When 64 of poker's top players gathered at the 2006 National Heads-Up Poker Championship, the atmosphere at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas was electric. Names like Daniel Negreanu and Doyle Brunson stole the spotlight. Ted Forrest, the high-stakes cash-game specialist who keeps his life very private, remained under the radar for much of the event.
But, after besting six tough opponents on network television and capturing the 2006 Heads-Up Championship crown, Forrest was catapulted into the spotlight. When the episodes, premiering Sunday afternoons on NBC from April 16 through June 23, are all said and done, bank on Forrest becoming a new household name.
Day One, Round One
Ted Forrest vs. Erik Seidel
On day one, the players in each bracket were given $20,000 in chips, with the blinds starting at $100-$200 and levels of 15 minutes each.
Ted Forrest and Erik Seidel sat face to face, and 30 minutes into the match, Forrest was running low on chips, but he doubled up to take the lead.
Then, Forrest moved all in before the flop and Seidel called with the A
K
. Forrest had the A
8 and Seidel was looking to double up. The flop came 8-6-5 with two hearts, giving Forrest a pair of eights. The turn was the 9, giving Seidel a flush draw and both players a gutshot-straight draw to split the pot. Seidel needed a heart or a king to survive, but the river was the 8. Seidel was eliminated and Forrest advanced to round two.
Day Two, Round Two
Ted Forrest vs. Chad Brown
The total of $1,280,000 in tournament chips was carried over to the second day, with each of the remaining 32 players receiving $40,000.
Ted Forrest would face Chad Brown.
In round one, Brown defeated Phil Ivey, who some consider to be the ironman of heads-up competition. Brown had missed the pairings party the evening before the competition began due to a final-table appearance in the Bay 101
Shooting Star event, where he placed sixth.
Brown maintained a modest chip lead throughout the first level. In a pivotal hand, he found J-J while on the button. He limped in and Forrest checked his option. The flop came J-8-2. Forrest bet and Brown called, slow-playing his set. The turn was a 7, and Forrest fired again. Brown called, and the river brought a 5. Forrest bet out, Brown raised, and Forrest simply called, as there was a possible flush on the board. Brown thought his hand was good, but Forrest turned over 10-9 for the straight, giving him a 3-1 chip lead going to the next level.
At the next level, Forrest raised before the flop and Brown reraised. Forrest reraised back, and Brown moved all in. Forrest called.
Brown had the Q J, but Forrest had pocket aces. The flop gave Brown a pair when it came J-9-4, but Forrest held the lead. Brown sat helplessly while the turn and river cards proved inconsequential. He was eliminated from the competition, propelling Forrest into the third round.
Day Two, Round Three
An Amateur Tests Forrest
Next, Forrest faced Ernie Dureck, a high-roller blackjack player. Dureck won an invitation-only satellite that was held earlier at Caesars. In round one, Dureck eliminated Scotty Nguyen in one of the biggest upsets of the day.
Forrest held an early lead, doubling his stack against Dureck. Later, Dureck would turn the tables.
After a flop of K-Q-10 with two clubs, Dureck bet and Forrest raised. Dureck moved all in and Forrest requested a tally of the chips. He'd have to call another $36,000 to see the turn. He contemplated a moment, called, and turned over the K 5. Forrest had top pair and a flush draw, but Dureck held A-A, which held up, giving Dureck a 3-1 chip lead.
Six minutes later, with the blinds at $1,000-$2,000, Dureck came close to sending Forrest to the rail, but suffered a dramatic chop of the pot.
Forrest pushed all in before the flop with A-10 offsuit, but Dureck called and flashed another pair of aces. The flop came Q 4 3, and Forrest needed runner-runner for a flush or a straight to survive. The turn was the 2
. He needed a 5 on the river for a straight to chop the pot with Dureck. The crowd went wild as the 5 fell on the river. Forrest survived Dureck being dealt pocket aces twice in six minutes.
Ten minutes later, Forrest moved all in, made a flush on the turn, and doubled up to bring him close to even with Dureck. Forrest won another monster pot and had Dureck dominated in the next hand, in which Dureck moved all in before the flop with the K Q. Forrest called with the A K.
The K 6 2 flop paired both players, but Forrest had the higher kicker. The turn was the A, and Dureck was drawing dead.
The match was over, and Forrest would move on to the quarterfinals to face Sam Farha in the longest match in NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship history.
Final Day, Quarterfinals
Ted Forrest Endures
Eight of the original 64 competitors had survived the field: James McManus, Chris Ferguson, Ted Forrest, Sam Farha, Huck Seed, Barry Greenstein, Sean Sheikhan, and Daniel Negreanu. Each player started with $160,000, and the blinds began at $800-$1,600 with the usual 15-minute levels.
With two players from each bracket remaining, Ted Forrest and Sam Farha would battle it out to represent the Diamonds bracket. Farha came out firing and picked up a big pot early in the match, but Forrest slow-played a set of kings to bring him back to even by the end of the first level.
