$20,000 Heads-up Championship
Day 2 Completed
2010 NBC Heads-Up Poker Championship
$20,000 Heads-up Championship
Day: 2
Event Info
2010 NBC Heads-Up Poker Championship
Final Results
Event Info
Buy-in
$20,000
Prize Pool
$1,280,000
Entries
64
Players Left 1 / 64
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Overall, it was another fairly quiet day at Caesars, though many players showed more emotion than they did on Day 1. Early on, Phil Gordon looked down-right pained when Phil Laak caught a miracle 10 on the river to make a match-winning straight. The table turned on Laak in the Round of 16 though when Jason Mercier caught a river two-outer to send Laak crashing out of the tournament.
Jen Harman was bounced in the Round of 32, but didn't leave until she gave a piece of her mind to an over-exuberant Jerry Yang supporter in the gallery. Shockingly enough, the player most would have expected an outburst from -- Phil Hellmuth -- left quietly after calling all in against Annette Obrestad with a hand that Hellmuth claimed "could only beat a pure bluff." Obrestad wasn't bluffing.
What started as a quiet match between Annie Duke and Paul Wasicka provided the most drama of the day as each player took turns doubling up their short stacks. The hand of the day came near the end of the match when Duke moved all in with ace-10 against Wasicka's pocket aces and proceeded to suck out a running Broadway straight with a miracle king on the river. "That was just the sickest thing ever," Duke said at the end of the hand and no one in the crowd disagreed.
The marquee match of the Elite Eight looks to be the Prince of Poker, Scotty Nguyen vs. the always unpredictable Jason Mercier in the Spades Bracket final. Former WSOP Main Event Champion Peter Eastgate will take on a former WSOP Main Event runner-up, Erik Seidel, in the Clubs Bracket final.
In the Hearts Bracket final, Doyle Brunson will face off against Dennis Phillips. And in what may be the most shocking pairing of the day, 2007 WSOP Main Event champ Jerry Yang will try to continue his winning ways against Annie Duke in the Diamonds Bracket final.
Play will start early tomorrow morning, with cards aiming to be in the air somewhere around 11am. From there the cards will keep flying until only one player remains. Join us here at PokerNews to find out who that player will be.
Until then, you can find us at the bar.
. Wasicka had come up with another premium pair, 
.Duke made a pair on an all-spade flop,
. The 
that gave Duke two pair on the turn was only a fitting card for this crazy match. Everyone in the gallery awaited the river, wondering if Wasicka might find the luck dust one more time. He needed a deuce, a seven, or a jack to stay alive. But this time the river finally blanked 
to send Duke through to the Elite Eight.
and got called by Duke who held 
.Wasicka improved on a flop of
put the hand away with the on the turn. The river 
meant nothing, and Wasicka clawed his way back into contention.
. Wasicka peeked at his cars, grimaced in Duke's direction, and then called with 
.There was an ace in the window,
. Those of us in media row quickly realized that Duke was drawing at only a running Broadway straight to stay alive. She got half of it with the 
turn. And then MOC Jordan Siegel perfectly punctuated the delivery of the river card."IT'S A KING!" he shouted as the
came. The gallery went absolutely berserk. Duke, standing over the table, held her hands up to her face in utter disbelief. She then walked to Wasicka's side of the table and whispered something in his ear before re-taking her seat.The match rolls on! Wasicka is now quite short.
and got called by Duke, who held 
.The flop of
provided plenty of drama, as Duke caught two pair and Wasicka picked up the nut flush draw. The 
changed nothing on the turn, but the 
on the river gave Wasicka the hand and a commanding chip lead.Duke could do nothing more than hold her head in her hand as her chips were shipped across the felt.
and put herself at risk against Paul Wasicka's 
.The flop was good for Duke though, coming
, giving her a pair and straight draw. The and were no more help, but Duke's small pair was enough to keep her in the match.
. Phillips called with the best hand, .Nobody hit the flop,
. But since things never seem to come easy in poker, the turn was of course a third club, the 
, to give Elezra a flush draw to go along with his king and queen outs. With the crowd leaning forward in anticipation, the river fell 
to end Elezra's tournament run.Phillips will return tomorrow as part of the Elight Eight. With his elimination, Annie Duke and Paul Wasicka (again!) are the last remaining mathc.
against Duke's 
.Wasicka has a large contingent of family supporting him from the rail, and they were thrilled to see an ace flop,
. That ace proved decisive after a turn of and a river of 
. Wasicka doubled up, allowing his match with Duke to continue.Duke could only offer a tight-lipped smile after the hand.
. Brunson made the call with and immediately out-flopped the young Norwegian on a board of 
.Obrestad couldn't catch up when the board finished
and left with $25,000 while Brunson moves on to the Elite 8.
