Rubble will give Orange Belts the opportunity to win some cold, hard cash without having to stump up a single cent.

For the grand entry fee of zero, players will compete for an incredible 9 tokens into the weekday $6,000 Guaranteed $10+1 freezeout at 7.30pm. The winner will receive 5 tokens, second 3, and third 1.

If that wasn't enough value to shake a stick at, if you cash in the tournament after entering with one of our tokens, we'll double your prize. Whether it's a min-cash or a first place payday, we'll match that figure!

They say that if it sounds too good to be true, then it probably isn't, but on this occasion, it really is as good as it sounds! All you have to do is make the money and drop us an email so we can confirm the results and credit your account with however much you cashed for.

The Barney Rubble will temporarily replace the Enlightenment Freeroll, and take place on the fourth week of every month, at 8pm.

The Orange Belt Freerolls have been hugely popular with over 50 players consistently participating each week. In May, our three Slice of the Action freeroll winners received in excess of $16,000 courtesy of Sam Razavi who won UKIPT Cork. The Barney Rubble is your chance to join the ever-increasing list of players who have turned a small investment into thousands of dollars courtesy of Black Belt Poker.

The Barney Rubble is exclusive to Orange and Purple Belts. To enter, simply locate the tournament in the Black Belt Poker client under Scheduled > Black Belt Tournaments. Registration is absolutely free.

With our Nottingham Live VIP packages for our higher Belts, the Barney Rubble freeroll is yet another reason why you should be aiming to go that extra step and turn your Yellow Belt into an Orange one. The present and future are bright, and they're both Orange!

And It Was All Yellow

When Coldplay sang: 'And it was all yellow,' they must have been referring to Black Belt Poker's League XI - with three legs done and dusted, the top six in the League Standings are all of the Yellow Belt variety.

In fact, Leg 3 winner was Yellow Belt and unknown entity 'myteamouse'. He bettered a field of 110 that included a host of familiar, and rather scary faces, as well as Blue Belts Simon 'AlwaysMissing' Mairs, who 'missed' in 96th, and Brown Belt Sam 'KODDZILLA' Razavi, who escaped the wooden spoon by just one place in 109th.

Instead, the pokers were left to the likes of regulars Carey 'CareybearBBP' Hollick, Darren 'TheZartog' Meredith and Andy 'Mrdroodle' Erskine, all of whom spiked the final table for the umpteenth time. Above them, 'PaulFauret' finished third, whilst runner-up honours were left to 'beltdarkjf' who succumbed to eventual winner 'myteamous'. The reward? $148.50 and 135 juicy league points.

1st myteamouse -- $148.50
2nd beltdarkjf -- $88.00
3rd PaulFauret -- $55.00
4th Mrdroodle -- $44.00
5th rattersbrfc -- $38.50
6th dajaroo -- $33.00
7th 2LAMCHOP2 -- $27.50
8th TheZartog -- $22.00
9th CareybearBBP -- $16.50
10th Loukas1977 -- $11.00
11th kkklwubu2 -- $6.60
12th AngelVickie48 -- $6.60
13th lcm54 -- $6.60
14th Wally19 -- $6.60
15th 1894IAIN -- $6.60
16th DididavidBEL09 -- $6.60
17th KBV1TALS -- $6.60
18th PKRLocke -- $6.60
19th Touagorimou -- $6.60
20th MullionWoman -- $6.60

And those 135 points were just enough to see myteamouse capture the overall lead, with the ever-consistent 'KBVITALS' just one sole point behind after completing a hattrick of top 20 finishes. Behind them, Andy 'BoatDrink' Butcher slips into third, despite bubbling Tuesday's Leg.

1st myteamouse -- 365 points
2nd KBV1TALS -- 364 points
3rd BoatDrink -- 346 points
4th tristiano -- 319 points
5th dajaroo -- 318 points
6th stevegw -- 315 points
7th ourkidsid -- 304 points
8th Ste4dy3ddie -- 303 points
9th PKRLocke -- 287 points
10th nickhem1 -- 286 points

Just a few points separate the next batch, which includes Leg 1 winner 'jymjam' (who was mysteriously absent this week) and 'Ste4dy3ddie' who has lived up to his name with finishing positions of 10th, 43rd and 24th. Currently seated in that fourth Nottingham Live seat spot, however, is last week's champ Tristan 'tristiano' Chaplin, who although dropped a place this week, is still in a strong position after a credible 27th place exit.

