National Heads-Up Poker Championship

The second annual National Heads-Up Poker Championship kicks off from Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada. Jennifer Tilly headlines the Diamonds bracket to start the event, facing Paul Phillips in the feature match-up. Other pairings from the Diamonds bracket include Ted Forrest vs. Erik Seidel, Phil Ivey vs. Chad Brown, Scotty Nguyen vs. Ernie Durack, Barry Shulman vs. Antonio Esfandiari, Sammy Farha vs. René Angélil, Howard Lederer vs. Allen Cunningham, and Mark Seif vs. Michael Mizrachi. On the Clubs side of the bracket, Phil Hellmuth takes on Chip Reese in the headline match. Other Clubs match-ups include Dan Harrington vs. Todd Brunson, David Chesnoff vs. Bobby Baldwin, James McManus vs. Josh Lochner, Annie Duke vs. Mike Sexton, Mike Matusow vs. Eli Elezra, Josh Arieh vs. David Williams, and Freddy Deeb vs. Chris Ferguson.

James Woods and Scott Fishman headline a star-studded Spades bracket in the 2006 Heads-Up Poker Championship. Completing the bracket match-ups are Steven Glassner vs. Erick Lindgren, Huck Seed vs. David Oppenheim, Dee Luong vs. Men Nguyen, Barry Greenstein vs. Cyndy Violette, Tuan Le vs. Chris Moneymaker, and Mike Caro vs. Tony Guoga. In the Hearts bracket, Daniel Negreanu makes a bold read against Evelyn Ng at the feature table. Completing the bracket are Phil Laak vs. Gavin Smith, Greg Raymer vs. Layne Flack, Jeff Shulman vs. T.J. Cloutier, Lyle Berman vs. David Grey, Johnny Chan vs. Carlos Mortensen, John Juanda vs. Doyle Brunson, and Gus Hansen vs. Shawn Sheikhan.

In the Round of 32 at the 2006 National Heads-Up Championship, Chris Ferguson battles Chip Reese in the Clubs bracket, while it's Dan Harrington vs. David Chesnoff, James McManus vs. Mike Sexton, and Eli Elezra vs. Josh Arieh to round it out. Erick Lindgren takes on Huck Seed in the Spades bracket, with Scott Fischman vs. Dee Luong, Mike Caro vs. Amir Vahedi, and Barry Greenstein vs. Tuan Le. Plus, a preview of the Hearts and Diamonds brackets.

The Round of 32 continues at the 2006 National Heads-Up Championship with Daniel Negreanu taking on Greg Raymer in the Hearts bracket headline match. Meanwhile, it's Phil Laak vs. T.J. Cloutier, David Grey vs. Carlos Mortensen, and Doyle Brunson vs. Shawn Sheikhan to complete the bracket. On the Diamonds side of the bracket, Ted Forrest battles Chad Brown, while it's Paul Phillips vs. Ernie Durack, Barry Shulman vs. Sammy Farha, and Howard Lederer vs. Michael Mizrachi.

Just 16 players remain in the 2006 National Heads-Up Championship as they battle for the $500,000 top prize. Chris Ferguson and Josh Arieh are the feature match of the Clubs bracket, while David Chesnoff and James McManus battle to make the final eight. In the Spades match-ups, it's Huck Seed and Scott Fischman in the feature match-up, with Amir Vahedi taking on Barry Greenstein.

The remaining Round of 16 matches conclude in the 2006 National Heads-Up Championship, with a $500,000 top prize on the line. Daniel Negreanu and T.J. Cloutier battle in the feature Hearts match-up. Michael Mizrachi reveals the origins of his nickname as he faces Sammy Farha. In the Diamonds bracket, Ted Forrest challenges qualifier Ernie Durack, while David Grey and Shawn Sheikhan battle as well.

In the quarterfinals of the 2006 National Heads-Up Championship, with just eight players remaining, it's Huck Seed against Barry Greenstein in the Spades bracket and Chris Ferguson against James McManus in the Clubs bracket. Each of the players is guaranteed at least $75,000, but all are eyeing the top prize of $500,000.

The quarterfinals continue with the final two matches from the Hearts and Diamonds brackets. Daniel Negreanu and Shawn Sheikhan battle in the Hearts bracket to see who will have all the chips—and the last word. In the Diamonds bracket, two cash game greats face off as Sammy Farha and Ted Forrest play to see who will advance to the semifinals. Each player has $75,000 locked up, but all are still trying to capture the $500,000 top prize.

Just four players remain in the 2006 National Heads-Up Championship, with each now guaranteed at least $125,000 in the semifinal matches. Clubs bracket winner Chris Ferguson squares off against Spades winner Huck Seed, while Diamonds bracket winner Ted Forrest faces off against Hearts winner Shawn Sheikhan.

The 2006 National Heads-Up Poker Championship is down to the final two players. Chris Ferguson represents the Clubs and Spades brackets, while Ted Forrest represents the Hearts and Diamonds. Both players have locked up $250,000, but all eyes are on the $500,000 first-place prize, the National Heads-Up Poker Championship trophy, and the title of Champion.