Emmitt Smith Scores Major Upset at Heads-Up Championship

Thirty-two players remain after an action packed first round at the NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship, including a few players who were not expected to advance past the first round.

Perhaps the biggest upset of the first round was the victory of former Cowboys running back Emmitt Smith over professional poker player David Williams. Both players seemed to have control of the match at various points, only to have their opponent stay alive thanks to a timely river suckout. Smith will have to play Andrew Robl in the second round, after he defeated Kara Scottin.

A few last minute replacements were required as various players had to drop out of the tournament in the last week. Sam Trickett filled in for Joe Cada, while Carlos Mortensen took the place of former host Gabe Kaplan. Amazingly, the two replacements faced off in the first round, with Mortensen getting the best of the match. Robl was also a replacement, filling in for David Peat.

Several notable names dropped out of the star studded field in the first round. In one of the premier matchups of the Hearts bracket, Phil Laak took down Daniel Negreanu. Meanwhile, in the Diamonds bracket, Jennifer Harman eliminated Huck Seed. Over in the Spades bracket, Daniel Cates took out perennial favorite Phil Ivey. Finally, the Clubs bracket saw another clash of fan favorites end with Barry Greenstein sending Scotty Nguyen to the rail.

Of course, with very few unknowns in the field, great matchups in the late rounds are virtually guaranteed no matter who advances, and some of the bigger names in poker are still alive to do battle in the second round. Among the highest profile battles taking place in the second round are Phil Laak vs. Michael “The Grinder” Mizrachi, Jenifer Harman vs. Erik Seidel, and Greg Raymer vs. Phil Gordon. Other top pros still alive include Tom Dwan, Venessa Selbst and Doyle Brunson.

Later round matchups in the National Heads-Up Poker Championship will take place on Saturday, with the final rounds slated for Sunday. The champion will receive $750,000 for first place. The tournament is taking place at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.