The NBC Heads-Up Poker Championship is coming up again at the end of February, and the lineup of big names is as long as ever. There are a few “dream pairings” that I’d like to see go at each other. The one I’d like to see the most would be Ted Forrest and Phil Hellmuth. Forrest plays a style where he looks to get in with small cards and hit a hand. This is the exact type of thing that sends the “Poker Brat” Hellmuth on tilt.
Sam Farha and Scotty Nguyen would be another good matchup. They both employ chat to gain an edge, and the banter would surely be entertaining. Mike Matusow and Michael Mizrachi would also be entertaining, as they both have a mouth on them, but it probably wouldn’t last very long. I’d also like to see Jennifer Tilly beat her boyfriend Phil Laak, and she’s capable.
When it comes to the ladies, the poker scene is mostly dominated by the professional players. There are far more amateur men playing per capita then there are amateur women on tour. Hopefully the new WPTL will change that and bring more new female players to the game. But for now at least, it’s tough to state that an amateur player will be able to win against the female professionals today.
The only way that amateurs will play a major role in the event is if the professionals don’t bother with them. Many female pros don’t bother with these female-only events because the prize pools are smaller than the regular events. Few top pros play the WSOP female championship because there are other events in which they can win more. If the top pros shun these events then an amateur may certainly win, but I doubt that will happen.
David “The Dragon” Pham had 16 cashes in 2006, including six final tables and three wins. After a year like that, no one expected David to do what he did in 2007. Last year he improved to 17 cashes, 11 of them final tables, with four of them being wins. He won over $1.8M in tournament play, and was the CardPlayer Player of the Year for 2007.
David is a cousin to poker star Men “The Master” Nguyen. He came to the country as a refugee aboard a boat fleeing Vietnam when he was 17. His lifetime stats are as impressive as his 2007 stats, with over $7.2M in tournament earnings in the last seven years. Always a contender for Player of the Year, Pham won the prestigious award in 2000 as well. He has two WSOP bracelets and five WPT final tables, but has not won one yet.
1. The Bellagio is the home of poker and has any game at any limit, plus “Bobby’s Room”.
2. The Wynn is a new room that will also set up any game you want to play.
3. Caesars has an 8500 sq/ft main poker room and a 6000 sq/ft tournament room.
4. The Mirage has 30 tables with mostly hold’em action. Omaha and & 7-stud is limited.
5. MGM Grand poker has lots of tables and 22 of them are non-smoking.
6. The Venetian room is located right off the main entrance and has 39 tables.
7. Binions poker room is an historical landmark with over 70 tables.
8. Rio poker room is not the massive room we see at the WSOP, but it’s still a good room.
9. The Orleans poker room has a ton of tables and cheap tournaments.
10. The Palms has 10 tables in two different rooms.
1. David Pham won his second Player of the Year honor and $1.8M in earnings this year.
2. J.C. Tran was second in POY standings and earned $2.9M this year.
3. Jonathan Little earned $2.5M in tournament winnings including a WPT win in May.
4. Tom Schneider earned $733,589 including 2 WSOP bracelets in 2007.
5. Scott “BigRisky” Clements won over $2.2M and finished fourth in the POY standings.
6. Scotty Nguyen won over $800,000 and had seven final tables this year.
7. William “Bill” Edler won over $2.7M including a WSOP bracelet and a WPT championship.
8. David Fox won almost $700,000 including a WPT Finals event in November.
9. David “Devilfish” Ulliott has won over $1.2M this year including two WPT wins.
10. Jerry Yang won the WSOP main event and over $8M, he makes the list because he becomes the second-largest tournament prize winner in history.
