$20,000 Heads-up Championship Day 1 | 2010 NBC Heads-Up Poker Championship

03-05-2010 10:14 UTC-12

The Kid is Dead

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Joe Cada's first appearance at the NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship ends in the first round. He and David Williams were all in again, this time on a flip. Cada was the one looking to improve with {A-Spades}

, while Williams was hoping his {7-Spades}

would hold. They did; the board came {6-Spades}

to give Williams the victory.

Tags: David Williams Joe Cada

03-05-2010 10:10 UTC-12

Eastgate Marches On

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One of our other world champions in the Clubs Bracket, Peter Eastgate, has neatly dispatched his first round opponent. Bertrand "ElkY" Grospellier was down to 12,000 chips and put them all at risk after Eastgate opened the button. Eastgate called with {A-Clubs}

, a dominating favorite over ElkY's {A-Diamonds}

. There were plenty of chop possibilities as the board develoepd {A-Spades}

. ElkY could win outright with any three; any nine, queen or king would chop the pot.

It wasn't to be. The river fell {8-Spades}

to send Eastgate through to the second round.

Tags: Bertrand Grospellier ElkY Peter Eastgate

03-05-2010 10:09 UTC-12

The Kid Lives

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Don't call it a comeback yet, but Joe Cada has found a second life. Down to just 5,000 chips in his match against David Williams, Cada re-raised all in after Williams open-raised the button. Williams called with {Q-Diamonds}

, a great hand for Cada and his {Q-Clubs}

. Williams gave Cada a grin, seemingly resigned to the idea that he would not win the hand. He was right. The board came {4-Clubs}

to double up Cada.

Tags: David Williams Joe Cada

03-05-2010 10:07 UTC-12

Extreme Makeover, Poker Edition

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David Williams, from our vantage from the bleachers

There seems to be a trend lately in poker circles for players to make over their images. For example, at NAPT Venetian it took us more than a day to even notice that Steve Billirakis was even in the field.

That trend is continuing here at the National Heads-Up Poker Champioinship. David Williams is rocking some thick-framed black glasses and has grown his hair out, foregoing his trademark close-cropped buzz cut. Bertrand "ElkY" Grospellier also is sporting an unusual hairstyle -- his hair is flat and completely un-dyed any of his typical vibrant colors. MOC Jordan Siegel called him the "new-look ElkY".

On the far side of the room, Ted Forrest doesn't look made-over, but there is *something* different about him.

03-05-2010 10:01 UTC-12

Dario Minieri Eliminated

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Jamie Gold's luck continues to hold as he just eliminated Dario Minieri in their first-round match.

Minieri moved all in preflop with pocket deuces and got a quick call by Gold who held pocket sevens. With his mother hovering in the background, Gold sweated the board which fell {6-Clubs}

.

03-05-2010 09:55 UTC-12

Patrik Antonius Eliminated

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Patrik Antonius is the first player eliminated from this year's Heads-Up Championship.

Antonius' demise came at the hands of former Main Event champ Chris Moneymaker when he pushed all in on a board of {5-Clubs}

. Moneymaker made the call but didn't seem comfortable, telling Antonius "I don't do very good at all ins."

He seemed a lot happier when the cards were turned up though as his {5-Spades}

was way ahead of Antonius' {5-Hearts}

. The

brought a possibility of a chop on the turn, but the {6-Spades}

on the river paired the board and Moneymaker moved on to the round of 32.

03-05-2010 09:37 UTC-12

Faces in the Crowd

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A couple of familiar faces are in the crowd for this first round match, including Jesper Hougaard sweating fellow Scandi Peter Eastgate and Erica Schoenberg cheering on her pal Erick Lindgren.

03-05-2010 09:32 UTC-12

Quiet Time

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Play has been running for about three minutes now and the room is eerily quiet in the early going. Even legendary table talkers like Jamie Gold and Dario Minieri are keeping the conversation to a minimum as the players continue to feel each other out.

03-05-2010 09:29 UTC-12

Moneymaker Itching for Action

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Chris Moneymaker was one of the last players to take his seat before the introductions. He drew Patrik Antonius as his opponent. After a brief handshake and a few inaudible words, Moneymaker asked Antonius, "Can we play PLO? Is that cool?"

Not today, Chris. But we bet that Patrik would be willing to play PLO with you online whenever you want.

Tags: Chris Moneymaker Patrik Antonius

03-05-2010 09:24 UTC-12

Shuffle Up and Deal

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Action in the Clubs bracket has started, with David Williams and Joe Cada occupying center stage.