11th Mrdroodle -- 285 points
12th Perseus -- 272 points
13th 1894IAIN -- 270 points
14th sceaga2 -- 267 points
15th paul6543 -- 264 points
16th PaulFauret -- 260 points
17th RykanShadow -- 258 points
18th doochats -- 255 points
19th StakattakBBP -- 254 points
20th mavperth -- 254 points

There are still five legs remaining, so be sure to watch out for these three pokateers too:

21st lcm54 -- 252 points
23rd jymjam -- 252 points
27th CareybearBBP -- 235 points

Normally, this is the point where I say that the Mulligan followed 60 minutes later, but this week, we increased that delay to 24 hours and experimented with a debuting Wednesday Mulligan. 20 runners didn't quite match the record-breaking 42 of two weeks prior, but it created a cool $150.00 first prize, which went to Paul 'paul6543' Romain.

1st paul6543 -- $150.00
2nd ourkidsid -- $90.00
3rd nickhem1 -- $60.00

The results of this week's Nottingham Live satellites are also in. Four more seats were created, two of which were snapped up by former League Champions. Congratulations to all the winners; we look forward to seeing you at DTD in November.

Monday, $10 freezeout (23 runners) :

1st RedKiteBlackBelt -- $140.00
2nd seven7777777s -- $45.00
3rd daveyb15 -- $27.00
4th jfdiwins -- $18.00

Tuesday, $3 rebuy (33 runners)

1st JHobbit1 -- Nottingham Live Seat
2nd Touagorimou -- $50.80
3rd ujokingme -- $31.75
4th losbert40 -- $20.32
5th myteamouse -- $13.97
6th ChipRead77 -- $10.16

Wednesday, $20 freezeout (15 runners)

1st UliKoko -- Nottingham Live Seat
2nd BLAPOFISH -- Nottingham Live Seat
3rd plusEVldn -- $10.00

Super Tuesday returns next Tuesday for more poker fun and frolics… but will the League remain "all yellow"? In 'Clocks', Coldplay sang: 'Curse missed opportunities' - check out our schedule so you won't be cursing your missed opportunities next week:

Monday, Sep 12 (8.30pm) -- $10+1 Nottingham Live satellite freezeout, one seat guaranteed
Tuesday, Sep 13 (7.30pm) -- League XI, Leg 4: $5+0.50 No Limit Hold'em freezeout
Tuesday, Sep 13 (8.30pm) -- $3+0.30 Nottingham Live satellite rebuy, one seat guaranteed
Wednesday, Sep 14 (8.00pm) -- White Belt $50 Freeroll
Wednesday, Sep 14 (8.00pm) -- Orange Belt Freeroll: Season Ticket Giveaway
Wednesday, Sep 14 (8.30pm) -- $20+2 Nottingham Live satellite freezeout, two seats guaranteed
Wednesday, Sep 14 (8.30pm) -- Deepstack Mulligan: $15+1.5 No Limit Hold'em freezeout
Thursday, Sep 15 (8.00pm) -- Yellow Belt $50 Freeroll

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

Week 1 - New League, New Records
Week 2 - Godlike Performance from Chaplin in Leg 2

BBP Win Two British Poker Awards

It's rare that salivating poker enthusiasts and hordes of scantily clad models share the same air without a pole in the vicinity, but this past weekend, that unlikely encounter marked the fifth outing for Poker in the Park, the world's largest poker festival and hotspot for curvaceous beauties.

With Leicester Square undergoing a makeover and off limits, Hanover Square in the heart of Monopoly's most wallet-emptying property provided the temporary abode, with Starbucks picking up the unwitting toilet duties from Burger King and ensuring that purchases from the bar found a legal and non-grassy home.

