Heads-Up Poker Championship Field Announced

The National Heads-Up Poker Championship has announced its field of 64 players who will compete for the 2011 championship, finalizing who will be represented in the traditionally strong field. The 64 players will compete in a bracket-style knockout format of heads-up matches, culminating in a best-of-three final.

The tournament features a mix of established names and up-and-coming talent that should lead to many exciting matchups in the early rounds. Defending champion Annie Duke will return to the tournament in an attempt to win a second straight title. Many other big names are also represented, including – but certainly not limited to – Tom Dwan, Barry Greenstein, Phil Hellmuth, Phill Ivey, John Juanda, Michael Mizrachi, Daniel Negreanu, Annette Obrestad and Huck Seed.

However, it is the more obscure names that often provide the most excitement in the Heads-Up Championship, especially in the early rounds. Several categories of lesser-known players and dark horses are included in the 2011 field.

For instance, there’s the typical mix of celebrity players that are invited to spice up the tournament. This year, there are three pure celebrity picks: actors Jason Alexander and Don Cheadle, and former Cowboys running back Emmitt Smith. Jennifer Tilly and Gabe Kaplan are also in the field, but both have had more than enough success to be regarded as poker players first, and celebrities second.

There are also the online qualifiers. This year, two players qualified in this manner: Melburn Whitmire and Justin Young. While neither player is a household name, Gary Wise plugged Young as a potential dark horse in an ESPN.com column, saying that he is “a very solid poker player” and arguably “in the top half of the field.”

Other interesting names in the field include Ayaz Mahmood, who qualified by winning the World Series of Poker heads-up championship event, and Dwyte Pilgrim, who had a breakout year in 2011 but has yet to become a true star to the poker-viewing public. Peter Eastgate will also be participating, after his much publicized retirement from poker in 2010.

The NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship begins March 3^rd at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. Here’s the entire field, in alphabetical order:

Jason Alexander, Patrik Antonius, Eric Baldwin, David Benyamine, Andy Bloch, Liv Boeree, James Bord, Doyle Brunson, Joe Cada, Daniel Cates, Johnny Chan, Don Cheadle, Nicolas Chouity, Allen Cunningham, Jonathan Duhamel, Annie Duke, Tom Dwan, Peter Eastgate, Eli Elezra, Antonio Esfandiari, Chris Ferguson, Ted Forrest, Phil Galfond, Phil Gordon, Barry Greenstein, Bertrand Grospellier, Joe Hachem, Gus Hansen, Jennifer Harman, Phil Hellmuth, Phil Ivey, Faraz Jaka, John Juanda, Gabe Kaplan, Frank Kassela, Eugene Katchalov, Phil Laak, Howard Lederer, Erick Lindgren, Ayaz Mahmood, Tom Marchese, Mike Matusow, Jason Mercier, Michael Mizrachi, Sorel Mizzi, Chris Moneymaker, Daniel Negreanu, Scotty Nguyen, Annette Obrestad, Dennis Phillips, Dwyte Pilgrim, John Racener, Greg Raymer, Vanessa Rousso, Kara Scott, Huck Seed, Erik Seidel, Vanessa Selbst, Emmitt Smith, Gavin Smith, Jennifer Tilly, Melburn Whitmire, David Williams, Justin Young