$200,000 GTD - Tonight!

January may have come and gone, but the Winter Sales have become a permanent fixture at Black Belt Poker as we continue to offer our players more value than anywhere else.

The Winter Sales saw Black Belt Poker go discount doo-lally as we slashed the buy-ins of a number of tournaments but maintained the same fantastic guaran-damn-tees. In a sheer moment of madness, we even offered WSOP Main Event seats to anyone who eliminated Neil Channing or Richard Ashby from the $200,000 GTD. Their assassins certainly regretted not playing on Black Belt Poker.

Over a month on and it would seem that Black Belt Poker are still stuck at the funny farm as we've decided to keep the buy-in of the weekly $200,000 GTD at the cut-price of just $200+15. Already there have been overlays for this event, so we truly are giving away money.

The next event starts tonight at 7pm. With a starting stack of 10,000, the $200,000 GTD offers players a deep structure for a mouth-watering prize at a plus EV price. And if that wasn't value enough, then anyone who doesn't make the money has another chance to shine in a $5,000 second chance freeroll on Monday at 7pm.

If $215 is stretching the bankroll, then don't fret, as we're holding a host of satellites throughout the week, including a $25+2.5 mega freezeout on Saturday where not 10, not 25, but an incredible 50 guaranteed seats will be up for grabs. If you can't wait until next week, then there are plenty of satellites available today with buy-ins as low as $1.20!

Stage 2:

2.00pm -- $1.80+0.18 Turbo Rebuy (10 seats guaranteed)
3.15pm -- $2+0.20 Turbo Rebuy (5 seats guaranteed)
4.30pm -- $1.10+0.10 Rocket Rebuy (30 seats guaranteed)

Stage 1:

3.30pm -- $25+2.50 Freezeout (15 seats guaranteed)
4.15pm -- $18+1.80 Turbo Rebuy (15 seats guaranteed)
5.00pm -- $18+1.80 Turbo Rebuy (20 seats guaranteed)
5.15pm -- $25+2.50 Speed Rebuy (10 seats guaranteed)
5.30pm -- $10+1 Speed Rebuy (15 seats guaranteed)

With so much value on offer, it looks like Black Belt Poker are insane in the membrane and destined for a life in the asylum. If you want to take advantage of the lunacy, then make sure you check out the site now and ensure that you secure your seat on the Black Belt Poker bus to Valuetown.

New to Black Belt Poker? Signing up couldn't be easier. Just download the poker client, follow the simply instructions to opening an account, then locate the aforementioned events in the tournament lobby under Scheduled.

An Ace Up His Sleeve

Despite the handle, there were no accusations of concealed cards last night as Paul 'hiddenacesBBP' Hollick took down the fifth Leg of the Black Belt Poker League. Faced with a 62-strong field, hiddenacesBBP defeated an eclectic mix of pros and amateurs alike to capture treasures of just shy of $100, as well as seven days of bragging rights.

On this occasion, John 'luckyed147' Sanders was the bridesmaid, leaving former Champion Mark 'russellhansen' Brassington with the role of pageboy in third. Also finalling were Sean '10Royals' Lassman and Chris 'losbert40' Osborne who both turned Spending Points into hard cash after entering via a Black Belt Poker token.

This week saw a heavy influence of sponsored pros hit the virtual felt, but none featured in the money. Whilst Kevin 'Kevish47' Williams came close, but no cigar, in 11th, Joe 'JustinBieber' Roberts, Jerome 'GONGONONGO' Bradpiece, Gavin 'TFMonty007' Hall and Owen 'Ruaction' Robinson were quickly disposed of finishing 47th, 54th, 60th and 61st respectively.

1st hiddenacesBBP -- $99.20
2nd luckyed147 -- $68.20
3rd russellhansen -- $41.85
4th themackem1968 -- $31.00
5th cikarang5 -- $23.25
6th 10Royals -- $18.60
7th BoatDrink -- $15.50
8th losbert40 -- $12.40

Like last time, there was little movement in the League Standings, the only exception being Andy 'mrdroodle' Eskine and Ewen 'ewen51' MacRitchie who experienced a seesaw exchange with the former leap-frogging into third following a solid 12th place finish, and the latter sliding down from 6th to 16th quicker than a lard-encrusted eel after a surprise no-show.