As always, attendees were treated to an array of activities, such as tuition, freerolls, heads-up, chess and mahjong, whilst a festival stage formed the centrepiece with live music, card magic and the highly-crowd-pleasing Indian poker. Meanwhile, the lecture tent returned once more, housing talks from several Black Belt Poker pros including Nik Persaud, Neil Channing, Sam Razavi and the artist formerly known as 'Mr. G-Bucks', Kevin Williams.

On the Sunday afternoon, comedian Lucy Porter joined forces with Bluff Europe editor-in-chief Michael Caselli to host the 2011 British Poker Awards, a celebration of "the players who have done us so proud on the world stage", as well the bloggers, social media users and poker leagues that "have kept us entertained through a challenging year in poker."

At the start of the year, our Black Belts conferred over Mission Trophy Cabinet, agreeing that Sam Razavi would take over brick and mortar duties (see UKIPT Cork, May '11), whilst messieurs Ashby and Channing sacrificed podium-topping to take home silverware from PITP V. They achieved that goal with two illustrious titles: Best Mixed Game Player and Best Blogger.

"Just wanted to say thanks to everyone who voted for me," commented Channing humbly. "I have written the blog for seven years now and, generally, I love to write it - I'm just glad people still want to read it. I haven't won anything for ages, so it's nice to get something for the trophy cabinet."

Also leaving with hand-luggage were Sam Trickett, Chris Moorman, JP Kelly, Vicky Coren, Jake Cody, and Kara Scott, as well as the collective forces behind Two Plus Two and Champion Poker League. Meanwhile, Jason Mercier opted not to travel across the Atlantic to accept his award for Best International Player, whilst John Duthie pipped Neil for 'Best Contribution to Poker', despite the latter continual donations to opponent's pockets.

Over the two days, Black Belt Poker had a strong presence, both in and out of the limelight, as many community members made the jaunt to show their support and taste the delights on offer. Showered with seven nominations, it wasn't quite the clean sweep we were optimistically searching for, but the two titles were warmly received and with Neil's Irish Open trophy looking a bit worn, certainly gives us something else to buff on a rainy Sunday.

Our appreciation goes out to everyone who cast their vote Black Belt Poker's way; we look forward to thanking you in person at the inaugural Nottingham Live…

Nottingham Live: Giving It Away

Fireworks are set to fly this November as the Black Belt Nottingham Live makes its hotly anticipated debut in the East Midlands, home of Robin Hood.

And like the Nottingham swordsman, we're going to be 'giving it away' by serving up an array of sumptuous Belt Bonuses for you to feast upon.

Despite a slimmer buy-in of $125+15, we've decided to echo the bonus packages from the London Live, meaning that we're once again adding up to 20% on all cash prizes and $250 on the heads of our soon-to-be announced bounties.

All players have the option of entering the tournament armed with one of three of the following packages:

Standard Package
Yellow Belts
$20 for eliminating a bounty

VIP Package
Orange Belts
$100 for eliminating a bounty
10% added to all prizes

VIP Plus Package
Purple Belts (and above)
$250 for eliminating a bounty
20% added to all prizes

To see how you can reach each Belt Level and take advantage of the value on offer, 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.

To register for the event, you can either buy in directly by locating the tournament in Scheduled > London Live > Nottingham Live Day 1A/1B 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 8.30pm. For as little as $3, you can secure your seat into the 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 become Sheriff of Valuetown.

BBP Academy: Cash Is King

"MTTs for show, cash for dough," and in just one week's time, we'll be showing you how you can get your hands on some of that dough in our latest Black Belt Poker Academy: Cash Is King.

For the incredible price of just £99, our team of expert coaches will guide you through the ins-and-outs of life at the cash felt, covering a wide range of topics such as player identification, dealing with short-stackers, and how to play a deep-stack against tough opponents.

The Academy will hit Vic Casino shores this Saturday, September 3, with poker theorist Alex Rousso leading the way. Joining him on the flanks will be World Heads-Up Champion Nik Persaud, as well as Black Belt Sam Razavi.

