National Heads-Up Poker Championship annunces 2011 player line-up

Organizers and officials of the National Heads-Up Poker Championship presented by GoDaddy.com, have recently unveiled the list of poker pros and invited celebrity guests confirmed to compete at the 7th annual National Heads-Up Poker Championship running from March 4th to 6th at the Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.

The annual heads-up tournament brings 64 of the best poker players in the world to the Caesars Palace Poker Tournament Room to compete in its distinctive, bracket-style head-to-head format for $1.8 million in combined prize money.

The tournament's buy-in has increased this year from $20,000 to $25,000, which means that this year's winner will receive $750,000, up from $500,000 in last year’s competition and the runner up will take home $300,000, up from $250,000.
Returning to compete are several of the world’s top poker pros, including defending champion Annie Duke, Go Daddy Girl Vanessa Rousso, Phil Ivey, Phil Hellmuth, Doyle Brunson, Chris Ferguson, Huck Seed, and Daniel Negreanu, along with 2010 WSOP Main Event champion Jonathan Duhamel and 2010 NHPC runner-up Erik Seidel. Also, 2008 World Series of Poker Main Event champion Peter Eastgate is coming back after taking a hiatus from the game in 2010.

Making his National Heads-Up Poker Championship debut this year in the celebrity category is former Dallas Cowboy running back Emmitt Smith, the NFL’s all-time leading rusher and Hall of Fame member. Popular celebrities returning to play again include Jason Alexander, who is making his second appearance, Don Cheadle (fifth), Gabe Kaplan (fifth) and Jennifer Tilly (sixth).

The event will be taped for broadcast on NBC over six consecutive Sundays in April and May. The first-round opponents for the brackets will be chosen at random during the GoDaddy.com Draw Party held at PURE Nightclub at Caesars Palace on Thursday, March 3. The competition begins Friday, March 4 and continues through Sunday, March 6. Model and television personality Leeann Tweeden will, once again, serve as the sideline reporter/interviewer, with Craig Hummer and Ali Nejad providing commentary for the broadcast.

"The National Heads-Up Poker Championship is back for a seventh year with another impressive line-up of celebrities and some of the most talented poker players in the world. Our viewers are in for a treat with what we can guarantee will be thrilling poker match-ups. There is no other heads-up poker tournament that can rival the skill and excitement on the tables that we bring together when the best of the best compete in this unique format.” said Jon Miller, president of programming of NBC Sports and Versus.

2011 National Heads-Up Poker Championship's player line up:

Jason Alexander
Phil Galfond
Sorel Mizzi
Patrik Antonius
Phil Gordon
Chris Moneymaker
Eric Baldwin
Barry Greenstein
Daniel Negreanu
David Benyamine
Bertrand Grospellier
Scotty Nguyen
Andy Bloch
Joe Hachem
Annette Obrestad
Liv Boeree
Gus Hansen
Dennis Phillips
James Bord
Jennifer Harman
Dwyte Pilgrim
Doyle Brunson
Phil Hellmuth
John Racener
Joe Cada
Phil Ivey
Greg Raymer
Daniel Cates
Faraz Jaka
Vanessa Rousso
Johnny Chan
John Juanda
Kara Scott
Don Cheadle
Gabe Kaplan
Huck Seed
Nicolas Chouity
Frank Kassela
Erik Seidel
Allen Cunningham
Eugene Katchalov
Vanessa Selbst
Jonathan Duhamel
Phil Laak
Emmitt Smith
Annie Duke
Howard Lederer
Gavin Smith
Tom Dwan
Erick Lindgren
Jennifer Tilly
Peter Eastgate
Ayaz Mahmood
Melburn Whitmire
Eli Elezra
Thomas Marchese
David Williams
Antonio Esfandiari
Mike Matusow
Justin Young
Chris Ferguson
Jason Mercier
Ted Forrest
Michael Mizrachi