Samurai Satellite; Chase Channing

 
The weather may be unpredictable at the moment, but it's always a downpour of value at Black Belt Poker.

Tonight at 20:00 we're hosting another Samurai satellite with unlimited rebuys and one seat guaranteed, as well as late registration for those with wonky watches.

The buy-in is a mere $5+0.50 meaning you could play the $250+25 Main Event for just five bucks. Alternatively, you could order a token from the Store and qualify for free!

The tournament can be located in the lobby via Scheduled > Black Belt Tournaments > Samurai Rebuy Satellite. Register now to avoid missing out.

If that wasn't enough to whet your poker appetite, we're also placing a target on the head of Black Belt Neil Channing.

Eliminate the former Irish Open and GUKPT London Champion and we'll give you a free boarding pass.

Marvellous.

That's not the only way to add to your collection. Anyone who cashes in the $5,000 Freezeout ($10+1) at 19:30 will also bag a pass.

Boarding passes equate to one token into the $2,000 Freezeout ($5+0.50) during The 12 Days of Summer (August 1-12).

Dependent on the number of cashes, you will win one of several great prizes including a £2,500 tournament package.

"With the deadline for boarding passes just a few days away," commented Channing, "I'm going to feel like a matador in a bull pen in this satellite. Be gentle please…"

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

Dwyer Circumstances

 
This week the twentieth instalment of the Black Belt Poker League reached its thrilling conclusion as 63 hopefuls took to the cyber felt for the eighth and final leg.

The field was awash with talent with a plethora of former podium-toppers vying for gold including bornTOflirt, JHobbit1 and defending League Champion Timothy HammerHorror O'Mahoney.

Faced with stiff opposition - including NPenfold666, who was competing in his second consecutive final table - it was Darius AMANESS13 Demetriou who emerged as the sole survivor.

Following a back and forth battle, AMANESS13 overcame tristiano to secure the $94.52 first prize, as well as the final spot in the Second Chance SNG in which all leg winners will compete for a star prize.

1st  AMANESS13 -- $94.52
2nd  tristiano -- $63.00
3rd  MForce16 -- $47.25
4th  stevegw -- $31.50
5th  BoraBoraBoy -- $23.62
6th  bbhammerite -- $17.32
7th  NPenfold666 -- $14.17
8th  Ruaction -- $12.60
9th  tealcSVU -- $11.02

Victory for AMANESS13 saw him climb right up to fifth in the standings, but the overall League XX Champion was Andrew LegendKing1 Dwyer who ended the campaign just 13 points ahead of his nearest rival.

Heading into the home straight, Andrew sat six points behind in second place, but a 15th place finish saw him leapfrog David liquidpoker101 Manders who departed in 34th.

A Purple Belt from Ireland, Andrew becomes the first player to win both the League and Samurai titles, with this latest triumph earning him 10 boarding passes for use in the upcoming 12 Days of Summer promotion.

As a result, he now boasts the maximum of 12 boarding passes, and will be in with a shot of winning one of a number of incredible prizes including a live tournament package worth £2,500.

A total of 118 players competed in the latest Black Belt Poker League with 20 players awarded a prize. In addition, those who competed in all eight legs received a bonus 150 Belt Points.

1st  LegendKing1 -- 473 points (10 boarding passes)
2nd  liquidpoker101 -- 460 points (7 boarding passes)
3rd  2LAMCHOP2 -- 446 points (6 boarding passes)
4th  Sarannedipity -- 437 points (5 boarding passes)
5th  AMANESS13 -- 432 points (4 boarding passes)
6th  TheSimian -- 431 points (3 boarding passes)
7th  WiseOwlBB -- 428 points (2 boarding passes)
8th  Elysiumjay -- 425 points (1 boarding pass)
9th  NPStars1 -- 413 points (1 boarding pass)
10th  Touagorimou -- 409 points (1 boarding pass)
11th  Mrdroodle -- 392 points (100 Belt Points)
=12th  TeeDeeEye1 -- 391 points (100 Belt Points)
=12th  bornTOflirt -- 391 points (100 Belt Points)
=14th  MForce16 -- 390 points (100 Belt Points)
=14th  bbhammerite -- 390 points (100 Belt Points)
16th  bas2604 -- 386 points (100 Belt Points)
17th  stevegw -- 384 points (100 Belt Points)
18th  PastiemanCnaC -- 375 points (100 Belt Points)
19th  ourkidsid -- 363 points (100 Belt Points)
20th  blytho1 -- 360 points (100 Belt Points)

The next League is scheduled to start on Tuesday, August 13, and involves eight legs of No Limit Hold'em freezeout tournaments with a $5+0.50 entry.

The League is open to all players of Yellow Belt status and above. To participate, simply make a deposit in the cardroom and locate the event in the lobby. Alternatively, you can purchase a token from the Black Belt Poker Store.

