One of the biggest parties on the poker calendar is back. Sixty-four hand selected players convened at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas tonight to kick off the triumphant return of the NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship. This year's field is an interesting mix with a wide variety of living legends and up and comers. Thanks in part to its lengthy absence from the poker calendar, this year's field featured 27 first time players, including WSOP Main Event winner Greg Merson and WSOP.com qualifier Bruce "BJ" Miller.
It took three days, hundreds of hands of poker, and some dramatic moments, but we finally have a winner. The final match between Mike Matusow and Phil Hellmuth was guaranteed to be a good one, but no one could have expected the drama, crazy hands, and back forth battle the final bout produced. It took a third match in this best of three format before Matusow triumphed over his friend to win the NBC Heads Up title, the ring, and $750,000.
The win is Matusow's biggest score since he won the WSOP Tournament of Champions in 2005 and pushes his career earnings to more than $8.5 million. Not only was it a big night for Matusow, but it will be a big afternoon for televised poker fans, as this mano a mano battle between Hellmuth and Matusow lived up to all the hype.
If you want to see for yourself how Matusow prevailed over Hellmuth in the final round, be sure to watch the NBC National Heads Up Poker Championship presented by WSOP.com when it airs later this spring.
2013 NBC National Heads Up Poker Championship Final Results by