Report from Black Belt Poker Academy London - Saturday 10 April 2010

[IAmThatGuy]

Having won my ticket for the Bluff Europe/Black Belt Poker Academy for free on the Hendon Mob forum, I was unsure of what to expect in terms of turnout and quality of what was on offer. Naturally, I figured if they were giving away free tickets, then the events must not be that good - I am happy to admit I was wrong.

As advertised, the day was split into a number of lectures and workshops focusing on some of the fundamentals of modern no-limit hold 'em. The subject areas ranged from meta-learning to cash game strategy to anti-tilt methods. The latter of which was covered by successful mental coach Jared Tendler, who had previously coached the now Team PokerStars professional Dusty "Leatherass" Schmidt. Although many may not have realised, this alone was probably worth a good portion of the entry fee, since "tilt" is probably the most common reason why people lose money.

My favourite elements of the day were the workshops, in which we played a few hands and discussed our actions. This is one of the most helpful things that an aspiring poker player can do to improve his/her game, and was therefore quite beneficial to all who attended.

I did feel however that, by and large, the workshops were geared mostly towards tourney players rather than cash game players. It would have been better if we were split into groups dependent on which format we played, then we could all have maximised our learning. Similarly, the event seemed to be almost certainly aimed at those who play live poker rather than online - games which are in my experience completely different and require separate ways of thinking.

With all of this said however, Neil Channing gave a very helpful lecture/video session on some elements of cash game strategy that have helped him over the years. This certainly helped to quench the thirst of us cash game enthusiasts in attendance. He stood talking for what seemed like hours regaling us with quirky anecdotes and answering our endless questions - great guy.

Another mild criticism of the event I have was the cost of the tournament which was sort of an addendum to the event. £50 seemed a hell of a lot on top of the initial fee, especially as the structure of 3000 chips and 20 minute blind increments made it seem like a bit of a crapshoot. I didn't play it simply because by the strict laws of bankroll management (which I don't feel were emphasised enough during this day) I would have been committing the gravest offence - playing under-rolled.

Overall, was the day worth the money? I would say a resounding YES if you're a beginner/casual/break-even player for whom £199 is not a particularly groundbreaking sum. Add to that, those of you who can't/don't really want to treat poker like a full time hobby/profession, which would mean that you not only play thousands of hands per month but are also prepared to spend a lot of your "poker time" putting in the hard work away from the tables - probably the single most common factor separating winning and losing players.

However, if you're a player who IS prepared to put in the long, onerous graft, and work your arse off away from the table then these academies are probably superfluous to your needs, since much of what was on offer you're highly likely to already have encountered.