Although Sam may have stolen the spotlight with his recent UKIPT Cork title, he is also an established online cash game pro having been a winning cash game player for the last several years. Late last year, he was one of just two winners of Grading III, where players were assessed on their cash game play over a four-week period.

If you want to follow in Sam's footstep, then be sure to book your seat for Cash Is King.

To secure your ticket for Saturday's event, or any future Academy, please drop us an email at training@blackbeltpoker.com to discuss payment options. Alternatively, you can purchase a token in the Black Belt Poker Store under Live Events.

As Neil himself said: "One day's intensive tuition to take your cash game to the next level for 99 quid. You can't say fairer than that."

Turn a Little into a Nottingham Live Seat

A popular rock band may have sang about the "cold November rain", but this Fall we're inviting you to spend three days under the warmth of the Dusk Till Dawn roof with the hotly anticipated Black Belt Nottingham Live.

It'll still be raining indoors, but raining value as we serve up the usual array of bounties, Belt bonuses and a guaranteed $50,000 prize pool, all for the snap-call, bargain price of $125+15!

The Nottingham Live offers players the unique opportunity to turn a little into a lotto, but from Monday, August 29, you'll have the chance to qualify for even less with our weekly satellites.

Not only can you qualify for as little as $3, but we're also guaranteeing an incredible four seats into the Main Event, regardless of runners.

The full satellite schedule is as follows:

$10+1 No Limit Hold'em Freezeout
Mondays, 8.30pm, 1 seat guaranteed into Nottingham Live

$3+0.3 No Limit Hold'em Rebuy/Add-on
Tuesdays, 8.30pm, 1 seat guaranteed into Nottingham Live

$20+1 No Limit Hold'em Freezeout
Wednesdays, 8.30pm, 2 seats guaranteed into Nottingham Live

All the above satellites are now available for registration in the online cardroom lobby. If you don't already have an account, then opening one is easy: simply download the poker software and follow the step-by-step process provided.

Alternatively, you can purchase a token via the Black Belt Poker Store. To use Spending Points, sign in to the online community, select Store and find your chosen satellite in the Online Tourney Tokens tab

To register for the Nottingham Live, you can either buy in directly by locating the tournament in Scheduled > Black Belt Tournaments >Nottingham Live Day 1A/1B or by purchasing a token from the Black Belt Poker Store.

Don't forget that League XI continues this Tuesday with four winners over the eight legs receiving free entry into the Nottingham Live. With just one leg in the bag, it's not to late for you to compete for one of those fantastic prizes and secure you seat in the most exciting event of the year.

New League, New Records

It's a new dawn, it's a new day, and it's a new league as a record-breaking 159 turn up for the hotly anticipated opening leg of League XI, shattering the previous record of 132 to make this the largest field in Black Belt Poker League history.

The field was a melting pot of talent with Black Belts Neil Channing and Sam Razavi mixing it up with the likes of Jamie Burland, Owen Robinson, Andy Miles, Gareth Alder and the only son-and-father combo (that we know of…), Warren Wooldridge and Papa 'Bambury' Wooldridge. On this occasion, senior bettered junior by 48 places.

Despite a gaggle of former League Champions, performances were lacklustre as League II winner Mark 'russellhansen' Brassington was the best of the best with a disappointing 53rd. With reigning Champion Tom 'Werrrrd' Drew absent without leave, early signs suggest we may have a brand new King of the Poker Castle.

The early pacesetter is mystical entity 'jymjam', who defeated the equally enigmatic KBV1TALS heads-up to claim the $214.65 prize. Also on the final table were familiar faces Andy 'BoatDrink' Butcher, Simon 'ourkidsid' Herrick and Mark 'SebastianKat' Cooper, whilst poor Simon 'TheSimian' Morris was the bubble boy in 21st.

