International
The 4th Annual National Heads-Up Poker Championship is slated to take place on February 28th. This is an invitation only tournament and the majority of players will be big names in the poker field. Last year’s winner, Paul Wasicka has been invited to defend his title along with a slew of other pros. Expect to see Doyle Brunson, Chris Ferguson, Johnny Chan, Jamie Gold, Phil Ivey, Jerry Yang and 2006 National Heads-Up Champion Ted Forrest. The National Heads-Up Poker Championship is a 64 player tournament, resembling the NCAA Basketball Tournament. Players will face off in best of three matches, with winners advancing after each round. Even though players are invited to play, they will still be responsible for the $20,000 buy-in. The first place champion will receive a cool $500,000 cash prize.
If you haven’t received your invitation, don’t fret because you have one chance to win a seat. Caesar’s Palace is giving away a $20,000 seat in a live satellite event scheduled for 2p.m. on February 17th.
The satellite will cost $540 to enter, $40 goes to the house. The game is No Limit Texas Hold Em and players start with $7,500 in tournament chips. The blinds start at $25-$50 and go up every 50 minutes.
For one seat to be given away, 129 people must enter the satellite. The winner will not only receive the seat, but he or she will also be given $1,000 in cash. The remaining prize pool will be awarded to participants according to a formula based on number of entrants.
Registration for the satellite will begin promptly at 9:00 a.m. on February 17th, so head over early to ensure your seat.
If you’d rather win your way into the $540 satellite, your in luck, because starting on February 1st, Caesar’s Palace will be running daily single table satellites at 9:00 a.m. with a format to be announced.
Marco Traniello, husband of Jennifer Harman, won his way into The National Heads Up Championship via satellite at Caesar’s Palace, but he was knocked our in the first round of competition by Humberto Brenes.
Fire up the laptop to practice your heads up skills on sites like Pokerstars or Full Tilt Poker where you can always find a game from the comfort of your couch.
Time to get ready for the WSOP
There are a lot of ways to get to the WSOP without refinancing your house - but then with the economy today, who could take cash out on a refi? Better to plan taking cash out when you win a WSOP package. Start with these great opportunities: 
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