$20,000 Heads-Up Championship | 2008 NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship

03-02-2008 11:33 UTC-7

Player Bios: Chris "Jesus" Ferguson

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A seasoned veteran of the NBC Heads-Up Championships, Chris Ferguson has finished runner-up in this event both in 2005 and 2006.

The man they call "Jesus" has over $6 million in career tournament winnings and is the 2000 World Series of Poker Main Event Champion.

Jesus' path to the quarterfinals was as follows:

Round of 64: def. John Juanda

Round of 32: def. Gavin Smith

Round of 16: def. Mike Matusow

Tags: Chris Ferguson

03-02-2008 11:32 UTC-7

Player Bios: Jonathan Little

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Reigning WSOP Main Event Champ Jerry Yang and Jonathan "FieryJustice" Little

Jonathan Little, also known online as "FieryJustice," is playing in his first National Heads-Up Poker Championship. Last year he won his first major live poker title, besting the field at the WPT 2007 Mirage Poker Showdown.

The 23-year-old pro has over $2.5 million dollars in career tournament winnings. He is a member of the "Shipitholla Ballas" crew, in addition to owning an online poker site, SNGIcons.com

Here's how Little reached the quarters:

Round of 64: def. Erik Seidel

Round of 32: def. Gabe Kaplan

Round of 16: def. Greg Raymer

Tags: Jonathan Little

03-02-2008 11:32 UTC-7

Player Bios: Phil Ivey

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Perhaps the most feared player in the game, Phil Ivey has earned the respect of his colleagues by consistently chopping up practically everyone who dares to sit across the table from him.

Winner of five WSOP bracelets, Ivey is fresh off a victory in last week's L.A. Poker Classic where he took home a $1.5 million dollar paycheck.

Also known for his gamble on the golf course, Ivey recently teamed up with fellow poker pro David Oppenheim for the inaugural Doyle Brunson and Dewey Tomko Invitational, produced by High Stakes Entertainment and ESPN. Ivey and Oppenheim collected a cool $1 million for their efforts.

Here's a look at Ivey's road to the quarterfinals:

Round of 64: def. Alisha Kunze

Round of 32: def. Johnny Chan

Round of 16: def. J.C. Tran

Tags: Phil Ivey

03-02-2008 11:31 UTC-7

Player Bios: Gus Hansen

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"The Great Dane" is an animal on the felt, relentlessly aggressive and often unpredictable.

Gus has won over $5 million dollars on the tournament trail, largely due to his success on the World Poker Tour, where he has captured three titles. Most recently, Gus took down the 2007 Aussie Millions, besting Jimmy "gobboboy" Fricke in an exciting heads-up contest.

Gus has his hands full this afternoon with fellow Team FullTilt member Phil Ivey. Here's a look at "Gambling Gus'" journey to the final eight:

Round of 64: def. Don Cheadle

Round of 32: def. Scotty Nguyen

Round of 16: def. Phil Laak

Tags: Gus Hansen

03-02-2008 11:31 UTC-7

Player Bios: Orel Hershiser

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Orel Hershiser is the only "amatuer" left in this year’s field, but he has certainly not played like one. The former Major League Baseball great has played solid poker on his way to today’s quarterfinal match-up.

Throughout the tournament he has collected signatures from his fallen foes on what we've deemed his "game balls." Today he hopes to add three more signatures and a Heads-Up Championship bracelet to his trophy case in the process.

When not playing cards, Hershiser serves as a TV analyst for Baseball Tonight.

Orel's road to the quarterfinals:

Round of 64: def. Ted Forrest

Round of 32: def. Allen Cunningham

Round of 16: def. Freddy Deeb

Tags: Orel Hershiser

03-02-2008 11:31 UTC-7

Player Bios: David Benyamine

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Originally from France, David Benyamine is a regular player in the "Big Game" at the Bellagio, here in Las Vegas.

Benyamine has won over a million dollars on the tournament trail, most of which came from his victory in the €10,000 buy-in Grand Prix de Paris in 2003.

Outside of poker, David has recently announced his engagement to fellow pro Erica Schoenberg.

Benyamine knocked off three friends from the Big Game en route to the quarterfinals:

Round of 64: def. Jennifer Harman

Round of 32: def. Barry Greenstein

Round of 16: def. Doyle Brunson

Tags: David Benyamine

03-02-2008 11:31 UTC-7

Player Bios: Andy Bloch

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Andy Bloch is no stranger to the quarterfinals of this tournament; he reached the round of eight last year before falling to fellow pro Gavin Smith.

Bloch hopes to improve on last year's showing by beating Orel Hershiser in today's quarterfinal pairing. Bloch has compiled over $2.9 million dollars in tournament earnings throughout the course of his career.

Here's how Andy reached the quarters:

Round of 64: def. Shannon Elizabeth

Round of 32: def. Vanessa Rousso

Round of 16: def. Scott Fischman

Tags: Andy Bloch

03-02-2008 11:31 UTC-7

Player Bios: Huck Seed

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Winner of four WSOP bracelets and the 1996 WSOP Main Event champion, Huckleberry Seed has career tournament earnings of over $3.6 million dollars.

Seed is one of only two players to have cashed in all four NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship tournaments (Scott Fischman is the only other).

Here's a look at Huck's journey to the quarterfinals:

Round of 64: def. Jason Alexander

Round of 32: def. Brian "sbrugby" Townsend

Round of 16: def. Michael "The Grinder Mizrachi

Tags: Huck Seed

03-02-2008 11:19 UTC-7

2008 NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship - The Final Day

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We're back at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas, NV for the third and final day of the 2008 NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship.

56 action-packed matches have transpired on the felts of the Heads-Up set, leaving us with eight worthy quarter finalists.

Here are your Day 3 match-ups:

{A-Spades}

Spades Final: {A-Spades}

Gus Hansen v. Phil Ivey

{A-Clubs}

Clubs Final: {A-Clubs}

Jonathan Little v. Chris "Jesus" Ferguson

{A-Hearts}

Hearts Final: {A-Hearts}

Andy Bloch v. Orel Hershiser

{A-Diamonds}

Diamonds Final: {A-Diamonds}

Huck Seed v. David Benyamine

Live coverage continues at 11:00 a.m. local time. Join us then to find out who will take down the title and $500,000 grand prize.