1st jymjam -- $214.65
2nd KBV1TALS -- $127.20
3rd BoraBoraBoy -- $79.50
4th doochats -- $63.60
5th BoatDrink -- $55.65
6th ourkidsid -- $47.70
7th SebastianKat -- $39.75
8th stevegw -- $31.80
9th lcm54 -- $23.85
10th Ste4dy3ddie -- $15.90
11th disciple999 -- $9.54
12th chillisaucemayo -- $9.54
13th donielyons -- $9.54
14th FlaxseedGoji -- $9.54
15th FlopTheNuts -- $9.54
16th LuckyJJhazan -- $9.54
17th sceaga2 -- $9.54
18th dajaroo -- $9.54
19th browndog0 -- $9.54
20th Essxhg -- $9.54

After just one outing, it doesn't take Stephen Hawking to calculate the League Standings…

1st jymjam -- 184 points
2nd KBV1TALS -- 176 points
3rd BoraBoraBoy -- 172 points
4th doochats -- 168 points
5th BoatDrink -- 165 points
6th ourkidsid -- 162 points
7th SebastianKat -- 159 points
8th stevegw -- 156 points
9th lcm54 -- 153 points
10th Ste4dy3ddie -- 151 points

The Deepstack Mulligan is a $15+1.5 deep-stacked event that follows the League each week at 8.30pm. As with the League, the Mulligan also enjoyed record-breaking numbers, peaking at 42 and creating a prize pool of $630.

The recipient of the lion's share was former Grader Carey 'CareybearBBP' Hollick. She post-pipped Ian 'mork1971' Goodwin to shower herself in $252.00 of spondoolies. Ste4dy3ddie - who finalled in the League - felt the splash of the bubble in sixth.

1st CareybearBBP -- $252.00
2nd mork1971 -- $157.50
3rd nickhem1 -- $100.80
4th RedKiteBlackBelt -- $69.30
5th jdogbbp -- $50.40

League XI is like no other league before; this time, we're offering an incredible four prizes with winners receiving a free seat into the recently announced Black Belt Nottingham Live, as well as an automatic last-longer for next year's London Live, and a personalised 'League Champion' hoodie for the winner.

The Nottingham Live is a brand new event being held at the Dusk Till Dawn Poker Club this November 18-20. The buy-in fee is $125+15 with a guaranteed prize pool of $50,000. If you would like to register, then you can so via the cardroom lobby.

Fancy a free Nottingha Live seat? Then be sure to join us next week for Leg 2. To download the software, simply click here and follow the step-by-step process provided.

Become Sheriff of Nottingham in League XI

This November, we're giving you the chance to become Sheriff of Nottingham as the Black Belt Poker League returns with its bow drawn, ready to fire an arrow at the tree of value.

Four merry men will earn themselves a star prize, each feasting on a free seat into the recently announced Black Belt Nottingham Live.

They will then battle in a last-longer for a free 2012 London Live seat, whilst the Champion will get to play in a one-of-a-kind Black Belt Poker personalised hoodie, emblazened with their name and League achievement.

The Black Belt Nottingham Live is braced to hit the Dusk Till Dawn Poker Club this November 18-20 with a $125+15 price tag and $50,000 guaranteed prize pool. For a bargain-bucket price, you'll get to play in the UK's most popular cardroom alongside top pros such as Richard Ashby, Neil Channing and Aussie Millions finalist Sam Razavi.

League XI commences Tuesday, August 23 at 7.30pm, exclusively on Black Belt Poker. 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 and costs $5+0.50 to enter. 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 offering some incredible prizes to those who make it into the top 10:

1st Nottingham Live Seat, London Live Last-Longer & Personalised Hoodie
2nd Nottingham Live Seat & London Live Last-Longer
3rd Nottingham Live Seat & London Live Last-Longer
4th Nottingham Live Seat & London Live Last-Longer
5th 600 Belt Points
6th 500 Belt Points
7th 400 Belt Points
8th 300 Belt Points
9th 200 Belt Points
10th 100 Belt Points

Last time, Blue Belt Tom Drew became the first ever double League winner when he took down the tenth League to date. As a result, he got to script and star in his very own poker scene alongisde the Black Belt Poker team with Jesse May commentating from the booth.