Results from this week:

Turbo Takedown (Monday, 20:30) - 17 runners:

1st  flipfone -- $76.50
2nd  myteamouse -- $51.00
3rd  eixip50 -- $25.50
4th  2LAMCHOP2 -- $17.00

Nifty at Nine (Monday, 21:00) - 29 runners:

1st  WiseOwlBB -- 493 Belt Points
2nd  UliKoko -- 493 Belt Points
3rd  JHobbit1 -- 261 Belt Points
4th  Essxhg -- 145 Belt Points
5th  Elysiumjay -- 58 Belt Points

Samurai Rebuy Satellite (Tuesday, 20:00) - 20 runners:

1st  eixip50 -- Samurai seat ($250+25)
2nd  isilderp1 -- $5.00
3rd  paul6543 -- $3.00
4th  TheSimian -- $2.00

'The Season Ticket Giveaway' Orange Belt Freeroll (Wednesday, 19:30) - 35 runners:

1st  CareybearBBP -- Full League Season
2nd  sprinterz -- 7 League Matches
3rd  LillJem -- 6 League Matches
4th  tristiano -- 5 League Matches
5th  wendygee54 -- 4 League Matches
6th  LegendKing1 -- 3 League Matches
7th  hiddenacesBBP -- 2 League Matches
8th  JHobbit1 -- 1 League Match

Samurai Freezeout Feeder (Thursday, 19:30) - 10 runners:

1st  ourkidsid -- Samurai satellite seat ($30+3)
2nd  AMANESS13 -- $11.05
3rd  jimmyt31 -- $5.95

Samurai Freezeout Feeder (Thursday, 20:30) - 10 runners:

1st  DConTour1 -- Samurai satellite seat ($30+3)
2nd  Touagorimou -- $11.05
3rd  UliKoko - $5.95

Deepstack Mulligan (Wednesday, 20:30) - 25 runners:

1st  tristiano -- $150.00 (50 Belt Points)
2nd  nickhem1 -- $101.25 (30 Belt Points)
3rd  Ka7ieVick -- $56.25 (10 Belt Points)
4th  Ourkid888 -- $37.50 (5 Belt Points)
5th  AMANESS13 -- $30.00 (5 Belt Points)

Samurai Freezeout Feeder (Thursday, 18:30) - 7 runners:

1st  PussEV -- Samurai satellite seat ($30+3)
2nd  jimmyt31 -- $1.30
3rd  tristiano -- $0.70

Samurai Freezeout Feeder (Thursday, 19:00) - 10 runners:

1st  NPStars1 -- Samurai satellite seat ($30+3)
2nd  4KSuited -- $11.05
3rd  eixip50 -- $5.95

Yellow Belt No-Lose Deepstack (Thursday, 20:00) - 34 runners:

1st  xxrichwashxx -- $31.00
2nd  KBV1TALS -- $21.00
3rd  BlackCB -- $13.50
4th  goneflushfishing -- $10.50
5th  nemosrungood -- $8.50
6th  baligirl13 -- $7.00
7th  Darkneo01 -- $6.00
8th  DarkPrincess13 -- $5.00
9th  elijah66 -- $4.00
10th  Flashly -- $3.50

Turbo Takedown Satellite (Thursday, 20:30) - 3 runners:

1st  2LAMCHOP2 -- Turbo Takedown seat ($10+1)
2nd  Touagorimou
3rd  kippery

Deepstack Mulligan Satellite (Thursday, 21:00) - 3 runners:

1st  ourkidsid -- Deepstack Mulligan seat ($15+1.50)
2nd  HoltenderCnaC -- $1.50
3rd  stevegw


Previous League Articles:

Sunny Spells in League XX
Staight Up
Close Shave for Phillips in Leg 2
Bass Control
Udell Scores in Leg 4
Making a Staightment
Hitting Second Base
Gater Raid

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

Five Alive: Boarding Pass Giveaway

 
As the heat intensifies, so does anticipation for Black Belt Poker's latest promotion: The 12 Days of Summer.

Starting on August 01 and lasting 12 nights, players will be able to use their boarding passes to play in the $3,000 GTD ($5+0.50).

Players will then win a prize dependent on the number of times they make the money, with a £2,500 tournament package for seven cashes.

This week, with giving all players the chance to earn boarding passes.

If you cash in the $5,000 Freezeout (19:30) on any day from Monday to Friday inclusive, then you'll receive a free boarding pass.

That's five passes in just five days!

The tournament costs just $10+1 to enter and can be found in the cardroom lobby under Scheduled > $5,000 Freezeout.

Even if you're yet to earn a single boarding pass, you can still accrue the maximum of 12 and play every single night of the 12 Days of Summer.

There are plenty of ways to get your hands on passes this week, including winning the $10+1 Turbo Takedown, which takes place tonight at 20:30.

Later in the week, we're giving away passes to anyone who manages to win a $5+0.50 Samurai feeder.

Feeders take place at 19:30, 20:00, 20:30 and 21:00 on Wednesday and 18:30, 19:00 and 19:30 on Thursday with each one guaranteeing a seat into the $30+3 satellite at 20:00.

And for those with a need for speed, there will be a whopping 10 passes for the taking in the Second Chance SNG, an exclusive one-table tournament open to all leg winners of the weekly Black Belt Poker League.

So, if you fancy joining the party and battling it out for one of many scorching prizes, then join in the fun this week and see if you can give yourself a summer bonus.

See our promotions page for more information on Samurai and The 12 Days of Summer.
To download the software, simply click here and follow the step-by-step process provided.

Gater Raid

 
With the ongoing heatwave turning a nation's skin red, 65 shrewdly retreated to their computer for the penultimate leg of the Black Belt Poker League.

The final table was one again sizzling with talent, most notably Simon TheSimian Morris who was denied victory for the second consecutive week.

His nemesis on this occasion was Yellow Belt and fist-time winner Rick scousemanc11 Gater, whose burst of energy led to top honours and a $97.52 first prize.

1st  scousemanc11 -- $97.52
2nd  TheSimian -- $65.00
3rd  TeeDeeEye1 -- $48.75
4th  DarkPrincess13 -- $32.50
5th  bagpussrocks -- $24.37
6th  PastiemanCnaC -- $17.87
7th  Touagorimou -- $14.62
8th  0LuckBeerLady0 -- $13.00
9th   NPenfold666 -- $11.37

TheSimian's duo of close-but-no-cigars means he's leapt into fourth, pushing NPStars and Elysiumjay into sixth and seventh respectively.