At the top, Trevor 'TeeDeeEye1' Ingman is remaining as defiant as ever despite a mediocre 37th place finish, maintaining a comfortable lead of 64 points with three Legs remaining. His saving grace was, surely, the disappointing showing from second-place Leigh 'ch1paccrual' Wiltshire who could only muster 57th.

1st TeeDeeEye1 -- 439 points
2nd ch1paccrual -- 375 points
3rd Mrdroodle -- 356 points
4th FlopTheNuts77 -- 351 points
5th habbad -- 351 points
6th JimmyTheBhoy -- 349 points
7th DididavidBEL09 -- 339 points
8th Werrrrd -- 336 points
9th 99Ranny -- 333 points
10th bh0yw0nder -- 321 points

With Black Belt Poker guaranteeing seats, the London Live super satellite was well attended with 31 looking to secure one of four spots. In the end, they went to Joanne 'InURdreamz' Sweeney, 1894IAIN, David 'DididavidBEL09' Meunier and Chris 'youshouldstakeme' Cornelius, the latter of whom won his seat for just $5 after triumphing in Thursday's Stage 1 satellite. Meanwhile, mrdroodle, who qualified via last week's Donkament, just about made a profit as he snuck into the money in seventh.

1st youshouldstakeme -- London Live seat
2nd DididavidBEL09 -- London Live seat
3rd 1894IAIN -- London Live seat
4th InURdreamz -- London Live seat
5th disciple999 -- $70.00
6th sceaga2 -- $42.00
7th Mrdroodle -- $28.00

The final event of the night was the $1 Donkament with one guaranteed seat into next week's $40+4 super satellite. That spot went to none other than League I Champion Adam 'JHobbit1' Saunders, whose bar exploits from last year will surely be in for a repeat performance.

1st JHobbit1 -- super satellite seat
2nd insider6666 -- $19.00
3rd Anonymous
4th BoatDrink -- $7.60

Congratulations to anyone listed above; Super Tuesday is a cracking evening of poker fun and frolics, and this week was no different. If you're reading this and thinking, 'Hey, I quite fancy playing the London Live for cheap,' then fear not, as next week, Super Tuesday will be returning with the same line-up, and another chance for you to secure your spot in the hottest event of the year.

If playing the Black Belt London Live II for $1 tickles your fancy, then getting started couldn't be easier. Simply download the poker client, open an account, and get registered for next week's event. See you there!

League VIII: London Live II
Werrrrd on the Streak; Leg 1 Dominance
TeeDeeEye1 Steers to Victory in Leg 2
I Should Koko; P.D. Takes Leg 3
Better Laight Than Never

Better Laight Than Never

Last Tuesday, it was a League Supernova for 'Ourkid888' as Jon Laight found himself 'caught beneath a landslide' of triumph as he reigned supreme in Leg 4 of League VIII.

The spoils consisted of $120 and 105 League points, credited after a dogged performance that saw Ourkid888 best a field of 80. The final soldier toppled was Peter 'Merlin52' Goulding, who despite a fine showing, was unable to yield his magic to garnish a fist final-table appearance with a League victory.

Also finalling (in fifth) was Sam 'KODDZILLA' Razavi, fresh off final-tabling the recent Aussie Millions Main Event for a whopping A$225,000. Fellow Black Belt Neil Channing also featured, but could only muster a disappointing 67th place finish, whilst reigning League Champion Tom 'Werrrrd' Drew didn't fair much better in 53rd.

1st Ourkid888 -- $120.00
2nd Merlin52 -- $80.00
3rd huddy2602 -- $50.00
4th ch1paccrual -- $38.00
5th KODDZILLA -- $30.00
6th FlopTheNuts77 -- $24.00
7th ourkidsid -- $20.00
8th betyama -- $16.00
9th CareybearBBP -- $12.00
10th pbsef81 -- $10.00

Despite bubbling the final table, 11th was enough to see Trevor 'TeeDeeEye1' Ingham extend his lead at the top to 413 points, a disconcerting 44 points ahead of nearest rival Leigh 'ch1paccrual' Wiltshire who leap-frogged Ewen 'ewen51' MacRitchie into second. Meanwhile, Gavin 'TFMonty007' Hall drops from the top 10 after a frustrating 51st place finish, to be replaced by former League Champion Mark '99Ranny' Ranson who skips into ninth.

