The National Heads-Up Poker Championship will be presented from Caesars Palace, Las Vegas this Sunday at Noon ET, 3 p.m. PT by NBC. The winner of the 64-player, "Heads-Up" poker tournament will be considered poker's best one-on-one player. The NBC-owned poker series, features a $1.5 million purse.
The 2007 National Heads-Up Poker Championship will feature one of the most recognizable fields in poker including legends Howard Lederer and Johnny Chan playing alongside new stars such as: 2006 World Champion Jamie Gold, 2006 Player of the Year Michael Mizrachi, World Poker Tour Hall of Famer Gus Hansen, 2003 World Series of Poker champion Chris Moneymaker and 2004 Player of the Year Daniel Negreanu.
2007 is a year of firsts for the National Heads-Up Poker Championship including the first time a celebrity advances past the first round. Celebrity participants include Don Cheadle (Ocean's Twelve, Reign over Me), Shannon Elizabeth (Scary Movie, American Pie), and Jennifer Tilly (The Fabulous Baker Boys). Also this year, nine women will compete for the title; making it the most female competitors in the tournament's history including a first ever women's head-to-head match up featuring July 2006 Maxim Magazine cover girl Clonie Gowen and online poker champion Kristy Gazes.
"This unique, head-to-head, single-elimination format will lend itself to compelling television as players advance through the tournament bracket," said Jon Miller, Executive Vice President, Programming, NBC Sports. "As any poker player knows, the most dramatic phase of each game is when it comes down to the final two players. It's in these heads-up matches that top players play their opponent more than the cards with a lot of bluffing and table talk."
Complete 2007 National Heads Up Poker Championship Schedule :
April 8: Noon-1 p.m. ET (3 p.m. PT)
April 15: Noon-1 p.m. ET (3 p.m. PT)
April 22: Noon-1 p.m. ET (3 p.m. PT)
April 29 Noon-2 p.m. ET (3 p.m. PT)
May 6: Noon-2 p.m. ET (3 p.m. PT)
May 13: Noon-2 p.m.ET (4 p.m. PT)
May 20: Noon-3 p.m. ET (3 p.m. PT)