An eleventh from the ever-dangerous 2LAMCHOP2 elevates him to fifth, but it's David liquidpoker101 Manders who leads the way having exited just one rung down in twelfth.

With just one leg remaining, it's still anyone's game with a mere six points separating liquidpoker101 from Purple Belt and former Samurai Champion LegendKing1.

in the bottom half, former League Champions bornToflirt, TeeDeeEye1 and JHobbit1 could still climb into the top 10 prize spots with a sprint finish.

1st  liquidpoker101 -- 430 points
2nd  LegendKing1 -- 424 points
3rd  Sarannedipity -- 415 points
4th  TheSimian -- 397 points
5th  2LAMCHOP2 -- 396 points
6th  NPStars1 -- 393 points
7th  Elsiumjay -- 389 points
8th  WiseOwlBB -- 386 points
9th  Mrdroodle -- 359 points
10th  Touagorimou -- 357 points
11th  bas2604 -- 355 points
12th  blytho1 -- 354 points
13th  bornTOflirt -- 351 points
14th  TeeDeeEye1 -- 347 points
15th  AMANESS13 -- 344 points
16th  ourkidsid -- 336 points
17th  PastiemanCnaC -- 334 points
18th  CarpyGAS -- 334 points
19th  SturtSan -- 330 points
20th  JHobbit1 -- 326 points

This week two players secured their seat into Samurai. On Tuesday, generalshifty won the $5+0.50 rebuy, while on Thursday Ka7ieVick defeated Blue Belt Jamie Burland heads-up to survive the first freezeout satellite.

As an added bonus, we offered boarding passes to all feeder qualifiers, so congratulations to tristiano, BoraBoraBoy, TableKnight, PussEV, flipfone and BabyTigz87 for achieving this feet.

The same offer will be on the table next week, so if you fancy getting involved in The 12 Days of Summer promotion, as well as qualifying for our $250+25 $10,000 guaranteed freezeout, then make sure you join us.

And remember, tokens for all our exclusive events can be be purchased using Spending Points via the Black Belt Poker Store.

Results from this week:

Turbo Takedown (Monday, 20:30) - 13 runners:

1st  tristiano -- $58.50
2nd  stevegw -- $39.00
3rd  HoltenderCnaC -- $19.50
4th  NPStars1 -- $13.00

Nifty at Nine (Monday, 21:00) - 24 runners:

1st  stevegw -- 500 Belt Points
2nd  repotege -- 350 Belt Points
3rd  tristiano -- 225 Belt Points
4th  eixip50 -- 125 Belt Points
5th  Elysiumjay -- 50 Belt Points

Samurai Rebuy Satellite (Tuesday, 20:00) - 21 runners:

1st  generalshifty -- Samurai seat ($250+25)
2nd  Touagorimou -- $21.00
3rd  myteamouse
4th  seven7777777s
5th  PhilNe2Q

'Satellite Sensation' Orange Belt Freeroll (Wednesday, 19:30) - 32 runners:

1st  UliKoko -- 1 x satellite token & 5 x feeder tokens
2nd  Barty1uk -- 1 x satellite token & 4 x feeder tokens
3rd  nickhem1 -- 1 x satellite token & 3 x feeder tokens
4th  flipfone -- 4 x feeder tokens
5th  1894IAIN -- 3 x feeder tokens
6th  jimmyt31 -- 2 x feeder tokens
7th  TeeDeeEye1 -- 1 x feeder token
8th  NPStars1 -- 1 x feeder token
9th  NPenfold666 -- 1 x feeder token
10th  TableKnight -- 1 x feeder token
11th  4KSuited -- 1 x feeder token
12th  S0lution -- 1 x feeder token
13th  stokelad112 -- 1 x feeder token
14th  Touagorimou -- 1 x feeder token
15th  JHobbit1 -- 1 x feeder token
16th  PhilDee64 -- 1 x feeder token
17th  hiddenacesBBP -- 1 x feeder token
18th  ourkidsid -- 1 x feeder token

Samurai Freezeout Feeder (Thursday, 19:30) - 16 runners:

1st  BoraBoraBoy -- Samurai satellite seat ($30+3)
2nd  TableKnight -- Samurai satellite seat ($30+3)
3rd  Touagorimou -- $7.00
4th  sprinterz -- $4.20
5th  mightykev333 -- $2.80

Samurai Freezeout Feeder (Thursday, 20:30) - 11 runners:

1st  flipfone -- Samurai satellite seat ($30+3)
2nd  mightykev333 -- $11.00
3rd  4KSuited - $6.60
4th  jimmyt31 -- $4.40

Deepstack Mulligan (Wednesday, 20:30) - 20 runners:

1st  flipfone -- $135.00 (100 Belt Points)
2nd  Touagorimou -- $90.00 (60 Belt Points)
3rd  generalshifty -- $45.00 (10 Belt Points)
4th  sprinterz -- $30.00 (10 Belt Points)
5th  nickhem1 (5 Belt Points)

Samurai Freezeout Feeder (Thursday, 18:30) - 7 runners:

1st  PussEV -- Samurai satellite seat ($30+3)
2nd  jimmyt31 -- $1.30
3rd  tristiano -- $0.70

Samurai Freezeout Feeder (Thursday, 19:00) - 9 runners:

1st  tristiano -- Samurai satellite seat ($30+3)
2nd  jimmyt31 -- $7.80
3rd  Ka7ieVick -- $4.20

Samurai Freezeout Feeder (Thursday, 19:30) - 10 runners:

1st  BabyTigz87 -- Samurai satellite seat ($30+3)
2nd  matt242305 -- $11.05
3rd  FishtFuct -- $5.95

'Belt Points Blowout' Purple Belt Freeroll (Thursday, 19:30) -  14 runners:

1st  0LuckBeerLady0 -- 3,000 Belt Points
2nd  myteamouse -- 2,250 Belt Points
3rd  Ruaction -- 1,500 Belt Points
4th  Touagorimou -- 750 Belt Points

Samurai Freezeout Satellite (Thursday, 20:00) - 15 runners:

1st  Ka7ieVick -- Samurai seat ($250+25)
2nd  StilettoMafiosa -- $87.50
3rd  tristiano -- $52.50
4th  PussEV -- $35.00

Yellow Belt No-Lose Deepstack (Thursday, 20:00) - 35 runners:

1st  Essxhg -- $31.00
2nd  Usttantanoldu -- $21.00
3rd  1PedroMex -- $13.50
4th  Bartukbb -- $10.50
5th  elijah66 -- $8.50
6th  BlackCB -- $7.00
7th  losbert40 -- $6.00
8th  MForce16 -- $5.00
9th  1mightfold -- $4.00
10th  Sarannedipity -- $3.50

Deepstack Mulligan Satellite (Thursday, 21:00) - 3 runners:

1st  Touagorimou -- Deepstack Mulligan seat ($15+1.50)
2nd  2LAMCHOP2
3rd  stevegw


Previous League Articles:

Sunny Spells in League XX
Staight Up
Close Shave for Phillips in Leg 2
Bass Control
Udell Scores in Leg 4
Making a Staightment
Hitting Second Base

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

Samurai Feeder Frenzy

We're sweating value out of every pore here at Black Belt Poker, but get ready for another heatwave as we turn up the temperature for our latest sizzling offer.

Samurai is just over a month away, but we're already guaranteeing seats into our biggest, exclusive tournament. Taking place on August 21, Samurai comes armed with a $250+25 entry fee and juicy $10,000 prize pool.

If the buy-in sends a shiver down your bankroll, then don't worry as starting this Thursday at 20:00 there will be a weekly $30+3 satellite with one seat guaranteed into the Main Event.

And if your tummy's rumbling, then we've got a feeder frenzy coming your way with no fewer than six turbo feeders, taking place on Wednesday at 19:30, 20:00, 20:30 and 21:00 and Thursday at 19:00 and 19:30.

Each feeder will guarantee one seat into Thursday's satellite and cost just $5+0.50 to enter, meaning you could secure your seat into Samurai for as little as five bucks!

It doesn't end there.

As an added bonus, anyone who wins a $5+0.50 feeder will automatically earn themselves a free boarding pass for use in The 12 Days of Summer promotion, as will the winner and seat bubble of the $30+3 satellite.

That's a boarding bass just for winning a Samurai feeder!

Each boarding pass earns you free entry into the $3,000 GTD from August 01-12 inclusive. Players are then awarded prizes for the number of times they make the money, with a £2,500 tournament package for seven cashes.

If you're yet to get off the mark, then our Samurai feeders are a great opportunity to kick off your collection, as well as win a ticket into our staple online event.

Black Belt Poker host lots of fun tournaments throughout the week, and tonight is no different with the penultimate leg of the Black Belt Poker League at 19:30, as well a $5+0.50 rebuy satellite into Samurai at 20:00.

Tokens for all our events are available for purchase via the Black Belt Poker Store.

All tournament can be located in the Black Belt Poker lobby under Scheduled > Black Belt Tournaments.

See our promotions page for more information on Samurai and The 12 Days of Summer.
To download the software, simply click here and follow the step-by-step process provided.

Williams Finishes 77th in WSOP Main Event

 
Last night, Black Belt Poker sponsored pro Kevin Williams finished in 77th place in the 2013 World Series of Poker Main Event, collecting $84,786.

Kevin - playing in his fifth Main Event - joined 6,351 others across three starting days as players battled it out for survival and the prospect of a return visit in November.

After edging to 45,800 by the end of the day and then 125,100 on Day 2, Kevin rocketed up to 808,500 on Day 3 despite a table that included Liv Boeree, Matt Stout, and Mark Flowers.

At the tail end of the day, Kevin spoke to the Parkinson of poker, Tony 'tikay' Kendall, to discuss his progress:

Kevin Williams Interview - Click Here

A chilling 666 returned with just 648 hoping to tie up the minimum payout. After a brief squeaky-bum time, it was three-time bracelet winner Farzad Bonyadi who felt the full splash of the bubble when his A-J came unstuck against A-Q.

If Kevin was in fifth gear throughout the previous day, then he was like Lewis Hamilton on Day 4 as his stack sped to a mouth-watering 2,007,000, leaving him seventh in chips with just 239 remaining.

Day 5, however, - and despite the remarkable achievement of reaching the shuffle machines - would prove his swan song, as Kevin finally succumbed to the ladies of the Fat and Luck variety.

Although he boasted 2.25 million at the halfway mark, a post-dinner decline meant he dipped to 24 big blinds heading into the final level, all of which crossed the line when he squeezed all in with pocket nines.

The initial raiser revealed queens, and an uneventful board later and the dream was over. "Big thanks for all support," he later Tweeted. "It's been a helluva ride."

A Blue Belt on Black Belt Poker, Kevin is a 27-year old poker pro who combines playing and teaching with directing theatre in the London area. Despite a recent fourth place finish in the WPT National, this was his biggest live score to date.

Kevin was the third highest placing Brit with fellow flag-bearing cashers including Ashley Mason (119th), Luke Schwartz (249th), Jake Cody (400th) and Rupert Elder (478th).