With the blinds at $1,500-$3,000, the pace slowed, with very few hands played to the river. By the end of the second level, Forrest and Farha were close to even.
In the third level, Farha had taken a 2-1 chip lead. Five minutes later, he increased it to a 3-1 advantage.
Forrest was severely short-stacked and had a mere six big blinds before him when he went all in preflop. Farha called another $32,000 with the K 9. Forrest had the A 4. When the flop came A 8 8, Forrest had aces up and Farha a flush draw. Forrest's hand held up, and he doubled through.
Forrest was behind 3-1, but with $80,000, he was still in the running.
Throughout the fourth level, Forrest won a series of moderate-sized pots to gain the advantage. Going into the fifth level, he had secured a 3-1 lead over Farha. But, Farha proved to be slippery, and after winning a series of small pots, he'd crept back to even.
With new vigor, Farha and Forrest fired at each other, taking turns going all in before the flop. This worked in Forrest's favor, as Farha forfeited several blinds, which they'd maxed out at $8,000-$16,000.
Forrest had Farha down 3-1. Then, something went terribly right for Farha when he called Forrest's all-in bet with his remaining $80,000. Forrest had the A 10 and Farha turned over the A J.
With a board of K 9 8 K 7, Farha doubled up, evening their stacks at about $160,000 apiece.
And so it went with the lead changing back and forth, and after three and a half hours of intense competition, the two were back to even.
By 5 p.m., Farha and Forrest were the only two players left in the field of quarterfinalists. What should have been a fast-track heads-up match became the longest competition in the two-year history of the National Heads-Up Poker Championship, with 122 matches in the books.
Finally, after three hours and 10 minutes, Farha went all in with K-J suited and Forrest called with pocket fives. The river gave Forrest a set, and it appeared the match was over.
Farha left the stage and Forrest was preparing for a celebratory interview, when the dealer dutifully tallied the pot. It seemed that Farha had more chips than Forrest going into the hand. With $25,000 remaining, Farha had just enough to cover the blinds. Ali Nejad made it official and announced, "Game on." Farha returned to his seat, shaken and famished, commenting, "It's 5 o'clock and all I can think of is dinner." Nejad went backstage and brought Farha a complimentary bag of Cheetos to help curb his hunger.
Farha moved all in on the next few hands to collect the blinds, but Forrest caught him off guard when he pushed all in with pocket nines. Farha threw in his chips, Cheetos and all, oblivious of his hand. It was A-3 offsuit.
Forrest's medium pair held up to officially win the grueling four-hour match.
Final Day, Semifinals
Ted Forrest and "The Sheik"
Sean Sheikhan and Ted Forrest each were given $320,000 in chips and the blinds were $1,500-$3,000 to start.
Forrest gained a modest lead when he came out firing and Sheikhan folded several hands in a row. By the middle of the second level, Sheikhan was down 4-1, but an aggressive tactic finally paid off. Sheikhan went all in with pocket jacks after a flop of K 6 3. Forrest called and turned over the K 8 to give him the higher pair. Sheikhan needed another jack or runner-runner clubs to make a flush. The 10 came on the turn. Sheikhan had two outs. He snagged the J on the river and the crowd roared, as he had made a set to survive.
By the fifth level, Sheikhan had inched back into the lead. The match then took a dramatic turn when Forrest moved all in before the flop with pocket fours. Sheikhan quickly called with Q-J. The flop came J 10 8 and Sheikhan had made a pair of jacks, but the turn brought a 4 to give Forrest a set.
Forrest leaped from his chair in a rare show of emotion. The river was a brick, crippling Sheikhan. Forrest had five times more chips than his opponent.
The blinds ate away at Sheikhan's stack. With $40,000 left, he pushed it all in with J-7. He realized he'd picked the wrong moment to make his move when Forrest called and flashed a pair of kings. Forrest made a set on the turn, leaving Sheikhan drawing dead on the river.
Ted Forrest would face Chris "Jesus" Ferguson in a best two-out-of-three match for the championship.
Championship, Game One
Evaluating an Opponent
A total of $1,280,000 in chips would be split evenly between the finalists, and the blinds started at $5,000-$10,000.
It was late. At 10 p.m., they sat down at the feature table, double-checked their stacks, high-carded for the button, then quietly placed their blinds before them. When the cards were dealt, one could hear a pin drop.
During the first level, they made it to the river only twice. Near the end of the second level, Forrest called Ferguson's big blind. Ferguson raised his option and Forrest called. The flop came K J J and Ferguson checked. Forrest bet $75,000 and Ferguson called. The turn was the 5 and Ferguson passed the action to Forrest. Forrest bet another $75,000 and Ferguson called. The river card was the 9 and Forrest pressed forth with a $200,000 wager.