1st TeeDeeEye1 -- 413 points
2nd ch1paccrual -- 369 points
3rd FlopTheNuts77 -- 338 points
4th JimmyTheBhoy -- 325 points
5th habbad -- 311 points
6th ewen51 -- 311 points
7th Werrrrd -- 309 points
8th Mrdroodle -- 306 points
9th 99Ranny -- 302 points
10th bh0yw0nder -- 293 points

As always, defeat in the League didn't necessarily mean an early night, as 30 minutes later saw the fourth London Live super satellite kick off with 24 salivating poker fanatics looking to secure their seat in April's extravaganza. In the end, three more seats were filled, with Purple Belt Richard 'generalshifty' Hurst being joined at the Grosvenor Victoria (bar) by Deboarah 'whosurmama' Worley-Roberts and Gareth 'PKRLocke' Alder.

1st generalshifty -- $275.00
2nd whosurmama -- $275.00
3rd PKRLocke -- $275.00
4th TableKnight -- $67.50
5th DididavidBEL09 -- $40.04
6th WarSunTzu -- £27.00

The $1 Donkament into next week's super satellite was similarly well attended with Andy 'mrdroodle' Erskine topping the 24-strong field, whilst former League Champion Adam 'JHobbit1' Saunders just missing out in second.

1st Mrdroodle -- $44.00
2nd JHobbit1 -- $17.50
3rd losbert40 -- $10.50
4th betyama -- $7.00

Although Tuesday is Black Belt Poker's day of poker feasting, we also offer a snack on Thursday evening for those with big appetites. Following the starting whistle of the Yellow Belt freeroll, there's a $5 satellite at 8.30pm with one seat guaranteed into the following Tuesday's $40+4 super satellite.

This week's event was hotly contested with 17 players - including Blue Belt Joe 'JustinBieber' Roberts and League III Champion David 'DididavidBEL09' Meunier - hitting the virtual felt, but after the smoke had cleared and the dust settled, it was Chris 'youshoulstakeme' Cornelius who advanced with Grant 'betyama' Darnley forced to settle for second.

1st youshouldstakem -- super satellite seat
2nd betyama -- $20.50
3rd JustinBieber -- $12.30
4th TFMonty007 -- $8.20

The Black Belt London Live II hits Vic shores this April 1-3. It's not too late to earn your free seat by winning the League, but if you want to preempt a sellout and secure your seat early, then direct buy in is available via the site. Simply download the poker client and locate the tournament in Scheduled > London Live > BBP London Live Day 1A/1B to buy into the must-play tournament of the year.

League VIII: London Live II
Werrrrd on the Streak; Leg 1 Dominance
TeeDeeEye1 Steers to Victory in Leg 2
I Should Koko; P.D. Takes Leg 3

London Live II: Six of the Best

With no fewer than 20 bounties, this year's Black Belt London Live II promises to feature more stars than an entire series of Celebrity Squares. Today, we are proud to announce six confirmed bounties who will be adorning the Wanted posters at the Vic this April.

Fresh off winning the High Rollers event at the UKIPT Nottingham for £34,200, Jake Cody will be appearing at London Live II to showcase his talent. At just 22-years of age, Jake has already achieved feats that many veterans can only dream of and will be looking to become a Triple Crown champion in Vegas this year after winning EPT Deauville and WPT London in 2010.

One man who wears that desired gold is Marty Smyth, the Irishman having secured his bracelet in 2008 when he won the $10,000 World Championship Pot Limit Omaha event for $859,549. But this was just one of many triumphs with Marty also boasting Irish Open, World Open and Poker Million silverware, culminating to an incredible $3.8 million in live tournament winnings.

Joining Jake and Marty with targets on their heads will be Hit Squad member James Akenhead. A former train driver from London, James shot to stardom when he became a member of the November Nine in 2009, eventually falling in ninth for $1,263,602. Since then, he has gone on to greatness, finalling the WSOPE the same year, winning Poker Million VIII for $500,000, and securing a lucrative deal with sponsors Full Tilt Poker.

Completing the half-dozen of superstar bounties are the Black Belt Poker Black Belts: 2008 Irish Open and 2010 GUKPT Luton Champion Neil Channing, bracelet-winner and nosebleed Omaha pro Richard Ashby, and Grading III winner Sam Razavi, who recently finished sixth in the Aussie Millions Main Event for a delicious A$225,000.

If the above announcement has hit you for six, then check out the site for all the details. With up to $250 for eliminating a bounty, you could potentially go away with anything up to $5,000 without even making the money! But that's not where the value stops, as we're guaranteeing a $100,000 prize pool, a $20,000 first prize, a deep structure, and up to 20% added to all prizes, and all for just $250+25!