A plethora of big names also made the money, most notably Annette Obrestad (89th), Bertrand 'ElkY' Grospellier (295th), Doyle Brunson (409th) and defending Champion Greg Merson (167th).

Just 68 will start day 6 with an average stack of 2.8 million and guaranteed six-figure payday. The current chip leader is America's Sami Rustom on 7,005,000, while Canadian Mac McLaughlin is breathing down his neck with 6,695,000.

Steven Watts (1,705,000) and Phillip Long (1,200,000) are the sole Brits, although most eyes will be fixed on the likes of Yevgeniy Tomoshenko (4,065,000), JC Tran (3,280,000), and 2001 Champion Carlos Mortensen (2,665,000).

Hitting Second Base

 
As the WSOP Main Event headed into Day 2, rather more important matters were being attended to on Black Belt Poker with the sixth leg of the Black Belt Poker League.

With the opening Samurai satellite running parallel, 77 parted with their $5+0.50 including recent Champions ChipRead77, bornTOflirt and HammerHorror.

But while they floundered, Leg 3 winner Jason My3igBlind Bass equalled the feat of bas2604 from the week prior by taking down his second event of the season.

The final table was brimming with familiarity with three finalists from last week repeating the achievement, including blytho1 who improved on sixth with a podium finish this time around.

1st  My3igBlind -- $115.52
2nd  TheSimian -- $77.00
3rd  blytho1 -- $57.75
4th  cnacandy64 -- $38.50
5th  forgot2piknik -- $28.87
6th  liquidpoker101 -- $21.17
7th  tandy26 -- $17.32
8th  Ourkid888 -- $15.40
9th  paul6543 -- $13.47

A total of 115 have competed in this summer's League, but it's former Samurai Champion Andrew LegendKing1 Dwyer who takes top spot with a 29th place performance.

Elysiumjay's 56th place means he slips to second, in joint position with liquidpoker101 whose final table appearance sees him climb from seventh.

1st  LegendKing1 -- 398 points
=2nd  Elysiumjay -- 376 points
=2nd  liquidpoker101 -- 376 points
4th  NPStars1 -- 372 points
5th  Sarannedipity -- 368 points
6th  blytho1 -- 348 points
7th  WiseOwlBB -- 343 points
8th  2LAMCHOP2 -- 341 points
9th  bas2604 -- 337 points
10th  Mrdroodle -- 329 points
11th  AMANESS13 -- 325 points
12th  StartSan -- 324 points
13th  TheSimian -- 315 points
14th  JHobbit1 -- 312 points
15th  ourkidsid -- 311 points
16th  stevegw -- 305 points
17th  bornTOflirt -- 300 points
18th  HammerHorror -- 299 points
19th  ChipRead77 -- 298 points
20th  MForce16 -- 297 points

The 12 Days of Summer promotion is really hotting up with 0LuckBeerLady0 and NPStars1 becoming the first players to reach 12 boarding passes. They hit their target courtesy of the Purple Belt Freeroll.

In other news, NPenold666 became the first player to qualify for the $10,000 GTD Samurai having brokered a 10 percent deal with runner-ups cheekyweeguy and Mrdroodle.

If you want to follow suit, then make sure you join us next Tuesday at 20:00 when we'll once again be guaranteeing a seat into our quarterly $250+25 freezeout.

Results from this week:

Turbo Takedown (Monday, 20:30) - 14 runners:

1st  PastiemanCnaC -- $63.00
2nd  tristiano -- $42.00
3rd  flipfone -- $21.00
4th  Touagorimou -- $14.00

Nifty at Nine (Monday, 21:00) - 26 runners:

1st  flipfone -- 520 Belt Points
2nd  2LAMCHOP2 -- 364 Belt Points
3rd  eixip50 -- 234 Belt Points
4th  Touagorimou -- 130 Belt Points
5th  Elysiumjay -- 52 Belt Points

Samurai Rebuy Satellite (Tuesday, 20:00) - 28 runners:

1st NPenfold666 -- Samurai seat ($250+25)
2nd cheekyweeguy -- $28.00
3rd Mrdroodle -- $21.00
4th jimmyt31 -- $14.00
5th sprinterz -- $7.00

'Slice of the Action' Orange Belt Freeroll (Wednesday, 19:30) - 30 runners:

1st  jimmyt31 -- $100 sponsorship
2nd  HammerHorror -- $50 sponsorship
3rd  wendygee54 -- $25 sponsorship
4th  RedKiteBlackBelt -- $25 sponsorship

Deepstack Mulligan (Wednesday, 20:30) - 19 runners:

1st  S0lution -- $128.25 (50 Belt Points)
2nd  eixip50 -- $85.50 (30 Belt Points)
3rd  NPenfold666 -- $42.75 (10 Belt Points)
4th  liquidpoker101 -- $28.50 (5 Belt Points)
5th  retxabam (5 Belt Points)

Boarding Pass Freeroll (Thursday, 20:00) - 12 runners:

1st  0LuckBeerLady0 -- 10 Boarding Passes
2nd  NPStars1 -- 7 Boarding Passes
3rd  myteamouse -- 5 Board Passes
4th  LegendKing1 -- 3 Boarding Passes

Yellow Belt No-Lose Deepstack (Thursday, 20:00) - 43 runners:

1st  Berajo -- $31.00
2nd  BlackMadonna26 -- $21.00
3rd  KBV1TALS -- $13.50
4th  scousemax11 -- $10.50
5th  1PedroMex -- $8.50
6th  BlackCB -- $7.00
7th  DarkPrincess13 -- $6.00
8th  jmpoker2006 -- $5.00
9th  baligirl13 -- $4.00
10th  Sarannedipity -- $3.50