Tom Drew's done it twice, but 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

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

Academy: Poker in the Modern World

If you're struggling to keep up with all the latest technologies and want to learn more about how you can further your game in the current climate, then look no further than our latest Black Belt Poker Academy: Poker in the Modern World.

Poker is a constantly changing game and staying ahead of the pack is hard work, but this Saturday, August 20, our expert tutors will make simple some of the cutting-edge tools required to win at the online felt.

Joining Bluff Europe columnist Alex Rousso will be cash game pro Kevin Williams, who recently won iPoker's weekly $200,000 GTD tournament for $42,000. Together, they will cover a range of topics from poker trackers, HUDs, odds compilers, PokerStove, forums and more.

We spoke to poker coach Alex Rousso about the Academy:

http://www.blackbeltpoker.com/articles/read/Academy-Modern-World

The Academy will take place at the Grosvenor Victoria Casino in London with the following schedule:

- Introduction: getting the most from poker tools
- Talk: hand review using trackers
- Workshop: Poker Tracker vs. Hold'em Manager
- Talk: optimising your HUD
- Workshop: using HUDs
- Watch The Pros: using HUDs
- Talk: avoiding red herrings
- Talk: Hand review using trackers
- Workshop: further tracking software advice
- Mini Workshops: odds & equity software, training advice, or live satellites

As was recently announced, all Academy tickets are now just £99, or a bargain £400 for four. To book your ticket for Saturday's event, or any future Academy, please drop us an email at training@blackbeltpoker.com to discuss payment options. Alternatively, you can purchase a token in the Black Belt Poker Store under 'Live Events'.

Black Belt Live Heads to Nottingham

November is traditionally the time for sparklers and bonfires, but this year we're serving up more fireworks than an Olympic opening ceremony with the inaugural... Black Belt Nottingham Live.

Following the success of the London Live, we decided that one affordable, well-structured, added-value tournament a year wasn't enough for our players, so are proud to announce our latest poker bonanza taking place at the highly acclaimed Dust Till Dawn Poker Club in Nottingham.

Scheduled for November 18-20, the Nottingham Live will be a No Limit Hold'em freezeout with a buy-in to suit all wallet sizes. For just $125+15, you'll get to play a deep-stacked event alongside both amateurs and pros alike including Richard Ashby, Sam Razavi and Jamie Burland.

"We never really planned to have two live events a year," commented Neil Channing, "but we've been so overwhelmed with the popularity of our London Live, that we decided to host another one in Nottingham. I love getting to know our players, and these events are a great opportunity for people to meet the other members of the community, and hopefully plenty of new faces too."

"DTD's an amazing venue," added Black Belt Poker CEO and WSOP finalist Warren Wooldridge, "and we're all looking forward to playing there. Rob and his team do a great job and I think our players will really enjoy playing an affordable event in such a nice card room. It's also a great chance for those in other parts of the country to experience a Black Belt Poker live event."

Black Belt Poker are guaranteeing a $50,000 prize pool, as well as adding value with Belt Bonuses and pro bounties. And for those looking to qualify for a bargain price, we'll also be hosting an array of satellites in the weeks leading up to the event.

Registration will open this Monday, available exclusively through the Black Belt Poker online cardroom.

In the meantime, if you haven't yet created an account, doing so couldn't be easier: simply download the poker client and follow the simple steps provided. If you encounter any problems, then please don't hesitate to contact customer support.

Magnificent Seven

It's time to get out your posh frocks and hit the red carpet as the British Poker Awards makes its second appearance to date. Coinciding with this year's Poker in the Park, the ceremony will take place on the main stage at 3pm on Saturday, September 3 with appearances from a plethora of stars from the UK poker scene including Liv Boeree, Sam Trickett and Jake Cody.

As always, there are numerous categories for you to cast your vote, such as 'Best International Player' and 'Best Poker League', with a couple of other news one thrown into the mix including the somewhat controversial 'Best Social Media User'.

Last year, Black Belt Poker sponsored pros Neil Channing and Richard Ashby walked away with silverware, and this time they're in contention again with no fewer than six nominations between them, in addition to a minor appearance on the list from yours truly.

