Poker players arrive in Las Vegas for their own version of March Madness

By Case Keefer (contact)

Friday, March 4, 2011 | 2:05 a.m.

Much like college basketball teams, professional poker players spend their year building a résumé they hope is impressive enough to land a spot in a prestigious single-elimination tournament every March.

The 64 players fortunate enough to be included by the NBC Sports selection committee for this year’s National Heads-Up Poker Championship arrived at Caesars Palace on Thursday night for the annual draw party.

“It’s an honor to get invited to this tournament because it’s 64 of the greatest players,” poker pro Michael Mizrachi said. “There are a lot more great players who could be out there in this event, but you can only pick 64.”

Each player paid a $25,000 entry fee and will face off for the $750,000 first-place prize over the next three days. NBC airs round-by-round coverage of the event later in the year.

It’s the seventh year of the National Heads-Up Poker Championship, which NBC Sports originally put together to fill an open time slot caused by the 2005 NHL lockout. Phil Hellmuth won the inaugural tournament that year at the Golden Nugget and has only seen the event grow in popularity ever since.

“I knew this was going to be really huge,” Hellmuth said. “It just makes sense. Heads-up play is really exciting and fun.”

Hellmuth has played in the tournament every year by virtue of receiving an automatic bid for his championship. Some of the most notable pros — Doyle Brunson, Phil Ivey and Daniel Negreanu, for example — and a handful of celebrities, including NFL Hall of Fame member Emmitt Smith this year, receive invitations because of their television draw.

Others, like Mizrachi, have had to work their way in. Mizrachi competed in 2006 and 2007, before missing the event the last three years. He earned his inclusion in 2011 by winning a World Series of Poker bracelet in the $50,000 buy-in Poker Player’s Championship and making a run to the WSOP Main Event final table.

“It’s always a cool thing, but you want to get into the soft bracket,” Mizrachi said. “It’s single-elimination, so anything can happen.”

Mizrachi did not receive an easy path in this year’s tournament. He faces Vanessa Rousso, who came in second in the heads-up championship in 2009, in the first round.

Following that matchup are potential showdowns with Negreanu, who is the all-time leader in tournament poker earnings with more than $14 million, and Hellmuth.

“I’ve spent the last couple of weeks just working on my game,” Hellmuth said. “I’ve been playing just heads-up matches lately to work on the math. It’s very interesting.”

Two rounds of play will take place by Saturday afternoon, which will whittle the field down to the Sweet 16. Each of those players will make the money and at least pocket some winnings.

But in this tournament, it’s an accomplishment just to make the field.

“It’s the most fun of the year,” said pro Mike Matusow, who plays 2004 World Series of Poker champion Greg Raymer in the first round. “Heads-up play requires a lot more focus and aggression, but everyone is also having fun.”

Case Keefer can be reached at 948-2790 or [email protected]. Follow Case on Twitter at twitter.com/casekeefer.