Heads Up!
2008-02-29 14:02:20
By:
Gene Bromberg
So Phil Hellmuth and Phil Ivey had to endure six grueling days of high-pressure poker at the L.A. Poker Classic...and then had to zip over to Vegas today to play in their first-round matches at the
NBC National Heads-Up Championship. If you think that the two Phils will be operating at a disadvantage because they've had so little rest, remember that Paul Wasicka final-tabled the L.A. Poker Classic last year...and went on to win the Heads-Up title. What's a few hours sleep compared to being in the Zone?
You could argue that Ivey caught a break in his opening match. He's up against online qualifier Alisha Kunze. I must confess that I know next to nothing about Ms. Kunze, but an upset is not out of the question. Last year actor Don Cheadle knocked Ivey out, and heads-up play is subject to some crazy twists and turns. We shall see if Kunze can make a name for herself this afternoon.
To my mind the marquee first-round matchup features the aforementioned Phil Hellmuth. A former winner of this event and coming off his run in L.A., Phil faces off against online superstar Tom "durrrr" Dwan. Dwan has been laying waste to online cash games for a few years now and, having just turned 21, he's now becoming a force on the tournament scene. A few weeks ago Phil and durrrr had a series of encounters at the high-stakes NL tables here at UltimateBet, and it should be interesting to see what (if any) insight those smattering of hands might provide. This is gonna be
good.
Annie Duke is also in the Heads-Up field and she finds herself up against the formidable J.C. Tran. It should be interesting to see how Annie counters Tran's relentless attacking style, especially in the early going when the blinds are small. Will she sit back and try to trap, or take the initiative and turn the tables that way.
Of course NBC doesn't allow live-streaming of the matches, wanting to hog all the video for themselves, but I'm gonna make some popcorn and
follow the live updates. Gonna be some fireworks today.
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