Turbo Takedown Satellite (Thursday, 20:30) - 4 runners:

1st  stevegw -- Turbo Takedown Satellite ($10+1)
2nd  Touagorimou
3rd  kippery
4th  HoltenederCnaC

Deepstack Mulligan Satellite (Thursday, 21:00) - 6 runners:

1st  ourkidsid -- Deepstack Mulligan seat ($15+1.50)
2nd  HoltenderCnaC -- $1.50
3rd  stevegw
4th  Touagorimou
5th  kippery
6th  Oudkid888


Previous League Articles:

Sunny Spells in League XX
Staight Up
Close Shave for Phillips in Leg 2
Bass Control
Udell Scores in Leg 4
Making a Staightment

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

WSOP Days 2&3: Williams Flying High

 
A total of 4,186 made their return to the Rio this week for the second day of poker shenanigans in the WSOP Main Event.

Spread across a two-day period - with Days 1a and 1b consolidated into one day - players set their sights on survival and the prospect of an $8.3 million first prize.

Black Belt Poker boasted three needles within the poker haystack, spearheaded by Kevin Williams who was carrying over a moderate stack of 45,800.

However, Day 2 would prove the initial spark of the firework display as Kevin proceeded to escalate his stack to uncharted heights, and a shot at a deep run.

Edging up to 72,075 by the first break, Kevin ascended to 134,000 by dinner before finishing the day with 125,100 - a figure that would have been more if it weren't for a late straight-versus-flush encounter.

Day 3 produced a lineup tougher than a two-dollar steak with the likes of Liv Boeree, Mark Flowers, Matt Stout and Jean-Robert Bellande (not "Bellend", as mistakenly named in a recent Channing interview) providing the obstacles.

"Early read on JRB," Tweeted Kevin as he feverishly ambushed social media platforms, "asked the dealer if he was serious when asked for ID and called Liv 'Liz'. Jury's out."

But despite the opposition, Kevin ignited his jet pack by chipping up to 205,000 before doubling up to 415,000 with A-A versus the K-K of Bellande. By the dinner break, he had a tasty 503,000.

The tables threatened to turn when A-K failed to out-flip Q-Q for a 130,000 pot, but the Poker Gods blessed Kevin soon later when his K-K "got there" against A-A to bring him up to 679,000.

By the end of the day, Kevin was perched in the leading pack with a gargantuan 808,500 in chips, and wearing a smile wider than the M1 motorway as the leading Brit in the field.

Also tackling the Day 2 fun and frolics were Black Belt Poker online qualifiers James Morris and Iain Brassell. Although the former bust Day 3, the latter will be joining Kevin for Day 4 with 42,500 - alive, but in danger with less than 10 big blinds.

A foreboding 666 from the initial 6,352 remain with America's Maxx Coleman riding high as the only player over a million - 1,071,500. Snapping on his heels like a starved alligator is Joshua Prager with 993,000, while Max Steinberg sits on 987,500.

Flying the flag for Her Majesty alongside Kevin are a plethora of names from the UK circuit including Jake Cody, John Eames, Rupert Elder, Ashley Mason and affable rogue Luke Schwartz.

With 648 paid, the money is looming like an upcoming eclipse - squeaky bum time beckons with players looking to eek into the cash prizes and continue their WSOP dream. Keep your eyes peeled on the site to see if Kevin and/or Iain make the cut.

WSOP Day 1: Burland Coolered

 
This past weekend, the World Series of Poker began its final journey of the summer as thousands of players packed into the Rio Casino for the $10,000 Main Event.

A total of 6,352 hopefuls took their seat to create a near-$60 million prize pool with the Day 1c showing of 3,467 setting the record for the largest one-day field in Main Event history.

Among the sea of tables were the Black Belt Poker faithful, led by Neil Channing who was on the hunt for his first bracelet having finishing second in a $1,500 event the year prior.

Despite Channing claiming "the event that decides who will be world champion plays like a £20 event", few will have foreseen the early and unquestionably cruel demise of former UKIPT Champion Jamie Burland.

With the opening level alive and kicking, Jamie made a full house with K-K on an A-K-5-5-8 board, but lost the entirety of his 30,000 starting stack to A-A. You'd have to be playing poker naked in a fridge freezer in the Arctic to encounter a deck that cold!

Meanwhile, fellow Blue Belt Kevin Williams - who was playing in his fifth Main Event - evaded such torture to complete Day 1 with 45,800 chips, despite losing a 30,000 pot with A-K versus Q-Q. He was joined on the survival list by Sensei Channing, who edged up to 37,300.

Black Belt Poker sent several players to Vegas this year, with three qualifiers tackling the Main Event. East End Live II finalist Carlo Hassan was hampered by gout and bust after dinner, but both Iain Brassell and James Morris remained unscathed with 24,000 and 82,000 respectively.

They weren't the only qualifiers in Sin City: Mark England played in the final $1,500 event as part of his WSOP Experience package and managed to crawl into the money, despite losing a crucial Q-Q versus A-K bout just a few hands from the bubble.

But this week, all eyes are on the Main Event. The pacesetter heading into Day 2 was Mark Kroon of the USA who boasted more chips than Harry Ramsden's: 246,000. Also flying high were Michael Mizrachi, Daniel Cates, Sorel Mizzi and charismatic Brit Yucel 'Mad Turk' Eminoglu.

With 4,186 players remaining, a third of the field has already been eliminated, but who will go on to make the return trip in the Fall to play for the $8.3 million first prize?...

