Neil Channing announces Black Belt team LIVE on the Poker Show tonight

[elBlandie]

Yeah, imo Sida, Jerome and James Keys were the most impressive that I got to speak to, while I am sure David Tighe kills poker for fun. All solid pros and going to give BBP a chance of landing some big cashes at the WSOP.

[I KNOW IT]

Maybe Andrew was speaking in general rather than anyone in particular.

Perhaps, but I assumed he meant me since I'm the only one in the thread moaning and making themselves look like an idiot!

Nah, your just frustrated and dissapointed which is understandable.
Unfortunately there was going to be the winners and those who lost out as is the nature of the beast, but you seem like a good guy so Good luck in future ventures.
 

[Woodsey]

What I don't understand is why many so called 'big winners' need backing in the first place? I struggle to make even a modest profit these days and no way I want to give up 50% of that to someone else.

[GreekStein]

Genuine question here.

If you can 15 table 5/10 like Sida is supposed to with a win rate like that why would you want to be staked in only $20k worth of tournies for only half your action but have to make up the whole lot?

[easypickings]

Pretty sure Sida is BADBeatPanda on iPoker from what I have read. If so, incredible player.

[MC]

Yeah, imo Sida, Jerome and James Keys were the most impressive that I got to speak to, while I am sure David Tighe kills poker for fun. All solid pros and going to give BBP a chance of landing some big cashes at the WSOP.

+1^^

I'm really annoyed with myself, I didn't want to get into any kind of dispute, or make myself look like a fool, but am thinking I've managed to do that fairly successfully. Please understand it's all just borne out of frustration and disappointment, magnified because of the intensity of the last few weeks. Anyone that knows me will hopefully know this is out of character for me, and I'll stop being a knob now and move on...

I won't say any more on the matter, and I wish all the Brown & blue belts good luck, cos all the people I met through this were top guys, and v.good poker players.

(wrote this before the last few replies - thanks knowit, you're right - Woodsey it was definitely a toss up for the reasons you say, but the prospect of playing some big tourneys and learning from Neil and the other brown belts where why I originally decided to take a shot)

[I KNOW IT]

I wonder if the all regular 25c 50c players are pleased the BBP gradings over, so all the BBP graders will piss off and go back and play their usual stakes

[Woodsey]

Yeah, imo Sida, Jerome and James Keys were the most impressive that I got to speak to, while I am sure David Tighe kills poker for fun. All solid pros and going to give BBP a chance of landing some big cashes at the WSOP.

+1^^

I'm really annoyed with myself, I didn't want to get into any kind of dispute, or make myself look like a fool, but am thinking I've managed to do that fairly successfully. Please understand it's all just borne out of frustration and disappointment, magnified because of the intensity of the last few weeks. Anyone that knows me will hopefully know this is out of character for me, and I'll stop being a knob now and move on...

I won't say any more on the matter, and I wish all the Brown & blue belts good luck, cos all the people I met through this were top guys, and v.good poker players.

(wrote this before the last few replies - thanks knowit, you're right - Woodsey it was definitely a toss up for the reasons you say, but the prospect of playing some big tourneys and learning from Neil and the other brown belts where why I originally decided to take a shot)

Wasn't necessarily thinking of you mate, and I can understand why you would want a shot as I know your a small stakes grinder. Thinking more of those who are supposedly 'killing it', why on earth would they not want to use their own BR if of course they really have that much?

[AndrewT]

My comment wasn't aimed at anyone in particular - just anyone who signed up to this then whined when they didn't make it. Neil Channing has always struck me as a straight-up kind of guy and if he says you haven't cut it then that's good enough for me.

I don't know who MC is but if you analyse everything I'm sure you'll be able to find areas to improve in for next time should you want to give this another go.

[AndrewT]

If Sida is BadBeatPanda then, yeah, he knows his stuff.

[GreekStein]

fwiw James I don't think you came across like 'an idiot'.

A few people I know did the grading and were told similar things to yourself about 'being on course for the blue belt' or 'having an above 50% chance' to quote a couple. As well as being upset for having not made it, from the people I have spoken to it appears the anger comes more from having been misled slightly it seems.

I don't think the way in which it was all done on radio was right either. Obviously it's a great buzz for the selected 8 but it's probably pretty cruel to those who have grinded for a month to just miss out or miss out completely.

As long as your points are about the system/those in charge and you don't bring any players into it then I think you are well within your rights to air your views, especially as any criticism might help the guys from BBP for next time.

The one thing everyone seemed to be complaining about that surprised me was the playing 5 days a week 5/6 hours a day? Seems a piece of piss if you ask me.

[DaveShoelace]

I think its perfectly normal to go through a bit of a rollercoaster of emotions like MC is right now, he just spent a gruelling month and got nothing immediate out of it (I was gonna say the biggest grind of his life, but being as every other week he is doing a 'lets play 100,000 sng challenges' and rake races, it probably was a quiet month) I think I would have been livid too. You are just wearing your heart on your sleeve mate, nothing wrong with that.

The thing that really sticks out to me, and this is reflected quite a bit on the BBP website and grading wall, is how everyone seemed to assume they were all getting Blue Belts at least and everybody deserved one, there seems to be a general consensus that there should have been no losers and only winners, when I think it was made very clear from the outset that that wasn't the case even to us outsiders. A lot of the graders seem to have been oblivious to the fact that some people had to lose and are questioning the system, even though its what they agreed to.

Now, if Channing knew a player had no chance say after 2-3 weeks, I think he should let them go (or at least tell them they are pretty much fucked and need to pull something special out of their arse) rather than wait it out, the system might need to be looked at in the future.

Funnily enough, a few of the Blue Belts have declined their positions on the Grading wall (Mark McCluskey and Joe Whittaker) - should be interesting to see if the green belts get any of them.

[GamblingPays]

Cheers lads for the kind words, (Rich, James, Alex, Dave) Hopefully I will be seeing you in Vegas. 

Dubai to be fair although Rich was sick that night he still continued getting smashed, and Dave was still about at 7am getting a kebab with us !!

[Rupert]

I wonder if the all regular 25c 50c players are pleased the BBP gradings over, so all the BBP graders will piss off and go back and play their usual stakes

I doubt it!  Certainly the good regs (got quite a few friends playing in exactly these games) were extremely happy to have some of these graders in their games!

[EddieHearn]

Alex Martin, James Mitchell and James Atkin going to be on the Poker Show tonight..www.thepokershowlive.com

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