- Invitational heads-up event kicks off today following a one-year hiatus.
- For the first time since inception, the event is shows Caesar’s wsop.com advertisements.
After a year’s hiatus, the NBC Heads-Up Poker Championship, an invitational tournament pitting together 64 of the most recognizable poker personalities and pros, commences Thursday.
Mori Eskandani, the producer of the 2013 NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship, welcomed the return of the event as a sign of progress for poker in the US.
While the $25k buy-in, invitation-only event is certainly made-for-television, poker community leaders are saying its return after a Black Friday-sparked hiatus could even help spur a renewed interest in online poker.
“When [NBC is] bringing poker back, it’s good news,” Eskandani said at Wednesday night’s draw party at Cleopatra’s Barge inside Caesars Palace.
For the first time since the tournament launched in 2005, the wsop.com brand is being marketed on the banners. Caesars Interactive Entertainment Inc., which owns the site, recently received the OK to operate online poker in Nevada.
The first round of the event starts at 2 pm. PT on Thursday in the Caesars Palace poker room, with more than a few interesting match-ups.
Jennifer Tilly faces Antonio Esfandiari, her boyfriend Phil Laak’s BFF.
“He’s the only one I can’t read,” Tilly said at Wednesday night’s draw party. Esfandiari was absent at the event, attending a family dinner to celebrate his father’s 70th birthday. Laak, meanwhile, squares off against Phil Ivey.
In the match of online wunderkinds, Ike Haxton will play Justin Bonomo, while Michael Mizrachi faces Mike Matusow and Liv Boeree plays Gaelle Baumann.
Phil Hellmuth and Mike Sexton square off again in the event (Hellmuth beat Sexton in 2009). But one of the game’s most popular personalities, Daniel Negreanu, has opted out of the tournament, citing a prior engagement.
Players must win at least two matches to cash. The champion must win six matches to capture the $750k first place prize on Saturday.
