Black Belt Poker

Stuart Hyson is your Champion.

He takes home a total of $15,500: $14,000 for first prize, plus an additional $1,400 for being an Orange Belt on Blackbeltpoker.com and $100 in bounty prizes having eliminated fellow finalist Nick Wealthall.

It was only a matter of time before all the chips found their way back into the middle, and with Daniel Robertson still journeying down the road to recovery, that moment arrived sooner rather than later as he open-shoved his last 850,000 across the felt.

Hyson announced call quicker than Linford Christie with a jetpack to bring us to a showdown, and possibly the final one of the night.

Hyson: Kd-Qc
Robertson: As-8d

As the late-night crowd edged towards the rail forward in anticipation, the dealer reached for the top of the deck and lay the first three community cards onto the felt.

Flop: 5s-2s-Jd

The turn came the 4s, narrowing Hyson's outs even further. A double-through was seemingly on the cards.

But today has been a day of rivers and last-ditch get-out-of-jail-free moments, and this was no different as the Poker Gods lay a Kh on the felts to conclude the inaugural Black Belt Nottingham Live in typically dramatic fashion.

As the clock hit 3:00, the winner had been crowned, and that man was Stuart Hyson.

The runner up, and man who'd previously been just one card away from lifting the title, was Daniel Robertson. He took second place and $9,000 for his two-days' worth of troubles.

Stuart Hyson raised to 380,000 from the button and Daniel Robertson called; they saw a flop.

Flop: 4d-3c-5s

Robertson checked to Hyson, who promptly bet 500,000. Back to Robertson, who quietly announced all in; back to Hyson, who announced OK.

Hyson: Ac-3d for a pair of threes and a useless gutshot

Robertson: 6c-4c for a pair of fours and an open-ended

Turn: Ad, putting Hyson suddenly in the lead with two pair

River: 5d, basically changing nothing

The stacks were counted, and it transpired that Robertson had change - 550,000 of it, or three and a half big blinds. The chips went in next hand.

Robertson: 8d-4d

Hyson: ahead with Kd-3d - could it all be over?

No.

Board: 6s-3c-9d-Qd-4h

Robertson doubled to 1.1 million, and play continues.

Blinds now 80,000 and 160,000 with a 16,000 ante that's more than the starting stack.

If this level doesn't find us a winner, I'll eat the hat of everyone in the room.

The hand started out interesting, with Daniel Robertson raising to a relatively hefty 370,000 from the button and Stuart Hyson calling. But it quickly turned out disappointing - they checked down the 8d-4s-5h-2c-Ac board, and Robertson's Kd-9d was good enough to beat Hyson's Jc-Th.

Robertson is at 3.8 million, Hyson at 3.5 million.

Amid the endless back and forth of limping and checking and standard raising and calling, here's something we haven't seen before: Stuart Hyson limped on the button, and Daniel Robertson just open-folded in the big blind. The dealer double-checked to make sure that was what he wanted to do; he did, and the pot went to a shrugging Hyson.

Heads-up has been a seesaw battle so far with the chip lead chopping and changing every few hands. The latest player to grasp this seemingly temporary honour is Daniel Robertson.

Robertson limped preflop and Stuart Hyson checked, bringing us to a 2c-Qs-Jd flop. Robertson shot 250,000 and Hyson called. Both players checked the Kh turn, but Robertson reverted back to aggression on the 8d river with a bet of 500,000. Hyson called.

Hyson tabled Ks-7s; Robertson a sneakily played Ah-As.

Robertson: 4,600,000
Hyson: 2,750,000

When we in the blogging area were trying to work out when this would finish, none of us picked a line after 2am. Still, here we are at 20 past, and we are still nowhere near crowning a winner. In fact, the stacks are now dead on even. Worse still, the kitchen here seems to have run out of eggs. If they run out of coffee, we're screwed. Until then, we soldier on.

Stuart Hyson button-raised to 260,000 and Daniel Robertson made the call to see a 9s-Ks-Ac flop which they checked. They checked the Kc turn as well and Robertson checked the 7h river too, before Hyson bet 500,000. After a little bit of a dwell, Robertson called - and soon discovered that his Qc-Ts for queen-high beat Hyson's Jd-6c jack-high by a whisker.

They're at roughly 3.6 million apiece after that.

This hand seemed to come out of nowhere, but it was on that launched Stuart Hyson into the chip lead for the first time during this heads-up battle. I only managed to catch the action on fifth street of a 9d-9h-4d-8d-Tc board, Hyson announcing all-in and Robertson making the call. But before the word "call" had barely left his lips, Robertson was being shown the bad news: 9c-8s for the full house.

Hyson is now the favourite to become Nottingham Live Champion with 4,450,000 to Robertson's 2,900,000.

For a little while the action reverted to raise-fold-repeat, although Daniel Robertson scored a small victory three-betting Stuart Hyson from the big blind. Hyson folded. But then a curious hand bolstered Hyson's stack, and it doesn't look as though he's going anywhere for the moment.