Opening Samurai Satellite - Tonight

 
The time has come to polish your armour and sharpen your Bushido blade... Samurai is back and heading your way this summer on Wednesday, August 21.

For those eager to charge the battlefield, tonight at 20:00 we'll be hosting the opening satellite into the $250+25 Main Event.

The tournament costs just $5+0.50 entry with unlimited rebuys (and optional add-on) and late registration for those taking their time over dinner.

For community players, you could play for free by using your points. Simply visit the Black Belt Poker Store and order the token in 'online tournaments' for 165 Spending Points.

The rebuy satellite will run parallel to the fifth leg of the famous Black Belt Poker League, so if you're playing one tournament, why not give the other a spin?

The League is also a $5+0.50 entry, taking place every Tuesday at 19:30.

Remember, even if you haven't participated in a single leg before, you can still win a star prize by earning a seat in the end-of-season Second Chance SNG involving all leg winners.

So, if you've got a thirst for action, then tonight's Super Tuesday will be just the ticket and a great opportunity to join in the fun of the league while vying for a Samurai seat.

Samurai is our biggest tournament and comes armed with a $10,000 guaranteed prize pool. Last time, Owen 'Ruaction' Robinson took advantage of an overlay to win a $4,000 first prize.

Join us tonight, only on Black Belt Poker, if you fancy following in his footsteps.

See our promotions page for more information on Samurai.

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

Making a Staightment

 
Despite the sunshine, a total of 67 exchanged the high temperatures for an evening in front of the monitor tackling the fifth leg of the Black Belt Poker League.

But as the sun set it was a former winner who emerged as the sole survivor, Bradley bas2604 Staight repeating his Leg 1 performance to snap up the $100.52 first prize.

The final table featured jimmyt31 and NPStars1 (who both turned tokens into cash), as well as ourkidsid who finished eighth the week prior.

1st  bas2604 -- $100.52
2nd  cnacandy64 -- $67.00
3rd  jimmyt31 -- $50.25
4th  NPStars1 -- $33.50
5th  ourkidsid -- $25.12
6th  blytho1 -- $18.42
7th  RedKiteBlackBelt -- $15.07
8th  tandy26 -- $13.40
9th  PastiemanCnaC -- $11.72

The top 10 in the standings may boast four Purple Belts, but it's an Orange who leads the way with Jason Elysiumjay Layland bubbling the final table but earning enough points to overtake LegendKing1 by five points

In the bottom half, meanwhile, reigning Champion Timothy HammerHorror O'Mahoney lurks in 17th, while bas2604 sits one place higher in 16th.

1st  Elysiumjay -- 354 points
2nd  LegendKing1 -- 349 points
3rd  NPStars1 -- 318 points
4th  Sarannedipity -- 302 points
5th  SturtSan -- 301 points
6th  ourkidsid -- 299 points
7th  liquidpoker101 -- 296 points
8th  AMANESS13 -- 294 points
9th  WiseOwlBB -- 293 points
10th  2LAMCHOP2 -- 283 points
11th  Mrdroodle -- 274 points
12th  Touagorimou -- 273 points
=13th  stevegw -- 272 points
=13th  THISandTHAT2 -- 272 points
15th  JHobbit1 -- 271 points
16th  bas2604 -- 268 points
17th  HammerHorror -- 265 points
18th  blytho1 -- 258 points
19th  bbhammerite -- 254 points
20th  TeeDeeEye1 -- 253 points

No fewer than 20 boarding passes were given out this week, with NPStars1's earning four in one night courtesy of the Orange Belt Freeroll and Deepstack Mulligan.

Meanwhile, tristiano and JHobbit1 both got off the mark after cashing in Tuesday's $5,000 Freezeout, as did Takedown winner Touagorimou.

See our promotions page now to find out how you can earn boarding passes and get involved in The 12 Days of Summer.

Updated List:

Barty1uk -- 7 x boarding passes
NPStars1 -- 6 x boarding passes
hiddenacesBBP -- 5 x boarding passes
2LAMCHOP2 -- 5 x boarding passes
sprinterz -- 4 x boarding passes
flipfone -- 4 x boarding passes
liquidpoker101 -- 3 boarding passes
LegendKing1 -- 2 x boarding passes
PastiemanCnaC -- 2 x boarding passes
Wally19 -- 2 x boarding passes
UliKoko -- 2 x boarding passes
0LuckBeerLady0 -- 2 x boarding passes
losbert40 -- 1 x boarding pass
VBlueBBP -- 1 x boarding pass
The Simian -- 1 x boarding pass
JHobbit1 -- 1 x boarding pass
tristiano -- 1 x boarding pass
blackbeltkickbox -- 1 x boarding pass
Mrdroodle -- 1 x boarding pass
xxrichwashxx -- 1 x boarding pass
Bobbysnutz -- 1 x boarding pass
1894IAIN -- 1 x boarding pass
Iceman78Danny -- 1 x boarding pass
LillJem -- 1 x boarding pass
wacko92 -- 1 x boarding pass
Touagorimou -- 1 x boarding pass

Results from this week:

Turbo Takedown (Monday, 20:30) - 15 runners:

1st  Touagorimou -- $67.50
2nd  blackbeltkickbox -- $45.00
3rd  2LAMCHOP2 -- $22.50
4th  slapdash1248 -- $15.00

Nifty at Nine (Monday, 21:00) - 32 runners:

1st  eixip50 -- 640 Belt Points
2nd  S0lution -- 448 Belt Points
3rd  PhilDee64 -- 288 Belt Points
4th  KBV1TALS -- 160 Belt Points
5th  dionysian -- 64 Belt Points

