NBC National Heads-up Poker Championship Airs SundayFirst Installment Will Debut at Noon |
|
Sixty-four of the biggest names in poker in a March Madness-style heads-up format, all for half a million dollars.
This Sunday, the first episode of the 2009 National Heads-up Championship will premiere on NBC at 12 p.m. ET. The popular tournament took place in March at Caesars Palace, with Huck Seed and Vanessa Rousso distancing themselves from the field for their place in the title match.
Seed showed off his heads-up expertise as he defeated Rousso in two straight games in the best-of-three championship, winning $500,000 for his efforts. With his impressive win, he replaced Chris Ferguson as the most successful player ever in the championship with a lifetime record of 18-4.
Sunday’s broadcast will feature first-round matchups from the tournament. Notable pairings from the first round include Annie Duke vs. Brad Garrett, Daniel Negreanu vs. Chris Moneymaker, Mike Sexton vs. Phil Hellmuth, and Johnny Chan vs. Eli Elezra.
To reach the finals of the championship, Seed beat out a lineup of Jonathan Little, Gus Hansen, Glen Chorny, David Oppenheim, and Sam Farha.
Rousso had an arguably tougher route, as she beat a stacked lineup of Doyle Brunson, Phil Ivey, Paul Wasicka, Daniel Negreanu, and Bertrand “Elky” Grospellier.
In all, the 2009 championship featured 12 World Series of Poker main-event champions and 113 combined bracelets in the field. But while it showcased poker’s elite, the tournament also invited some fan favorites such as actors Don Cheadle, Jennifer Tilly, and Garrett. Each player, with the exception of four qualifiers through online and Caesars freerolls, paid $20,000 once invited to the tournament.
Future episodes of the championship will run during the same time slot for the next six consecutive weeks.
Copyright © 2001-2024
CardPlayer.com. All rights reserved.
