Annie Duke wins NBC Heads-Up Championship

Annie Duke wins NBC Heads-Up Championship

Monday, 8 March 2010

It’s nice to play a major tournament without an armed robbery – Annie Duke weaved her way through a field of 64 elite players – mostly – and defeated multiple WSOP bracelet-winner Erik Seidel in the final match to take down the 2010 NBC National Heads-Up Championship.

She picked up her fair share of luck along the way – after beating Andy Bloch in her first match, she defeated Paul Wasicka when her AT, all-in pre-flop against aces, rivered a runner-runner broadway straight.


Yesterday she played 2007 WSOP champion Jerry Yang, who surprised many by making it to the quarter-final stages. Duke dispatched Yang before taking on Dennis Phillips, Team PokerStars Pro, in the semi-final.


Erik Seidel, fresh from defeating Scotty Nguyen and hungry for his 23rd major tournament victory, was waiting for her in the best-of-three final. The first match saw her AK hold up against Seidel’s flush draw on a Ks-7h-Js flop. In the second, Seidel pulled a game back when short-stacked Duke moved in with Kh-5d. Seidel called with 87o and turned a straight to lock up a match.


It could have been anyone’s game, but Seidel had to settle for a $250,000 runner-up spot as Duke took the $500,000 winner’s prize. Her 9h-9s was way ahead of Seidel’s Ah-2c all-in before the flop, and when the turn made the board 8h-6h-7c-5d it was all over bar the shouting. A rivered 8s finished the epic 64-man tournament, giving us a woman as the winner as Duke did what Rousso could not last year.


UB pro Duke beat a quality field of 64 players to win the event. The top places and payouts were as follows:


1.Annie Duke - $500,000
2.Erik Seidel - $250,000
3.Scotty Nguyen - $125,000
4.Dennis Phillips - $125,000



Tags: Poker News, Annie, Duke, wins, NBC, Heads-Up, Championship