Play begins in Heads-Up Poker Champonship
The first-round match-ups have been drawn for the 64-player National Heads-Up Poker Championship that begins play today at Caesars Palace.
But there are some potential second-round matches that could draw interest.
The bracket-style format pits 64 players in head-to-head games of Hold’em poker for $1.5 million in prize money. The field mixes poker professionals -- including 10 previous winners of the World Series of Poker’s Main Event World Championship -- and sports and Hollywood celebrities.
The tournament is filmed for broadcast on NBC and will begin airing on April 18.
Last year’s champion, former World Series of Poker winner Huck Seed, will return, along with runner-up Vanessa Russo. Also scheduled to compete are poker professionals Chris Ferguson, Phil Hellmuth, Phil Ivey, Daniel Negreanu, and 2009 World Series of Poker Main Event champion Joe Cada.
One of the first round match-ups features quiet and pious 2007 World Series of Poker Main Event Champion Jerry Yang versus potty-mouthed Mike Matusow, known to drop an f-bomb or two.
Whoever wins the Yang-Matusow match faces the winner of the Jennifer Harman-Jennifer Tilly game.
Noted poker professional Howard Lederer drew Hellmuth for his first-round game and the winner could face former major league pitcher Orel Hershiser, who plays Annette Obrestad in his opener.
Another well-watched first-rounder will be Andy Bloch and Annie Duke. The winner of the Bloch-Duke contest could end up sitting across the table from rural Maryland logger Darvin Moon, runner-up in last year’s World Series of Poker Main Event. Moon faces Bill Huntress in the first round.
Reigning World Series of Poker champion Joe Cada will play tournament professional David Williams in the first round.
The complete bracket is below.
The first-place finisher receives $500,000 with second-place taking home $250,000.
