NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship Runs March 4-7

The sixth edition of the NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship will run March 4-7 at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. A select field of 64 poker players will play in the Caesars poker room in a bracket-style heads-up no-limit hold’em tournament, competing for a prize pool worth $1.5 million.

The presenting sponsor of the event for the second consecutive year will be GoDaddy.com.

“This sponsorship works for us, in part, because a good majority of poker players and fans are also Internet users,” said GoDaddy CEO and Founder Bob Parsons. “And, of course, it was thrilling to watch some of the most dominant poker stars compete last year in this championship.”

The tournament will be filmed for television broadcast by NBC, and the episodes will air on the network during six consecutive Sundays in April and May.

“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.”

Here is a look at the television broadcast schedule:

Apr. 18: Noon to 1 p.m. ET
Apr. 25: Noon to 2 p.m. ET
May 2: Noon to 2 p.m. ET
May 9: Noon to 2 p.m. ET
May 16: Noon to 2 p.m. ET
May 23: Noon to 3 p.m. ET

Leann Tweeden will be back to host the event again this year, and commentary will be provided by Craig Hummer and Ali Nejad.

A draw party to determine the first-round matches for the event will take place at PURE Nightclub at Caesars Palace on the evening of Thursday, March 4. The first round begins at noon on Friday, March 5. The tournament then follows a single-elimination bracket schedule of matches formed in the mold of college basketball’s March Madness format. The final match will be the best-two-out-of-three matches between the final two survivors in the event, and it takes place on Sunday, March 7. The winner will take home $500,000, and the runner-up is awarded $250,000.

Huck Seed (pictured right) is the reigning champion in the event, and he is also the only player to cash in the event in each of the previous five years of the tournament. He will be back to defend his title in 2010.

“It takes a lot of skill and mental toughness to get through a field of such exceptional players,” said Seed. “But I look forward to defending my title and trying to win it again.”

Fans can watch Seed attempt to cash for the sixth time in the event starting on March 5; the viewing gallery is open to guests on a first-come-first-served basis.

Here is a look at the current automatic qualifiers for the 2010 NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship, should they choose to accept and buy into the event:

Previous five NBC Heads-Up winners: Huck Seed (2009), Chris Ferguson (2008), Paul Wasicka (2007), Ted Forrest (2006), and Phil Hellmuth (2005)

Previous two NBC Heads-Up runners-up: Vanessa Rousso (2009), Andy Bloch (2008)

Defending NBC Heads-Up semi-finalists: Sam Farha, Bertrand Grospellier

Any player who has cashed in the past four consecutive years of the NBC Heads-Up: Huck Seed

Previous three World Series of Poker main-event champions: Joe Cada (2009), Peter Eastgate (2008), Jerry Yang (2007)

Defending WSOP main event runner-up: Darvin Moon

Multiple WSOP bracelet winners from the previous year: Phil Ivey, Jeffrey Lisandro, Brock Parker, Greg Mueller

Defending WSOP Player of the Year: Jeffrey Lisandro

Defending WSOP heads-up champion: Leo Wolpert

Defending WSOP Europe main event champion: Barry Shulman

Reigning World Poker Tour Player of the Year: Bertrand Grospellier

Reigning European Poker Tour Grand Final champion: Pieter de Korver

Reigning Card Player Player of the Year: Eric Baldwin

Reigning Bluff Magazine Player of the Year: Jason Mercier

Reigning All In Magazine Player of the Year: Phil Ivey

Related Articles

Matusow Wins NBC Heads-Up Poker Championship

Final Eight Set In NBC Heads-Up Poker Championship

NBC Heads-Up Poker Championship Day 1 Results

Most Viewed Articles