FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, April 28th, 2011
ROUND OF 32 COMPETE ON NBC THIS SUNDAY AT THE NATIONAL HEADS-UP POKER CHAMPIONSHIP
NEW YORK – April 28, 2011 – NBC will broadcast the Round of 32 of the National Heads-Up Poker Championship presented by GoDaddy.com from CaesarsPalace in Las Vegas, Nev. this Sunday at Noon ET. The winners will advance to the Round of 16 and will be guaranteed $30,000 in prize money.
Both veterans and newcomers highlight the field. Six former World Series of Poker Main Event champions are in the mix: Doyle Brunson (1976-77), Carlos Mortensen (2001), Chris Moneymaker (2003), Greg Raymer (2004), Peter Eastgate (2008) and Jonathan Duhamel (2010). Ten of the 20 players making their NHPC debut in 2011 also remain. A new champion will be crowned this year as no former NHPC winners are still in contention.
The first half of NBC’s two-hour show highlights the action in the Clubs and Spades brackets. Duhamel faces off against Antonio Esfandiari at the feature table. Also in the lineup: Olivier Busquet goes head-to-head with England’s Liv Boeree; poker legend Doyle Brunson goes up against Dennis Phillips in a rematch from last year; and Ayaz Mahmood takes on Barry Greenstein, the only player in history to win his opening-round match every year since NHPC’s inception in 2005.
The second hour sees action in the Hearts and Diamonds brackets. Emmitt Smith, the last celebrity standing, faces Andrew Robl in the second round. Other featured matchups include: Phil Laak against Michael Mizrachi at the feature table; 2010 NHPC runner-up Erik Seidel faces Jennifer Harman; and Greg Raymer squares off against Phil Gordon.
NBC Sports’ Craig Hummer, Ali Nejad and Leeann Tweeden call the action. NBC continues its coverage of the 2011 Heads-Up Poker Championship with the Round of 16 on Sunday, May 8 at Noon ET.
NBC’s National Heads-Up Poker Championship Schedule (all times ET):
Sunday, May 1 – Round of 32 12-2 p.m.
Sunday, May 8 – Round of 16 12-2 p.m.
Sunday, May 15 – Quarterfinals 12-2 p.m.
Sunday, May 22 – Semifinals/Championship 12-3 p.m.
ROLEX EQUESTRIAN CHAMPIONSHIP, SUNDAY, 2 P.M., ET
For the first time in its history, the Rolex Equestrian Championships presented by Land Rover will air LIVE on NBC this Sunday at 2 p.m. ET.
The Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event features the world’s best horses and riders going head-to-head in the only four-star equestrian competition in the United States. Riders vie for their share of $250,000 in prize money while competing in three separate phases of competition: dressage, cross country and show jumping.
NBC will broadcast the final show jumping rounds LIVE, alongside taped highlights of the dressage and cross-country phases. Kenny Rice, Melanie Smith-Taylor and Donna Brothers will provide commentary from the KentuckyHorsePark in Lexington, Ky.