Best Cash Player - Richard Ashby
Mixed Game Player - Richard Ashby
PLO Player - Richard Ashby
Online Player - Richard Ashby
Best Blogger - Neil Channing, Snoopy
Best Contribution to Poker - Neil Channing

Like a flock of magpies chasing a milk float, we love shiny stuff here at Black Belt Poker, so please help us brighten up the office by voting for the aforementioned in their respective categories. To cast your vote, simply go to thebritishpokerawards.com and tick the relevant boxes. Once you've submitted your votes, you'll then be thrown into a free draw in which one lucky person will win a free seat into the weekly £300 event at Palm Beach.

With the exception of Neil inexplicably being excluded from the 'Personality of the Year' category, this year's ceremony should be great fun, especially if Black Belt Poker can capture some gold. The website states: "The second annual British Poker Awards isn’t about self-congratulatory back-slapping; it’s about honouring the players who have done us so proud on the world stage this year," but you know what, we could do with a quick back-slap to soften the blow of recent bad beats, so cast your vote now.

CEO Receives Promotion

Warren Wooldridge has become the latest player to scale the ranks of the Black Belt Poker Belt-Up Rewards System and become Brown Belt. As a result, he now receives $4,000 in live tournament backing every month.

Warren became CEO of Black Belt Poker 18 months ago and decided to test the product himself by working his way through the Belts. He reached Blue Belt after several months and later earned his spot in the Vegas 11 where he'd get to stay in the Black Belt Poker luxury mansion and spend his sponsorship on WSOP tournaments.

One of those tournaments was Event #54.

Across four days of blood, sweat and tears, Warren battled his way through a mammoth 4,576-thick field to finish third for an incredible $288,946, eliminated when his A-J was cruelly outdrawn by A-9. In doing so, he inflated the Vegas Prize Fund to $9,232.76, which led to 127 Black Belt Poker players receiving $72.70 each.

Although Black Belt Poker backing works on a 50-50 deal, we also offer a unique benefit in the form of Prize Points and award points for any in-the-money finish. Warren therefore received an enormous 433,419 points, which was enough to propel him to Brown Belt and keep him at that level for in excess of 8 months.

This means that he'll have $32,000 in tournament sponsorship at his disposal without the need to play a single hand!

Despite his tender years and youthful looks, Warren is a veteran of the felt and has been a trusted member of the 'poker scene' for many a year. With a long string of results including second in the 2007 Luton GUKPT (an event which long-time friend Neil Channing would win three years later), Warren has collated an impressive $573,911 in live tournament winnings.

"Although I'm CEO of Black Belt Poker, I'm a poker fanatic and love to play whenever I have the chance," commented Warren. "I'm really looking forward to spending my Brown Belt sponsorship on upcoming tournaments and will be making my first stop at the Edinburgh UKIPT in just over a week's time.

"Prize Points are a great benefit that you won't find elsewhere. Our rewards system is structured so that it rewards success in live tournaments. Because I have a family and a full-time job, I don't have as much free time as other players, but this shows just how far you can get even if poker isn't your primary profession."

If you'd like to follow Warren in becoming one of our sponsored pros, then be sure to check out the Belt-Up Rewards System for more information.

Related links:

Warren Wooldridge Finishes Third in Event #54
Event #54 Image Gallery
Event #54 Live Coverage
Neil Channing Blog - 'Who's the Boss?'
Pre-Vegas Blog - 'Moving House is Stressful!'
Vegas 11 Page
Belt-Up Rewards System
Vegas Prize Fund
Vegas Prize Fund Pays Out $9.2K!

Double Werrrrd Score

He may speak an intangible language, and struggle with some of life's simplest tasks, but beyond the street talk and punctuality slip-ups, is there a sharp poker brain lurking in the murky depths? One that can lead a man to fortunes at the felt, and meticulously break down any opponent that steps in his way? Have we been bluffed all along?

The record books would suggest so.