The London Live II is destined to be another roaring success and tickets are selling fast. To secure your seat, simply download the poker client, open an account, and register via the tournament lobby: Scheduled > London Live > BBP London LIve II Day 1A/1B.

Relevant links:

London Live Returns
Satellite into the London Live for $1
New Year Diary - Jake Cody
Player Interview: Jake Cody
Player Interview: Marty Smyth
Video Interview: James Akenhead

N-n-n-nineteen in N-n-n-nottingham

After just one season, the UKIPT has become the staple of the UK poker circuit with players nationwide flocking back into the casinos with a newfound desire to fight it out across the tournament felt. This week, the tour bus makes its second stop in Nottingham after a hugely successful debut last year when 650 poker fanatics crammed into the highly acclaimed Dusk Till Dawn Club.

The runner-up on that occasion was Oliver Schaffmann who took away a cool £46,700 after being pipped at the post by eventual winner Andrew Couldridge. Oliver would later become a part of Grading III, travelling from Germany to participate in the London Workshops before finally winning a £5,000 package to play all of Season 2's UKIPT Legs. Also making the final table was fellow Blue Belt Owen Robinson who finished fourth for £21,400.

This week, Oliver and Owen form part of a 19-strong team of players flying the flag for Black Belt Poker in Nottingham with the ambush spearheaded by the three Black Belts: Neil Channing, Richard Ashby, and man-of-the-moment Sam Razavi, fresh off his final table appearance in Oz when he finished sixth in the Aussie Millions Main Event for a spectacular A$225,000.

The full line-up is as follows:

Neil Channing (Black Belt)
Richard Ashby (Black Belt)
Sam Razavi (Black Belt)

Nik Persaud (Brown Belt)
Jerome Bradpiece (Brown Belt)

Ollie Schaffmann (Blue Belt)
David Docherty (Blue Belt)
Tom Drew (Blue Belt)
Joe Roberts (Blue Belt)
Simon Mairs (Blue Belt)
Adam Goulding (Blue Belt)
Warren Wooldridge (Blue Belt)
Gavin Hall (Blue Belt)
Kevin Williams (Blue Belt)
Jamie Burland (Blue Belt)
Mickey Morley (Blue Belt)
Andrew Miles (Blue Belt)
Owen Robinson (Blue Belt)
Adam Latimer (Blue Belt)

With a 15,000 starting stack and 45-minute clock, the UKIPT is snip at £500+60, and with a venue like Dusk Till Dawn, players can be assured a top class service. As such, Black Belt Poker are proud to be supporting the event and will be keen to make an impact.

Tomorrow, the likes of Jerome Bradpiece, Neil Channing and Brighton Leg Champion Jamie Burland will be hitting the green baize for Day 1a. If you would like to see if Black Belt Poker get off too a good start, then please check out the thread in 'groups' for all the latest news.

I Should Koko; P.D. Takes Leg 3

Another Tuesday and another night of poker festivity on Black Belt Poker as the poker world once again assembled over the virtual felt to battle it out for the game's most illustrious title: League VIII Champion.

This week, 91 sought to inch closer towards that dream, including Black Belts Neil Channing and Richard Ashby, the latter fresh off a side event victory in Oz. Although they could only manage 80th and 42nd respectively, others did excel, in particular last week's Leg winner Trevor 'TeeDeeEye1' Ingham, who made his second consecutive final. Meanwhile, James 'JimmyTheBoy' Carrigan echoed his final table appearance in Leg 1 but, alas, could only muster a 10th place finish.

The spoils, instead, went to Peter 'UliKoko' Derrick, the Orange Belt defeating Blue Belt and former Grader Joe 'JustinBieber' Roberts heads-up to capture his first League victory and a tasty $136.52 booty to, er… boot. In third place sat Tom 'habbad' Thompson, whilst Gareth 'garethaber' Jones just missed out on a podium finish in fourth.

1st UliKoko -- $136.52
2nd JustinBieber -- $91.00
3rd habbad -- $56.87
4th garethhaber -- $43.22
5th pbsef1 -- $34.12
6th TeeDeeEye1 -- $27.30
7th Werrrrd -- $22.75
8th SurrealKiller -- $18.20
9th sceaga2 -- $13.65
10th JimmyTheBhoy -- $11.37

After an impressive couple of weeks, TeeDeeEye1 not only holds onto his top spot, but extends it, whilst Leaigh 'ch1paccrual' Wiltshire slips all the way from 2nd to 6th following a 40th place finish. Meanwhile, Werrrrd has climbed back into the top 10, and is now joined by fellow Blue Belt Gavin 'TFMonty007' Hall who sneaks into 10th.

