Huck Seed Wins Heads-Up Poker Championship

The fifth time proved to be a charm for 1996 World Series of Poker Main Event Champion Huck Seed who won the 2009 National Heads-Up Poker Championship. Seed took out Jonathan Little, Gus Hansen, Glen Chorny, David Oppenheim, Sam Farha and Vanessa Rousso on the way to the title. He was matched up against Rousso in the best of three final and won 2-0.

Seed bested the 64 player Heads-Up Championship field at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas to win the $500,000 first place prize. Seed took out Rousso in the final very easily. The semifinal match against Sam Farha was the toughest one for Seed as it lasted nearly 2.5 hours.

Seed is now 18-4 all-time in the National Heads-Up Championship, the best record in the history of the tournament. Last year’s winner, Chris Ferguson has the second best record at 16-4. Seed joins Ferguson and Phil Hellmuth as the only players to win the World Series of Poker Main event and the National Heads-Up Championship.

Seed is the only player to cash in all five previous National Heads-Up Championships.

64 players were scheduled to start the National Heads-Up Championship but Layne Flack decided to be stupid the night before and was arrested by Las Vegas police so he missed the event and David Oppenheim got the easiest of victories. 31 other players also moved forward out of the first round.

When it moved to the final 16, each player was guaranteed to exit with at least $25,000. Highlights of the final 16 included Oppenheim continuing his good fortune with a win over Kenny Tran. Rousso was able to defeat Paul Wasicka while Daniel Negreanu defeated Scotty Nguyen.

The quarterfinals had Sam Farha dispatch of David Williams while Oppenheim’s good luck ended against Huck Seed. Phil Hellmuth fell to Bertrand Grospellier while Negreanu lost to Rousso in the quarterfinals. Oppenheim, Hellmuth Negreanu and Williams all took home $75,000.

The Heads-Up Championship semifinals saw Seed battling Farha and Grospellier against Rousso.

It was Rousso overcoming a 2-1 chip disadvantage to defeat Grospellier while Seed took out Farha in the best match of the tournament. The final was almost anticlimactic as Seed dominated Rousso to win the title.

Rousso had a great Heads-Up Championship tournament though as she defeated Doyle Brunson, Phil Ivey, Paul Wasicka, Daniel Negreanu and Bertrand Grospellier to reach the final. She took home $250,000 for her second place finish.

If you want to watch the National Heads-Up Poker Championship you will be able to see it on NBC beginning in April.