$20,000 Heads-Up Championship Day 2 | 2008 NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship

03-01-2008 19:43 UTC-8

Ivey Outraces Tran; Advances to Quarterfinals

Phil Ivey and J.C. Tran got it all in pre-flop in a classic coin-flip situation: A-K for Ivey and pocket queens for Tran.

The board filled out {10-Diamonds}

and a king on the turn cemented the hand for Ivey, sending him through to tomorrow's quarterfinals.

Tran will take home $25,000 in prize money for his efforts.

Tags: J.C. Tran

03-01-2008 19:52 UTC-8

Jonathan Little Eliminates Greg Raymer

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Holding

, Greg Raymer put his tournament life in the balance after seeing a flop of {5-Spades}

. His adversary, Jonathan Little, was all too happy to call as he revealed his {A-Spades}

. The

on the turn gave Raymer a small glimmer of hope, but the {4-Diamonds}

on the river clinched the hand and match for Little.

Little will face the winner of the Mike Matusow v. Chris Ferguson pairing in the quarterfinals tomorrow afternoon.

03-01-2008 19:53 UTC-8

Matusow Doubles Through Ferguson; Retakes Chip Lead

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Mike Matusow got all of his money in pre-flop, a heavy favorite holding pocket tens against Chris Ferguson's pocket fours, and his tens held up giving "The Mouth" a slight lead over his fellow Team FullTilt member.

Tags: Mike Matusow

03-01-2008 20:12 UTC-8

Unabomber Can't Blast His Way Past The Great Dane

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Short stacked and pot committed, Phil "The Unabomber" Laak was put to a decision by Gus Hansen for the rest of his chips. When the cards were flipped over, Hansen revealed an {A-Diamonds}

to Laak's

. The flop hit both players as it came {4-Diamonds}

, but the turn was best for Hansen as the {Q-Hearts}

was shown. The river improved Hansen even further, as the {J-Diamonds}

completed his diamond flush.

With the win, Hansen advances to the quarterfinals and will face fellow Team FullTilt pro Phil Ivey tomorrow afternoon.

03-01-2008 20:23 UTC-8

Mike Matusow the Last Elimination of Day 2

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After asking for a count of Mike Matusow's Stack, Chris "Jesus" Ferguson put Matusow in jeopardy with a pre-flop showdown for said chips. At the showdown, Matusow revealed his {A-Diamonds}

and found himself up against Ferguson's {Q-Hearts}

. A fortunate flop of {9-Hearts}

for Ferguson had Matusow seeing red. A {3-Hearts}

on the turn finished the job and signaled the end of the tournament for a disappointed Matusow.

Ferguson filled out the final spot in the eight man quarterfinals which will take place tomorrow afternoon.

03-01-2008 20:35 UTC-8

...and Then There Were Eight.

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Another day is in the books here at the 2008 NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championships. The creme of the crop seemed to rise to the top this afternoon, as names like Ivey, Hansen, Ferguson and Bloch fill out half of the quarterfinal bracket.

The name that stole the show, however, is not typically associated with poker. One Orel Hershiser of MLB fame won his third straight match, besting Ted Forrest, Allen Cunningham and Freddy Deeb en route to the quarterfinals. Already guaranteed a payday of at least $75,000, Hershiser looks to get a fourth signature on his game ball when all is said and done in his match against Andy Bloch.

Day three will recommence at 11:00 a.m. PST tomorrow afternoon, at which time the following matches will take place:

Jonathan Little vs. Chris "Jesus Ferguson

Gus Hansen vs. Phil Ivey

Andy Bloch vs. Orel Hershiser

Huck Seed vs. David Benyamine

Tune in tomorrow when we find out who will take down the championship and $500,000 grand prize. Until then, good night and good luck!

Tags: Doyle Brunson

$20,000 Heads-Up Championship

Day 2 Completed