The NBC Heads-Up Poker Championship is in its infancy with this just its sixth-year of existence.
So while for most players it doesn’t carry the prestige of a World Series of Poker bracelet event, make no mistake about it. Getting a spot in the Heads-Up bracket of 64, playing well in the event and ultimately winning a Heads-Up title are all things the big-name poker pros are passionate about.
“Because there are so many big names and because it’s on NBC, it’s a big deal for sure,” says 2003 WSOP Main Event champ Chris Moneymaker, who was bounced from this year’s event at Caesars Palace by Erik Seidel in the quarterfinals. “It’s a fun event because it’s much different than your typical tournament with thousands of people in the field. I think this is something everyone looks forward to.”
Moneymaker proved just how much he cares about the event when we asked him after he won his first-round match over Patrik Antonius if he realized that it was his first Heads-Up victory since 2005 and snapped a five-match losing streak.
Are you kidding me? Of course I do,” he smiled. “And, believe me, I remember everyone of those losses. I got run over by Joe Hachem one year, but other than that they were all real tough losses. So to get at least one victory here this year means a lot to me.’
Moneymaker, who killed time after his win on Friday by jumping into a $1-$2 No Limit game in the Caesars Palace poker room and on Saturday was roaming the Caesars sportsbook in between matches, went on to earn his first Heads-Up cash by taking out Leo Wolpert in the second round before losing to Seidel.
Meanwhile, Phil Gordon was diplomatic about where the Heads-Up event ranks on the poker pecking order.
“It’s a tough question,” said Gordon, who beat Tom “durrr’ Dwan in the first round before suffering a brutal beat on Saturday in the second round in a loss to Phil Laak. “I know we all want to play in it. And the fact that it’s a heads-up, one-on-one match really brings the whole ego thing into the equation. But overall we all realize that when it comes right down to it, this is a crapshoot. There’s just so much luck involved in a one-time heads-up match.”
But 2008 WSOP Main Event champ Jerry Yang had a different view. Not only does he think the Heads-Up title ranks right below the WSOP Main Event, he also thinks that there is more skill involved than most people think.
“It’s a world-class field so you can’t be lucky to win this tournament, you’ve got have a lot of skill and deep focus,” said Yang before his second round match against Jennifer Harman on Saturday. “Believe me, if I could be fortunate enough to win this title, it would be a dream come true for me.”
Yang’s dream was alive and well late Saturday night after he took out Jennifer Harman in the quarterfinals to move on to Sunday’s quarterfinals.