Last night, and following hours of gruelling mouse-clicking, League X arrived at its conclusion and crowned its first double-champion: Tom 'Werrrrd' Drew.

A Blue Belt on the Belt-Up Rewards System, Tom receives $1,500 per month in live tournament backing and last month cashed in the Brighton UKIPT for £1,200. When he's not making money at the live felt, he can be found lingering in cyber space, either playing heads-up cash or, every Tuesday at 7.30pm, displaying his dominance in the Black Belt Poker League

Tom was a chunky 51 points in front heading into the final Leg; preventing victory would have been like trying to stop a herd of elephants with a pea-shooter, and despite the best attempts of the rest of the 47-strong field, Tom's ninth place finish (and, incredibly, fifth top 10 finish of League X) was more than enough to secure his seat on the throne, and a second visit following his triumph in League VII.

We'd have to confirm with our statisticians, but it looks like Tom is the first player to ever win a League without taking down an individual Leg. In the final outing, that honour belonged to Ian 'mork1971' Goodwin who turned a Spending Points' token into a juicy $94.000 payday.

1st mork1971 -- $94.00
2nd forgot2piknik -- $58.75
3rd rustypokerhead -- $37.60
4th nakgeela4 -- $25.85
5th losbert40 -- $18.80
6th S0lution
7th paul6543
8th eixip50
9th Werrrrd

As a result, Tom finished proceedings with 461 points, 66 ahead of League II Champion Mark 'russellhansen' Brassington who leap-frogged Zoe 'ZoeRiZZ0' Orton-Jay into second with a 10th place finish. Meanwhile, mork1971 jumped up to fourth, whilst last week's winner Dean 'LAYERCAKE35' Watson clung onto a top 10 spot despite coming 35th. The only player to drop out of the prize positions was '1080Sniper' who mysteriously no-showed.

1st Werrrrd (461 points) -- Ultimate Poker Fantasy Package
2nd russellhansen (395 points) -- 1,000 Belt Points
3rd ZoeRiZZ0 (392 points) -- 850 Belt Points
4th brigal19 (376 points) -- 750 Belt Points
5th mork1971 (375 points) -- 600 Belt Points
6th TopMossley (373 points) -- 500 Belt Points
7th bagpussrocks (372 points) -- 400 Belt Points
8th UliKoko (363 points) -- 300 Belt Points
9th RykanShadow (358 points) -- 200 Belt Points
10th LAYERCAKE35 (357 points) -- 100 Belt Points

11th sceaga2 -- 342 points
12th BoatDrink -- 338 points
13th nakgeela4 -- 336 points
14th 1080Sniper -- 336 points
15th thehingster -- 334 points
16th losbert40 -- 323 points
17th stevegw -- 322 points
18th eixip50 -- 300 points
19th tristiano -- 289 points
20th insider66666 -- 271 points

Although Tom will have been busy with a bottle of bubbly, the night wasn't quite over as the $15+1.5 Deepstack Mulligan hit BBP shores just 60 minutes later. Bizarrely, the event was gobbled up by two 'Ourkids', while WSOP online qualifier and winner of this very event last week, Sean 'Snotterz' Fennessey, once again made the money in third.

1st Ourkid888 -- $82.50
2nd ourkidsid -- $49.50
3rd Snotterz -- $33.00
4th losbert40
5th Touagorimou
6th paul6543
7th 99Ranny
8th sexyfilmer6
9th bagpussrocks
10th CareybearBBP
11th SebastianKat

After he's recovered from his hangover (I'm sure the celebrations will have been wild), Tom will be preparing to live out his Ultimate Poker Fantasy. Whilst we can't promise him Liv Boeree or Shannon Elizabeth, we can guarantee a dip into the world of amateur dramatics and a starring role in his own poker video with cameo appearances from Richard Ashby and Neil Channing and commentary from the legendary Jesse May.

As for everyone else, you have another League to look forward to, and a fresh start. League XI kicks-off in three weeks' time on Tuesday, August 23 with a soon-to-be-announced prize. Forget the November Nine, this is where it's at, so don't miss out on your chance to join poker's most illustrious list…

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

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