1st TeeDeeEye1 -- 343 points
2nd ewen51 -- 298 points
3rd JimmyTheBhoy -- 294 points
4th habbad -- 285 points
5th Werrrd -- 281 points
6th ch1paccrual -- 280 points
7th FlopTheNuts77 -- 255 points
8th Mrdroodle -- 250 points
9th bh0yw0nder -- 246 points
10th TFMonty007 -- 244 points

The increasingly popular London Live super satellite was up next, with 29 players - including Paul Marrow, Jamie Burland and David Docherty - seeking a cheap route to the Vic.

Although Richard 'generalshifty' Hurst softened the blow of a wooden-spoon performance in the League, it was Mandy 'wondrman' Card, Dojo host Kevin 'Kevish47' Williams, and former Grader John '0LuckBeerLady0' Hayes who secured their spot, whilst a mysterious unknown entity lapped up seat number four.

1st wondrwman -- London Live seat
2nd Kevish47 -- London Live seat
3rd 0LuckBeerLady0 -- London Live seat
4th Anonymous -- London Live seat
5th TableKnight -- $30.00
6th generalshifty -- $18.00
7th UsainZeus88 -- £12.00

There was similar mystery in the Donkament, as a non-Black Belt Poker player triumphed over the field of 26, with poor Carey 'Careybear' Hollick feeling the splash of the bubble.

1st Anonymous -- super satellite seat
2nd Xcomeone69X -- $17.00
3rd Anonymous
4th gnomeeee -- $6.80

And on that rebuying-frenzied note (although, this week, nobody reached the milestone of double-figured rebuys), Super Tuesday came to a close with another debutant Leg winner announced, and two more victims entered into the London Live II. As always, it was a fun-filled, roller coaster of a night; loved by many, regretted by some, but enjoyed by all. If you feel like being a part of the fun and frolics, then join us next week, same Bat-time, same Bat-channel.

Top open an account is easy: simply download the poker client and follow the step-by-step process provided.

League VIII: London Live II
Werrrrd on the Streak; Leg 1 Dominance
TeeDeeEye1 Steers to Victory in Leg 2

In De-Niall; Second for Team BBP

Led by a mystical cowboy and his trusted American wrangler, the Black Belt Poker team ambushed the APAT UK Team Championship at the tail end of January with just one goal on their mind: lassoing their foes on route to victory and capturing the illustrious title and Championship Cup.

For Team Captain Jon 'The British Cowboy' Woodfield, this was far from his first rodeo, yet he was left with the increasingly difficult responsibility of forming a team. Despite a few of the cattle escaping in the weeks leading up to the event - most notably, Aussie Millions finalist Sam Razavi, who had cantered Down Under after winning Grading III - Jon made a few last-minute substitutions to showcase a formidable and gritty line-up of card-slingers, and one that included not one, but two former League Champions:

Jon 'The British Cowboy' Woodfield (Captain)
Carey 'Careybear' Hollick (Vice Captain)
Jon Ourkid888' Laight
Julie 'Joobie538' Holness
Niall 'Firaldo87' Farrell
Mark '99Ranny' Ranson
Ebrahim 'HenryDaHaddock' Razavi
Mark 'russellhansen' Brassington

The ranch of choice was the G Casino, Bolton with 200 players competing over a £10,000 prize pool, with 50 percent of the gold going to the winning team and the rest landing in the lap of the individual winner, along with a seat into a GUKPT Main Event. With 25 teams stumping up the £400 (£50 each) buy-in - including the likes of blonde Poker, Northern Ireland Poker, Gambling Network, Live Pub Poker League and Punters' Lounge - and with a 10,000 starting stack with 45-minute blind levels, the journey was going to be a long, dogged one, with only the most resilient band of men (and ladies) coming out on top.

Although Jon led admirably from the front, and was joined on Day 2 by Julie, it was Niall whose guns were a-blazing as the team's sole representative on the final table. But heading in, Niall was sitting comfortably with 340,900, and second only to Mark Trett of the Newcastle Poker Forum who had 465,200.

