Las Vegas Weekly

February 16, 2010 · 7:30 AM

$1.5 million Heads-Up showdown on NBC pits 64 top poker pros

By Robin Leach

Joe Cada at the Final Table of the 2009 World Series of Poker at The Rio.

Photo: WSOP/Harrah's

Poker’s most prestigious heads-up tournament will return to Las Vegas in a massive TV production for the sixth annual championship on March 4 for three days of play to be broadcast over six April and May shows on NBC. Heads-Up will feature 64 of the best poker players in the world at the Caesars Palace Poker Tournament Room competing in its distinctive, bracket-style, head-to-head format for $1.5 million in combined prize money.

Already scheduled to appear in this year’s event are several of the world’s top poker pros, including Chris Ferguson, Phil Hellmuth, Phil Ivey, Daniel Negreanu, 2009 World Series of Poker Main Event champion Joe Cada and last year’s Heads-Up finalists Vanessa Rousso and Huckleberry Seed.

“It takes a lot of skill and mental toughness to get through a field of such exceptional players,” said last year’s Heads-Up champion Huck Seed, who is the only player in the history of Heads-Up to cash in all five years of the event. “But I look forward to defending my title and trying to win it again.”

Glamour model and TV personality Leeann Tweeden will again serve as the host and sideline reporter, while Craig Hummer and Ali Nejad will provide commentary for the broadcasts. GoDaddy.com, the world's largest domain name registrar and leading Web hosting provider, returns as the presenting sponsor.

“We’re excited to bring this annual tradition back to Caesars Palace,” said Jon Miller, executive vice president of NBC Sports. “The National Heads-Up Poker Championship’s compelling poker action has become a must-see for the casual and hardcore poker fan alike.”

The National Heads-Up Poker Championship features 64 top poker players competing in a series of heads-up (one-on-one matches of No Limit Texas Hold’em) matches to determine the best heads-up poker player in the world. This tournament has a unique, single-elimination, bracket-style format modeled after NCAA basketball’s championship tournament, except that the finals are the best of three. The first-place finisher receives $500,000, with second place taking home $250,000.

The first-round opponents for the brackets will be chosen at random during the tournament’s Draw Party at Pure in Caesars Palace on March 4. The single-elimination competition begins March 5 at noon and continues through March 7, when a two-out-of-three championship match will determine the winner. The viewing gallery will be open to guests on a first-come, first-served basis.

Robin Leach has been a journalist for more than 50 years and has spent the past decade giving readers the inside scoop on Las Vegas, the world’s premier platinum playground.

Follow Robin Leach on Twitter at Twitter.com/Robin_Leach.

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Follow VDLX Editor Don Chareunsy on Twitter at Twitter.com/VDLXEditorDon.

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