Boarding Pass Freeroll (Wednesday, 19:30) - 40 runners:

1st  hiddenacesBBP -- 5 Boarding Passes
2nd  flipfone -- 4 Boarding Passes
3rd  NPStars1 -- 3 Boarding Passes
4th  Wally19 -- 2 Boarding Passes
5th  TheSimian -- 1 Boarding Passes

Deepstack Mulligan (Wednesday, 20:30) - 20 runners:

1st  NPStars1 -- $135.00 (100 Belt Points)
2nd  Iceman78Danny -- $90.00 (30 Belt Points)
3rd  stevegw -- $45.00 (10 Belt Points)
4th  HoltenderCnaC -- $30.00 (5 Belt Points)
5th  retxabam (5 Belt Points)

Yellow Belt No-Lose Deepstack (Thursday, 20:00) - 17 runners:

1st  gazthechippy -- $31.00
2nd  xxrichwashxx -- $21.00
3rd  PastiemanCnaC -- $13.50
4th  1PedroMex -- $10.50
5th  Sarannedipity -- $8.50
6th  BlackCB -- $7.00
7th  stevegw -- $6.00
8th  6bulletplan -- $5.00
9th  FLYINGPROFISH -- $4.00
10th  vinvgo -- $3.50

Turbo Takedown Satellite (Thursday, 20:30) - 6 runners:

1st  AMANESS13 -- Turbo Takedown seat ($10+1)
2nd  kippery
3rd  Touagorimou
4th  1mightfold
5th  7onyB
6th  HoltenderCnaC

Deepstack Mulligan Satellite (Thursday, 21:00) - 7 runners:

1st  THISandTHAT2 -- Deepstack Mulligan seat ($15+1.50)
2nd  kippery
3rd  HoltenderCnaC
4th  Touagorimou
5th  7onyB
6th  cnacandy64
7th  AMANESS13


Previous League Articles:

Sunny Spells in League XX
Staight Up
Close Shave for Phillips in Leg 2
Bass Control
Udell Scores in Leg 4

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

Interview: Neil Channing in Vegas

 
This week, Neil Channing spoke to poker scribe Lee Davy during the WSOP shenanigans in Vegas for an audio interview on gambling news site (not an upmarket airline) CalvinAyre.

Over the 30-minute exchange, Neil covered a plethora of topics including staking, the poker community, and the origin of his 'Bad Bead' moniker.

Click here now to listen to the interview.

To kick-off the interview, the former Irish Open Champion discussed The Big One for One Drop event, a $111,111 buy-in tournament that was ultimately won by poker pro Anthony Gregg.

"I guess I would have worried about the poker economy in the old days…" he reflected, "and say whoever wins it is going to go and buy a house, a yacht, and a car, and it's not going to get pumped back into the poker economy, but, actually, they are pumping money into the poker economy… it's got to be good for poker generally."

In the midst of the recent debates surrounding vig, and players charging fellow members of the poker community for currency exchanges, Neil added his perspective on how the new generation of players might be thinking:

"They didn't have the perspective that I had of knowing what it was like in '99 and 2000, so they just thought it was going to on forever… so they didn't work as hard as they ought to, and so now we're in slightly worser [sic] times. I think some of them are now thinking it won't get any better, just harder and harder. It can get better…"

To conclude the audio, Neil was asked about Erick Lindgren, a self-confessed gambling addict who ran up seven-figure debts, before threatening a comeback in 2013 with a bracelet win in event #32 for $606,317, and a second place finish in the WPT World Championship for $650,275.

While many were quick to attack Lindgren for his financial failures, Neil was less hasty, reflected on his own past experiences in gambling to offer a little more sympathy than most:

"I got into some trouble… I lost over a million pounds, and I basically borrowed money from a bunch of friends in pretty much the same manner Erick Lindgren has, without really telling them the full story… I totally put my head in the sand… It took 20 months for me to pay everyone back, I worked really really hard… I hope he [Erick] gets over his problems."

Neil, who co-founded Black Belt Poker, is currently grinding out the big bucks in the Rio and preparing for the upcoming $10,000 Main Event. In side events, he has cashed three times, including a 56th place finish in event #45's Ante Only event.

You can follow his progress on Twitter by adding @SenseiChanning and checking our our WSOP thread on the boards.

Click here now to listen to the interview.

Free Mental Game of Poker 2 Book

 
If you thought yesterday was hot, then get ready for a heat wave with Black Belt Poker's latest scorching offer.

Starting at midnight tonight and lasting for precisely seven days, we're going to hand out a boarding pass to anyone who can win just five Sit 'n' Gos.

This offer is exclusive to the Black Belt Poker cardroom with all full-ring and six-max SNGs of $5+0.50 buy-in or higher eligible.

If you're yet to get off the mark, then this is a great way to start your collection and vie for one of a number of sizzling prizes including a £2,500 live tournament package.

If that sounds blistering, then the forecast gets even better: if you participate in 30 SNGs over the seven-day period, we'll send you a free copy of Jared Tendler's The Mental Game of Poker 2.

That's a free book from one of the industry's most acclaimed poker coaches just for hitting the 'register' button.

Jared's latest offering comes fresh off the success of his first effort and aims to teach you more proven strategies for improving your mental approach to poker from increasing focus to preventing tilt.

Both amateurs and pros alike have prospered from Jared's work, including serial grinder Dusty Leatherass Schmidt. Now you could join them.

If you're yet to come across The 12 Days of Summer promotion, then see our promotions page now to find out how you can get involved.

Meanwhile, make sure you download the poker client. Doing so couldn't be easier: simply click here and follow the step-by-step process provided.