The room went silent, and announcer Ali Nejad gave the players quiet respect as he shuffled away from the table and pulled the microphone from his lips. Ferguson was in deep thought, clearly weighing his options.
The audience was holding its collective breath when Ferguson called and turned over pocket sixes. Forrest showed the Q 9 for a flush and scooped an $830,000 pot. He would enter the next hand with more than $1 million in chips.
Ferguson went all in and doubled up with king high. On the next hand, he pushed in his stack after pairing a deuce on the flop, but Forrest called with a pair of queens. Ferguson was behind until he made a set on the turn. He'd accumulated more than $500,000 in chips and was rapidly narrowing the gap. By the middle of the third level, they were back to even.
With the blinds at $20,000-$40,000, Forrest raised to $120,000 and Ferguson moved all in. Forrest called and turned over pocket tens. Ferguson showed A-9 suited and had Forrest covered in chips.
The flop came K J 7 and Forrest had the advantage. The turn was the 8, giving both players a gutshot-straight draw, but the river paired Ferguson with an ace and he won the first game.
Championship, Game Two
Forrest Fights Back
At 11:15 p.m., the cards hit the felt, and during the first 10 minutes, Ferguson won almost every pot.
When the blinds increased to $10,000-$20,000, Ferguson raised from the button. Forrest called, and the flop came A 5 4. Forrest checked and Ferguson bet $75,000. Forrest called, the 10 came on the turn, and both players checked. A king hit on the river and Forrest fired $100,000 into the pot. Ferguson reluctantly called and turned over K-7 for a pair, but Forrest had spiked an ace on the flop and picked up a monster pot worth $470,000.
Forrest was back to even, but at the stroke of midnight, he'd win a hand that would give him a 4-1 chip lead.
Forrest limped in from the button and Ferguson checked his option. The flop came K Q 10 and Ferguson passed the action to Forrest, who bet $25,000. Ferguson came over the top for $105,000, and Forrest called. The turn was another king and Ferguson bet $200,000. Forrest called.
The river card was the 7, providing a flush possibility. Both players checked and Ferguson turned over J-5, having missed his straight draw. Forrest had Q-5 for two pair and picked up a $650,000 pot.
The blinds were $15,000-$30,000 and Ferguson moved all in. Forrest said, "OK, I call." Ferguson had J-7 offsuit and Forrest showed A-4. Neither player improved and Forrest won the hand with ace high.
It would take a third game to determine the champion.
Championship, Game Three
Nice Guys Finish Last (Both of Them)
At 12:20 a.m., the cards were back in the air.
An hour passed, and their stacks were even.
Forrest gained the advantage when he raised to $45,000 and Ferguson called. The flop came A 5 3. Ferguson checked and Forrest bet another $45,000. Ferguson paid to see the turn, which paired the board with the A. Forrest bet $65,000 and Ferguson called. On the river, the pot was $310,000 and Ferguson passed the action to Forrest, who bet $155,000.
Ferguson folded, giving Forrest the first distinguishable lead.
Ferguson followed that with a series of all-in moves that evened the score.
With the blinds at $20,000-$40,000 and a flop of K 9 6, Forrest bet and Ferguson called to see the Q on the turn.
Forrest checked and Ferguson bet $120,000. Forrest thought for a moment and then called. The river paired the board with the 6 and Forrest bet $200,000. Ferguson paused and then called. Ferguson had made two pair, but Forrest had trip sixes to win a monster pot worth $800,000.
On the next hand, Forrest moved all in from the button. Ferguson pushed in the last of his chips and turned over the Q J. Forrest showed the K 7 and rose from his chair to follow the action.
The K Q 2 fell on the flop, and Forrest had spiked the higher pair. The turn was the 4 and Ferguson was still behind. The K on the river sealed the victory for Forrest, and he threw his arms into the air in a rare show of emotion.
After placing ninth the year before, Ted Forrest returned to win the 2006 NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship, the trophy, and $500,000 in prize money.
Chris Ferguson had won a stretch of matches against some of the fierce competitors, including Freddy Deeb, Chip Reese, Josh Arieh, James McManus, and Huckleberry Seed. For the second consecutive year, he finished as the runner-up, winning $250,000 and earning a reverence outwardly expressed by many of his peers.
Ferguson humbly congratulated Forrest and commented on his opponent's character. "If I had to lose to someone, then let it be the nicest guy in the world, because Ted really is the nicest man in poker."
Ted Forrest spoke with master of ceremonies Ali Nejad while camera flashes exploded before him. When Nejad asked him how he felt, Forrest expressed his relief over some second thoughts regarding his heads-up ability. "I was up seven million dollars against (Andy) Beal a couple of weeks ago, but he came back to beat me out of 10 million dollars. I guess I'm OK with it now."
After winning six matches against some of the world's finest poker champions, there was no question that Forrest had regained his confidence.