Despite eliminating blonde Poker's Hugh Black on route to three-handed play, London Poker Meet-Up had already sealed team victory, thus leaving Black Belt Poker vying for the silver medal at best. Niall, however, remained focussed on the highest tier of the podium, and following a rugged battle with Helen Godfrey, finally desaddled his foe with K-2 versus K-8 all in on a K-2-x flop. As such, Niall was crowned the individual Champion - a title which was accompanied by a £1,200 treasure chest - while the Black Belt Poker team finished the weekend in a highly credible second place.

"After weeks and weeks of getting volunteers," commented Team Captain Jon Woodfield, "then replacing the ones who couldn’t get time off work and those who decided they’d rather play the GUKPT, and, of course, finding a replacement because Neil stole the team’s best player to take to Australia (although, I suppose, that ended up quite well), we finally arrived in Bolton with a team of eight players to take on the rest of the UK poker world.

"I had completely failed to appreciate Niall’s skill / luck, though," he continued, "He always seemed in control of the situation at the final table and the truly surprising element was that he never got caught out (too much) by any outdraws which could have finished him off in one blow; this held him through to the final hand where his luck gave him an outdraw with a dominated hand – but his skill advantage was illustrated by the fact that it was after he’d already hit that the chips went in. We didn’t win, but we did OK. Next year we’ll win it all."

"I have now 'adopted' Niall as my new son," added Vice Captain Carey Hollick. "He's such an amazing player; right around the bubble he raised 14 consecutive hands in a row. Listening to him talk about poker is mind-blowing and I'm very grateful for meeting him this weekend. APAT is definitely going to be attended by me more this year; the people were amazingly friendly and I haven't had more fun at a live event in so long!"

1st London Poker Meet-Up -- £2,500
2nd Black Belt Poker -- £1,500
3rd Gambling Network Forum -- £1,000

1st Niall Farrell -- £1,200
2nd Helen Godfrey -- £650
3rd Mark Trett -- £400
4th Michael Martin -- £250
5th Hugh Black -- £250
6th Andrew Cairns -- £250
7th Matthew Carter -- £250
8th Andrew Young -- £250
9th John Murray -- £250
10th Steve Redfern -- £250
11th Scott Wilson -- £100
12th Tom Stewart-Fielding -- £100
13th Richard Baker -- £100
14th Dave Stephenson -- £100
15th Kevin Ridley -- £100
16th Iain Wilson -- £100
17th Andrew Walker -- £100
18th Rob Spencer -- £100
19th Al Rayner -- £100
20th Kevin Bloor -- £100

TeeDeeEye1 Steers to Victory in Leg 2

After last week's decimation of the 132 record-breaking field, it appeared as though Tom 'Werrrrd' Drew's League dominance had rolled over into Season 8, and that anyone else who attended was simply making up the numbers. This week, however, the troops were mobilised, the fortress was built and, finally, King Drew was toppled from his throne.

That regal honour was instead bestowed upon the head of Yellow Belt Trevor 'TeeDeeEye1' Ingman, who not only made his second consecutive final table, but defeated Chris 'losbert40' Osborne heads-up to capture his first victory to date, as well as the $150 crown jewels.

Among the 100 who stumped up the $5 buy-in fee were a number of familiar faces, many of whom came close-but-no cigar, including Simon 'AlwaysMissing' Mairs, David 'bh0yw0nder' Docherty and David 'DididavidBEL09' Meunier, the latter of whom entered into the inagural London Live as reigning League Champion.

1st TeeDeeEye1 -- $150.00
2nd losbert40 -- $100.00
3rd ch1paccrual -- $62.50
4th ewen51 -- $47.50
5th AlwaysMissing -- $37.50
6th bh0yw0nder -- $30.00
7th 10Royals -- $25.00
8th 5uper5tud -- $20.00
9th DididavidBEL09 -- $15.00
10th baligirl13 -- $12.50

His 10th place finish last week means that TeeDeeEye1 is now flying high in the League Standings with 249 points, whilst Leigh 'ch1paccrual' Wiltshire (18th and 3rd) and Ewen 'ewen51' MacRitchie (14th and 4th) are snapping at his heels like alligators with toothache on 228 points a piece.

As for last week's titans, Tom and Gavin 'TFMonty007' Hall's below par performances (68th and 71st respectively) this time around mean they slip out of the top 10, thus proving that it only takes one bad showing to slide downhill quicker than an eel on a water slide.

