NBC’s National Heads Up Poker Championship Returns
Poker's most prestigious heads up tournament returns to Las Vegas for the 6th annual National Heads-Up Poker Championship presented by GoDaddy.com on March 4-7. Heads-Up brings 64 of the best poker players in the world to the Caesars Palace Poker Tournament Room to compete in its distinctive, bracket-style head-to-head format for $1.5 million in combined prize money. GoDaddy.com, the world's largest domain name registrar and leading Web hosting provider, returns as the presenting sponsor of the tournament, which will be taped for broadcast on NBC over 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."
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."
"This sponsorship works for us, in part, because a good majority of poker players and fans are also Internet users," said Go Daddy 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."
Model and television personality Leeann Tweeden will serve as the host and sideline reporter, while Craig Hummer and Ali Nejad will provide commentary for the broadcast.
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 college 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 held at PURE Nightclub at Caesars Palace on Thursday, March 4. The single-elimination competition begins Friday, March 5 at noon and continues through Sunday, March 7, when a two-out-of-three championship match will determine the winner. The viewing gallery is open to guests on a first-come, first-served basis.
