May 01, 2005 64 of the Poker world's top players squared off in head to head play. Only one would take the title. Among the list of poker's best were Doyle Brunson, Phil Hellmuth Jr., Sam Farha, Ted Forrest, James Woods, Gus Hansen, and Johnny Chan. 2005 National Heads-Up Poker Championship No-Limit Hold'em National Heads Up Championship Poker tournament event info, including schedule, blind structure, and payout structure.
Phil's Long-Awaited Celebration
National Heads Up Poker Championship
Posted: Sun, Mar 06, 05, 7:45 PM
Phil Hellmuth was being congratulated by Tim Poster (co-owner of the Golden Nugget casino) when he asked for 15 bottles of Dom Perignon that he could share with the crowd. Tim Poster said, 'No problem,' and sure enough, the first bottles were appearing within about five minutes.
Phil received his giant cardboard check for $500,000 and his small but attractive trophy. When asked how he felt, Phil said, 'The money's great, but it's about the title, baby.' He picked up the trophy. 'I'd rather have this,' he said, holding the trophy, 'than this,' and he pointed to the giant check.
It was obvious from the start of this tournament that nobody wanted the title more than Phil. His most telling comment came later, after the champagne had been poured and everyone present joined him in a toast. He was standing with Chris Ferguson, and he said, 'We're back -- I think everyone had forgotten about us.' A fan pointed out that they were two of the best known poker players in the game. 'I don't mean the public,' said Phil. 'I'm referring to the poker world.'
This victory is definitely huge for Phil Hellmuth, who said he is often asked by friends and fans why he hasn't won any major tournaments lately. The implication is that he is just riding the coattails of his own early success. But this victory, against this field of top players, to be aired on a major network during May Sweeps, definitely puts him back on the map in a big way.
Thank God that NBC was recording everything, because this was definitely Must-See TV. Mark your calendars for May 1, when this tournament will begin airing on NBC. It will be broadcast on four consecutive Sundays, and the final table will air on Sunday, May 22. But don't worry if you miss it -- I suspect that NBC might just find an excuse to air it more than once.
The World Heads-Up Poker Championship (WHUPC) was an annual elimination-format poker tournament of heads-up no limit Texas hold'em matches. The tournament was co-created by Late Night Poker's Nic Szeremeta, PokerInEurope's Jon Shoreman, and gaming journalist Rich Geller.
The event has run from 2001 to 2010 and was held in Europe. Entry was open to all. Its success led to America's creation of the National Heads-Up Poker Championship.
From 2001 to 2003, the event was held at the Concord Card Casino, Vienna, Austria.From 2004 to 2008, the event was held at the Grand Casino, Barcelona, Spain.In 2009 and 2010, the event was held at the Victoria Casino, London, England.The event did not return in 2011 and its website has not been updated since 2010.
The event was filmed each year for TV broadcast around the world. In 2010 the event was broadcast live via the Internet for the first time at PokerInEuropeLive.com with commentary provided by Mike Carlson, Pete Singleton, and Neil Channing.
Results[edit]
| Year | Winner | Prize Money | Runner-Up | Semi-Finalists | Quarter-Finalists | Final 16 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Bruno Fitoussi | S 1,068,033 | Thomas 'Amarillo Slim' Preston |
|
|
|
| 2002 | Kirill Gerasimov | €60,000 | Roy Brindley |
|
|
|
| 2003 | John Cernuto | €60,000 | Anthony Chapman |
|
|
|
| 2004 | Angel Blanco Puras | €100,000 | Mark Banin |
|
| |
| 2005 | Peter Gunnarson | €100,000 | Simon Nowab |
|
| |
| 2006 | Isaac Mayolas de Vega | €125,000 | Paul Jackson |
|
|
|
| 2007 | Jeff Kimber | €125,000 | Dan Carter |
|
|
|
| 2008 | Mauro Stivoli | €65,000 | Jonas Danielsson |
|
|
|
| 2009 | Bambos Xanthos | £65,000 | James Mitchell |
|
|
|
| 2010 | Nik Persaud | £30,000 | Leon Louis |
|
|
|
External links[edit]
