NBC Heads Up Poker Championship Set

The NBC Heads Up Poker Championship will have 64 of the best poker players in the world will be competing at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas from February 29th through March 2nd. 60 players received invitations while another four players will receive invitations from qualifier tournaments.

The list of players for this year’s NBC Heads Up poker tournament field is a who’s who of poker. The list of players also includes a number of celebrities including former World Series MVP Orel Hershiser. Actors Brad Garrett and Jason Alexander will be part of the field as will actor Don Cheadle. High Stakes Poker commentator and "Welcome Back, Kotter" star Gabe Kaplan will be part of the field. Jennifer Tilly and Shannon Elizabeth will also be returning this year.

The talent of poker professionals is legendary. Doyle Brunson, Johnny Chan, Phil Hellmuth, Daniel Negreanu and others will be part of the field. 2007 WSOP winner Jerry Yang was invited. The only major poker pro that didn’t seem to be on the list was former WSOP champ Carlos Mortensen. Player of the year David Pham will be part of the field. Even online poker pros like Brian Townsend and Tom Dwan will be among the 64 players in the field.

Each of this year's players will have to put up a $20,000 buy-in. That will make for a prize pool of over $1.2 million with first place paying a cool half million. There will be a party at the Pure nightclub inside Caesars Palace in Las Vegas on February 28th where the draw for this year’s tournament will be held.