$20,000 Heads-up Championship Day 1 | 2009 NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship

03-06-2009 15:00 UTC-7

Sweatin' the Action

There is space on set for approximately 60 spectators. Notable faces we've picked out include Melissa Hayden, Theo Tran, Orel Hershiser and Scott Diamond.

Our attention is more drawn by the free Coors Light that's being passed out by the cocktail servers.

03-06-2009 14:51 UTC-7

What We Can See

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Some notes from the start of play as players were posing for the Hearts Bracket group photo:

* David Williams seems to have raided Dario Minieri's closet. He's wearing a large, gray neck scarf.

* Jerry Yang seems to have raided David Williams' jewelry box. He's wearing what can only be described as "bling" -- a huge gold necklace with a giant ace of hearts charm that brilliantly reflects all of the lights on the set.

* Clonie Gowen is looking quite elegant in a black, sleeveless cocktail dress. The producers have also thoughtfully placed a one-table buffer between her and any of the Full Tilt players (though we did spot Clonie chatting with Michael Craig before the start of play).

* Johnny Chan's dressed to go fishing. And by that, we mean his head is covered by a black fisherman's hat. That's all. No double entendres intended.

* Reigning world champion Peter Eastgate is the only player in Hearts wearing anything remotely red -- he's wearing a pink plaid shirt for his match against Andy Bloch.

Tags: Andy Bloch Cloniew Gowen David Williams Jerry Yan Johnny Chan Peter Eastgate

03-06-2009 14:32 UTC-7

Shuffle Up and Deal!

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Leeann Tweeden has made the introductions to the crowd and the television viewing audience. Cards are in the air on time (a first for a television production).

03-06-2009 13:38 UTC-7

Hearts Bracket Match-ups

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The Hearts Bracket Match-ups in the Round of 64 are scheduled to begin at 1:30 p.m. local time, though keep in mind this tournament is a television show, meaning a late start is probable. Of note, the Hearts Bracket is completely absent of Internet qualifiers, so every name is one you've likely heard of before:

Feature Table:
Johnny Chan v. Eli Elezra

Allen Cunningham v. Sam Farha

Jerry Yang v. Clonie Gowen

Jamie Gold v. Scott Fischman

Erick Lindgren v. Howard Lederer

Andy Bloch v. Peter Eastgate

J.C. Tran v. David Williams

Erik Seidel v. John Phan

03-06-2009 13:32 UTC-7

Get Ready to Rumble!

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A hearty good afternoon and welcome from Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. Today marks Round One of the 2009 NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship. Over the next three days, 58 invited players and six qualifiers will engage in a single-elimination, bracket-style poker battle royale. At the end, a single player will be left standing and will earn a juicy payday of $500,000.

This event was new to the poker tournament calendar in 2005 when the Poker Brat, Phil Hellmuth, was crowned the inaugural champion. He was followed in 2006 by Ted Forrest, in 2007 by Paul Wasicka and in 2008 by Chris Ferguson. Each of those men will be in today's field, looking to be the first two-time champion.

In order to do so, each will have to win six consecutive matches. It sounds easy enough -- until you sit down and actually try to do it. Heads-up poker is about adapting to the strengths and weaknesses of your opponent while simultaneously avoiding bad luck. All it takes is one unfortunate river card to end the tournament early.

Play kicks off at 1:30pm with the Hearts bracket matches. Stick around!