2008 NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship
$20,000 Heads-Up Championship
Day: 2
Kaplan and Cloutier Eliminated
Across the room on table one, J.C. Tran opened the pot with a raise and T.J. countered by moving all in over the top of Tran's bet. J.C. made the call and tabled a pocket pair of fours, well ahead of T.J.'s . The board blanked out and Tran's fours held up to eliminate Cloutier from the tournament, ending his impressive streak of cashes (3) in this event.
Matusow Eliminates Dwan
When the tournament emcee announced that Matusow was in the money, Mike emphatically shouted "Yes!" and threw his arms high over his head in victory.
Hansen Eliminates "The Prince of Poker"
By the turn, the board read and according to Gus, Scotty had 17 outs to win the hand with one card to come, as he held the . Despite his many outs, Scotty came up short when the dealer laid the down on the river, locking up the hand for Gus.
Laak's Set End's Yang's Day
The flop delivered a quick blow to Yang's chances as it gave Laak a third nine. The turn eliminated all hope for Yang, who was drawing dead by the river.
The win propelled Laak to the next round of 16 and assured him a payday of at least $25,000.
Raymer Tops Clements; Round of 16 Set
Short-stacked, Clements open-shoved all in from the button and Raymer made the call holding ; Clements was well behind, tabling . Needing a six to stay alive, the board ran out bringing no help to Clements who was eliminated from the competition just shy of the money.
With the win, Raymer locked up the final spot in the round of 16, which is schedule to begin at approximately 4:45 p.m. local time. Stay with us for our continued coverage of the NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championships, as we play down to the final eight.
Round of 16 Match-Ups
Jonathan Little
v.
Greg Raymer
Mike Matusow
v.
Chris "Jesus" Ferguson
Spades bracket:
Gus Hansen
v.
Phil Laak
Phil Ivey
v.
J.C. Tran
Hearts bracket:
Andy Bloch
v.
Scott Fischman
Orel Hershiser
v.
Freddy Deeb
Diamonds bracket:
Huck Seed
v.
Michael Mizrachi
David Benyamine
v.
Doyle Brunson
Format for the Round of 16
Players will begin with 80,000 in chips and the blinds will start at 600-1,200, increasing every fifteen minutes. A third round victory equals a guaranteed $75,000 or more in prize money.
The following matches are about to get underway:
Freddy Deeb
v.
Orel Hershiser
Andy Bloch
v.
Scott Fischman
David Benyamine
v.
Doyle Brunson
Michael Mizrachi
v.
Huck Seed