PokerWorks

Each year in March, one of the most anticipated annual poker events takes place in Las Vegas. And it is now official that the sixth annual NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship will return to Caesars Palace for another run. From March 4 through 7, there will be a list of 64 invited players asked to buy in for $20,000 each, and the bracket-style tournament will play for the $1.5 million prize pool, all to be televised on NBC.

The 2009 NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship was one of the most exciting ever, with a star-studded poker pro and celebrity field that ended with Huck Seed defeating Vanessa Rousso for the title and $500K grand prize. This year looks to have the same buzz and a field that will have poker fans and the media scrambling to organize their prediction brackets.

Seed commented, “It takes a lot of skill and mental toughness to get through a field of such exceptional players. But I look forward to defending my title and trying to win it again.”

The Caesars Palace poker tournament room will again be the home of the tournament, with GoDaddy.com returning as its presenting sponsor. NBC will film all of the action for television episodes that will be broadcast on Sundays throughout April and May. Leeann Tweeden will return as the host, and Craig Hummer and Ali Nejad will hold down commentator responsibilities.

Jon Miller, Executive Vice President of NBC Sports, noted, “We’re excited to bring this annual tradition back to Caesars Palace. The National Heads-Up Poker Championship’s compelling poker action has become a must-see for the casual and hardcore poker fan alike.”

While a complete list of invited pros and those who have submitted RSVP’s has yet to be released, the press released noted that some players are scheduled to appear, including Seed, Rousso, Chris Ferguson, Phil Ivey, Daniel Negreanu, Joe Cada, and Phil Hellmuth.

Action will kick off for participants at the Draw Party at PURE Nightclub at Caesars Palace on the evening of March 4, at which time the first round of brackets will be chosen randomly and the brackets will be complete. The no-limit hold’em heads-up matches will then begin on March 5 with the best-of-three final match set for March 7.