1st TeeDeeEye1 -- 249 points
2nd ch1paccrual -- 228 points
3rd ewen51 -- 228 points
4th youshouldstakeme -- 220 points
5th DididavidBEL09 -- 215 points
6th JimmyTheBhoy -- 211 points
7th bh0ywonder -- 208 points
8th Ruaction -- 201 points
9th cikarang5 -- 196 points
10th Mrdroodle -- 195 points

Perhaps the tournament that many were checking out from the corner of their eye was the 8pm super satellite, the qualifiers of which would be heading to the London Live with a free pass: do not pass go, but do collect $275.

With 23 taking their seats, it was going to be a battle, but it was one that was jointly won by the trio of Tony '7onyB' Booth, Green Belt Mark 'allmichips' Charles, and former Grader Marty 'MJR719' Rice.

Meanwhile, Blue Belt and Enlightenment Sensei Kevin 'Kevish47' Williams felt the splash of the seat bubble, whilst fifth place Vickie 'AngelVicki48' Lambert was a gnat's pubic hair away from booking her seat for just $3 after earning a spot in last week's $1 Donkament satellite.

1st MJR719 -- London Live seat
2nd 7onyB -- London Live seat
3rd allmichips -- London Live seat
4th Kevish47 -- $47.50
5th AngelVickie48 -- $28.50
6th 1894IAIN -- $19.00

Talking of Donkament satellites, just 30 minutes later, 30 hopefuls sought to transform a $1 acorn of an investment into a giant $275 red oak tree. Nobody quite achieved that feat, although Malcolm 'lionrampant' Sievwright managed to earn his seat with just the single rebuy/add-on.

1st betyama -- super satellite seat
2nd lionrampant27 -- super satellite seat
3rd Ourkid888 -- $5.00
4th BeauNidle1 -- $3.00
5th BoatDrink -- $2.00

Although Super Tuesdays have quickly become the main focus for those heading down the London Live Brick road, we also hold a weekly $5 satellite that runs parallel with Thursday's Yellow Belt Freeroll. 15 participated last night including Carey 'Careybear' Hollick - who was one of two winners in Monday's Orange Belt Academy Freeroll - but the top dog was ultimately Rob 'SirNutFlopper' Weston, who, last year, won a trip to Las Vegas courtesy of the Quad Aces promotion. Maybe next week, he'll add the London Live to his repertoire.

1st SirNutFlopper -- super satellite seat
2nd BeauNidle1 -- $15.50
3rd TFMonty007 -- $9.30
4th NPENFOLD -- $6.20

With the London Live, recently announced Academy, and revamped Dojo Sessions, there's plenty going on at Black Belt Poker, and we'd love to have you involved. If you'd like to participate in the most competitive, but friendly Leagues in cyber space, then be sure to check us out. With only two Legs in the bag, it's not too late to join the race. Simply download the poker client, open an account, and locate Black Belt Tournaments in the cardamom lobby. Oh, and hold on tight, it's gonna be a fast ride.

League VIII: London Live II
Werrrrd on the Streak; Leg 1 Dominance

BBP Academy: The Great Debate

History has witnessed some monumental debates: is the world flat, who should and shouldn't vote, and who's better, Christina or Britney? But, of course, the greatest debate known to man is that of the three traditional tournament poker styles.

Following a brief hiatus during the festive period, the Black Belt Poker Academy is set to return this February for its first outing of the year. Due to popular demand, the returning topic will be 'Accumulating Chips in Tournaments - Part One: The Three Money-Making Tournament Styles' with mentors debating the pros and cons of the TAG, LAG and Small Ball styles.

Akin to a heated episode of Question Time, each style will be defended to the last with poker theorist Alex Rousso and UKIPT Brighton Champion Jamie Burland singing the praises of TAG and LAG respectively, whilst 2008 Irish Open Champion Neil Channing will highlight the benefits of adopting Small Ball. Meanwhile, attendees will be invited to add fuel to the fire with views and opinions of their own.

Scheduled for Saturday, February, 19, 2011, the day will run from 1pm - 7pm with the line-up as follows:

1pm Introduction
1.15pm The Tight-Agressive Style (Alex Rousso)
2pm TAG workshop
2.45pm Break
3pm The Loose-Aggressive Style (Jamie Burland)
3.45pm LAG Workshop
4.15pm Televised Hand Analysis
4.45pm Break
5pm The Small Ball Style (Neil Channing)
6.30pm Group Debate
7pm Seminar Ends

At 7.45pm, there will be an optional entry into a £50+6 tournament with a last-longer exclusive to Academy attendees. The winner of the last-longer will receive free entry into a future Academy of their choosing.

