A Separated at Birth We Didn\’t See Coming

Orel Hersheiser and Minh Ly:

Hersheiser, of course, is proving to be the Gonzaga of the 2008 National Heads-Up Poker Championship. The final 8 tomorrow:

Jonathan Little vs. Chris Ferguson
Gus Hansen vs. Phil Ivey
Andy Bloch vs. Orel Hershisher
Huck Seed vs. David Benyamine

All of the above are guaranteed $75k. The final four make $125k, 2nd place gets $250k, and first is still $500,000.

Just about everyone\’s brackets have fallen apart — though Gavin Smith is still throwing around the $2,000 wagers on the outcome of each game, and considering that I have no one left alive in my bracket, I gotta pretty much surrender my $20:

Rank Predictor Score Predicted Final Winner Completed
1 Taylor Larkin – 42 Huck Seed 2/29/2008 2:20pm
2 don essinger – 41 Allen Cunningham 2/29/2008 1:05pm
3 Scott – 38 Daniel Negreanu 2/29/2008 1:20pm
4 champsampson – 29 Ted Forrest 2/29/2008 1:39pm
5 Randy Brown – 24 Phil Hellmuth 2/29/2008 12:12pm
6 Kevin Mathers – 24 Daniel Negreanu 2/29/2008 12:32pm
7 California Jen – 23 Scott Clements 2/29/2008 9:43am
8 dan michalski – 21 Howard Lederer 2/29/2008 3:41am

Taylor, Don, and Scott seem to have quite a battle brewing … though it appears they may have made their picks after it got started? Floor!?!