Annie Duke wins 2010 NBC National Heads-Up Title
The Poker Beat has needed a new commercial, and Annie Duke’s win in this year’s NBC National Heads-Up Championship at Caesars’ Palace may just do the trick. First a brief run down of today’s matches:
Clubs/Spades Bracket:
Erik Seidel beat Peter Eastgate
Scotty Nguyen beat Jason Mercier
Hearts/Diamonds Bracket:
Dennis Phillips beat Doyle Brunson
Annie Duke beat Jerry Yang
Semifinals:
Erik Seidel beat Scotty Nguyen
Annike Duke beat Dennis Phillips
The finals commenced with Duke (1-5 lifetime before this year’s event) taking on Seidel (0-5 lifetime at the NBCHU) in the best of three final. Duke won the first match, Seidel would tie it up in the second and held the lead in the deciding match, and had Duke all-in while holding the best hand, but his AdKd was no good for Duke’s Qd9d when she made two pair to take the lead. Duke eventually sealed the deal when her pocket nines turned a straight against Seidel’s A-2. Seidel was left with two outs to a chop, but the river was a blank, with the second place winnings of $250,000. Duke picks up $500,000 for the win, her first major win since her 2004 victory in the WSOP Tournament of Champions.
DanM says:
March 8th, 2010 at 5:49am
not sure i’m following The Poker Beat connection. Are you remembering, as I was, discussion about how the only thing keeping Annie from being Poker Person of the Year (or whatever the title was) was her lack of performance at the tables?
Kevin Mathers says:
March 8th, 2010 at 6:54am
The commercial for the Poker Beat is about the various search inquiries that led people to Pokerati in regards to Annie Duke’s appearance on the Celebrity Apprentice finale.
DanM says:
March 8th, 2010 at 7:48am
hmm, i should probably know that.
but regardless, good on Annie Duke. At least one of the pros who attended her most recent WSOP-Academy told me her game was really on, that she was thinking about no-limit hold’em at higher levels than he had contemplated, yadda yadda.
had she won this event a few months ago, she totally woulda challenged phil ivey for the
OscarPoker Beat Award for poker person of the year.Gav says:
March 8th, 2010 at 10:38am
Good on Annie, both of them deserved it.