2008 NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship

An annual fan-favorite, the 2008 version of the NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship held its pairings party Thursday night at PURE nightclub, inside Caesar's Palace Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, which will also serve as the tournament's host venue.

A majority of the players in this year's field of 64 - a frighteningly talented collection of professional, celebrity and amateur stars - rendezvoused on the red carpet before popping into the party to find out who they'd be playing in the first round of the tournament.

As in years past, the field has been divided into four mini-brackets: Clubs, Diamonds, Hearts and Spades and is structured quite similarly to the NCAA Final Four Tournament, minus the play-in game.

Players in the Hearts bracket have the honors and are scheduled to tee off at 10:15 a.m. this afternoon (PST), followed by the Diamonds bracket at 1:15 p.m., Clubs at 4:15 p.m. and finally, the Spades bracket, which starts later this evening at 6:45 p.m.

PokerNews will be on site for the duration of the event, bringing you complete coverage of the tournament with our live blog, video interviews and photos direct from the tournament floor. Coverage begins at 10:15 a.m.; we'll see you then!