The Academy is capped at 30 and costs £150 per ticket. If you would like to attend, then simply send a cheque to Black Belt Poker Limited, The Rotunda, 42/3 Gloucester Crescent, London, NW1 7DL or transfer the money via the Black Belt Poker cardroom. For more information on cardroom transfers, please contact info@blackbeltpoker.com.

Alternatively, you can purchase your ticket with Spending Points earned through playing on the site. An Academy ticket is now available in the Black Belt Poker Store for 4,500 Spending Points. Simply log in to the community and select 'Store' in the top right hand menu.

The Black Belt Poker Academies are highly acclaimed and frequently receive positive reviews from attendees. If you would like to hear from some of the game's hottest talents, then be sure to secure your seat now and we look forward to seeing you later in the month... that's if you've survived Valentine's Day, of course.

Please note that the location will be confirmed within the next few days and will be in the London area.

Dojo Session Doors Reopen

The Age of Enlightenment may have been a philosophical era confined to the eighteenth century, but at Black Belt Poker, we're delighted to confirm that Enlightenment is still rife in 2011 with the return of our highly acclaimed Dojo Sessions.

Following a brief hiatus during January, the Dojo Sessions are braced to return for the month of February with the first Session taking place tomorrow night at 8pm. To freshen things up, there has been a changing of the guards with Black Belt Poker sponsored pros Kevin Williams and Jamie Burland now hosting the Sessions.

Jamie and Kevin were a product of the Grading in early 2010 and have since flourished as two of our most valued Blue Belts. In the summer, Jamie won the Brighton UKIPT for £65,400 before cashing in the London EPT for £21,000, whilst Kevin won a side event at the recent Galway UKIPT for €8,650 and has also given lectures at Boot Camps, Academies and the Leicester Square's Poker in the Park.

For those new to Black Belt Poker, Dojo Sessions are online lectures (often referred to as Webinars) whereby a sponsored pro presents a discussion on a certain poker topic, inviting attendees to interact and ask any questions they may have. They achieve this via such mediums as Skype and TeamViewer.

2011's first Dojo Session is titled 'HEM Workshop' and will offer a basic walkthrough with a Q&A on poker's best tracking software. Even if you already own the software, this is a must for those looking for guidance on how to correctly apply the information presented to them. At just 300 Spending Points, Dojo Sessions are an absolute bargain, and tomorrow's Session will be unique in that it will see Sensei Williams and Burland co-hosting the Session with contributions from other Blue Belts in attendance. Nowhere else will you receive such a plethora of advice from sponsored pros for such a budget price.

The schedule for February's Dojo Sessions is as follows, although if you would like to view the full schedule (included dates for March), then please see our 'Training' section on the homepage:

Thursday, February 3 (8pm) - 'The HEM Workshop' with Sensei Burland & Williams
Basic walk through and Q&A session for poker’s best tracking software.

Thursday, February 10 (8pm): 'Owning stacks!' with Sensei Burland & Williams
Using a villain’s own stack size against them.

Thursday, February 17 (8pm) - 'Thinking like a Fish' with Sensei Burland & Williams
Know your enemy, know yourself.

Thursday, February 24 (8pm) - Keeping Your Heads-Up with Sensei Tom Drew
An introduction to heads-up cash.

Dojo Sessions are available to all Yellow Belts and above. To secure your seat, simply sign into the community, click 'Store' in the top righthand menu and locate the appropriate token in 'Live Events'. You'll then be sent a confirmation email followed by details on how to attend closer to the event. However, be quick, as seats are selling fast, and there is limited attendance available.

"Whist we will be aiming this workshop mainly at people new to the software," commented Sensei Williams. "We will be also be spending time on a Q&A session workshopping any questions or problems existing users might be facing. So, come for an introduction or a refresher course on some of the best software on the market, and bring along your questions and problems!"

If you have any queries re. tomorrow's Dojo Session, then please feel free to contact us at enlightenment@blackbeltpoker.com, or the mentors directly at kevin@blackbeltpoker.com and jamie@blackbeltpoker.com.

Don't miss out on what is an incredible opportunity to join Black Belt Poker's Age of Enlightenment.