Robertson had the button and made the opening raise; Hyson flat-called in the blig blind. They both checked the 7h-Qs-3d flop and saw a 9s turn which Hyson liked enough to bet out 500,000. Most curiously, Robertson just called.

The river was the Qh and Hyson now went all in for around 1.25 million, prompting some serious and lengthy deliberation from Robertson. "Show if I fold?" he asked eventually - a sure sign of a player about to fold. Duly he passed, and Hyson showed him T-7 for two pair.

Hyson's back up to 2.5 million now. Robertson has a roughly 2:1 lead.

After the first few hands of heads-up went by without so much as a murmur, the inevitable all in arrived as Stuart Hyson limped, Daniel Robertson (pictured) announced all-in and Hyson called.

With Ac-Qh, Robertson was just five cards away from victory, but within those would have to be an ace or a queen as Hyson showed a pocket pair, 6h-6c.

Flop: 3h-2d-3c

Turn: 2h

Simon Trumper halted the dealer, momentarily increasing the tension.

River: Ts

Hyson doubles through to around 2,250,000 with Robertson down to 5,100,000.

The fat lady, she ain't singing just yet.

After a few minutes of players taking it in turn to shove and not getting called, we finally saw some action!

Daniel Robertson raised to 350,000 from the button and Arran Fletcher shoved from the small blind. Robertson asked for a count - it was around a million from where I was standing - and after just a few seconds he made the call.

Robertson: Qs-9h

Fletcher: looking good for the double up with Ad-Qc

Flop: Bang! 9c-Qd-9d making Robertson a full house

Turn: 2s, leaving Fletcher drawing dead

River: a purely academic Tc

Thus we lose Mr. Fletcher. Players are on a short break; when they return, they'll be heads up, Robertson's 5.2 million playing Stuart Hyson's 1.3 million.

Down to just 750,000, Stuart Hyson had one foot out the door and the other on thin ice, so when he pushed all in from the button and Daniel Robertson snap-called, the writing seemed to be on the wall.

But Hyson had in fact picked up a hand a crucial time with Jc-Jd, but he was still racing against As-Qh. Dyson's coin was buttered the right side; he doubled through on a 2h-7c-4c-6s-4s board.

Aaran Fletcher -- 1,750,000
Stuart Hyson -- 750,000
Daniel Robertson -- 4,850,000

Simon Trumper's tone on the microphone was one of excitement, so I rushed over to the felt to check out the latest news. Upon arrival, I was met by an all-in showdown between Stuart Hyson and his recent nemesis Daniel Robertson, the former leading out for 500,000 on a 8h-Th-Jd flop before calling an all-in for 2,240,000.

As soon as Robertson revealed his Jh-6h, Hyson sighed in dismay and tabled Jc-5c. But on second glance, and with a rail of cogs turning in heads, it soon emerged that he still had a decent chance of at least a split pot.

The Qs turn increased the likelihood of said scenario, but the 9h river awaded the pot to Robertson at the death. Hyson, clearly devestated, slumped into his seat as a five million pot went sailing across the felt.

Arran Fletcher picked up a smallish pot raising from the button and getting called by Daniel Robertson in the big blind before taking it down with a 250,000 bet on the turn of the 3c-4d-Kh-4s board.

But next hand he lost it back - Fletcher raised from the small blind and Stuart Hyson called in the big blind. Fletcher checked the 5h-Ks-4s flop and then folded to a half-million bet from Hyson.

Been a while since we saw a showdown, but the blinds now at 50k/100k/10k, this tournament has to end soon...

On the very next hand, Daniel Robertson limped on the button, Arran Fletcher folded from the small blind, and Stuart Hyson checked in the big. Robertson took it down with bets of 227,000 and 500,000 on the Jd-Ac-Qh flop and 5c river.

Robertson is a dangerman once again with circa 2,400,000.

Stuart Hyson raised it up to 240,000 from the small blind and Daniel Robertson defended from the big. The flop came 3s-8s-Ts, and after Hyson checked, Robertson continuation bet for 240,000. Hyson flat-called.

Both players checked the 2d turn, but Hyson was less hospitable on the 2c river, firing out to the tune of 500,000. Robertson sighed, perhaps realising the significance of the hand given that he had less than a million in front of him, but ultimately managed to find a splendid call.

Hyson meekly showed 6s-3h, but Robertson had him pipped, and out-kicked. with Jh-3h.

Daniel Robertson raised 440,000 from the button. That's five and a half big blinds. Small blind Arran Fletcher folded. In the big blind Stuart Hyson asked, "Do you know you put that much in?" I didn;t hear what Robertson replied, but it seemed that he did indeed mean to raise that much. 

Anyway, Hyson soon folded and Robertson got his five and a half big blinds back, plus the one and half plus three antes in the pot.

Aaran Fletcher -- 1,250,000
Stuart Hyson -- 4,900,000
Daniel Robertson -- 1,200,000