This week’s competition on Poker After Dark saw a new format as the previous 4 winners of NBC’s National Heads-Up Championship took center stage in a double elimination heads-up match.  Competing were Phil Hellmuth (2005), Ted Forrest (2006), Paul Wasicka (2007), and Chris Ferguson (2008).  Each player put up $50,000 in hopes of winning the $200,000 winner-take-all prize.  A random draw to determine the pairings occurred on the set just prior to the matches taking place.

Match 1:  Paul Wasicka vs. Chris Ferguson
The opening match of the Poker After Dark Heads-up Challenge saw Paul Wasicka go up against Chris Ferguson.  Ferguson dominated the match from the outset, and enjoyed a 4:1 chip lead when the last hand took place.  Chris, with 6d 4d, raised enough preflop to put Paul all in, and Wasicka called with Ad 9h and looked to be in good shape for a badly needed double-up.  The flop came 4s 10d 10c, giving Chris the lead.  He further improved when the turn was the 5d and the river the 9d, giving him a flush and sending Paul to play the loser of the next match while Chris would get the winner.

Match 2:  Phil Hellmuth vs. Ted Forrest
The second match saw a lot more table banter than the first, but then again that was to be expected with Hellmuth playing.  The lead seesawed back and forth for a while, but eventually Phil held a 7:3 chip lead.  With the blinds at $800/$1600, the final hand saw Hellmuth limp in with Kh 5s, and Forrest check with 6s 2d.  The flop was Qd 2c 5c, giving each player a pair.  Forrest led out for $1000, and Hellmuth called.  The turn was the Jd, and Forrest checked.  Hellmuth bet $3000, and Ted check-raised to $10,000.  Hellmuth went into the tank long enough for Forrest to complain, but eventually called.  The Ks on the river gave Phil kings-up, and when Ted moved all in, Phil made the easy call and advanced to play “Jesus” in the winner’s bracket.

Match 3:  Paul Wasicka vs. Ted Forrest
Paul Wasicka had better starting hands in this match than they did in the first one, but the end result was the same.  Helped by winning the first 6 hands, Paul enjoyed a 3:1 chip lead over Ted by playing small pot poker early.  That lead, however, evaporated on one hand when Forrest moved all in with K 7 while Wasicka held A 10.  Forrest would suck out on the river by making a straight to take the chip lead, leaving Wasicka down but not out.  The two would battle back-and-forth, and the stacks were just about even with the blinds at $1500/$3000.  The final hand saw Ted move all in preflop with Ks 9s and Paul call with pocket queens.  Ted spiked a king on the flop, however, to take the lead, and when Paul didn’t improve, he was sent packing in 4th place.

Match 4:  Chris Ferguson vs. Phil Hellmuth
The two players who won their opening round matches faced off in the fourth match and it didn’t take long to determine the winner.  In just the second hand, Chris Ferguson was dealt pocket queens, and raised preflop after Phil Hellmuth limped in, but Phil called with a 6 5.  Ferguson’s hand was in the lead until the river, when a seemingly harmless 5 fell, giving Hellmuth two pair.  Hellmuth raised Chris all in, and Chris eventually called, losing the hand and leaving himself extremely short-stacked.  Soon after, Phil limped in with pocket 10s, and Chris moved all in with Ac 6h.  Hellmuth called, and the board ran out 10d 2c Kc 4c 10c, giving Hellmuth quads and handing Chris his first defeat.

Match 5:  Ted Forrest vs. Chris Ferguson
Ted Forrest got off to an early 3:1 chip lead in this match, aided by picking off Chris Ferguson’s busted straight draw bluff for $20k holding aces up.  But it was a lead he could not hold.  Chris fought his way back to even, then pulled ahead for good when he check-raised Ted after a flop of K K 5 holding an 8 5 for two pair.  The final hand saw the blinds at $1000/$2000 with Ted going all in preflop with Kc 4h and Chris calling holding the Ad 8d.  When the board ran out, neither player had improved, and Chris Ferguson defeated Ted Forrest to earn a seat in the finals against Phil Hellmuth.  Chris would need to defeat Hellmuth twice in the finals to claim the $200,000 winner-take-all prize, as Phil entered the finals with no losses.

Match 6:  Phil Hellmuth vs. Chris Ferguson
If ever there was a match where one player dominated and the other just couldn’t get anything going, it was this one.  Phil Hellmuth was in total command in this match, winning the first hand to take the chip lead and never relinquishing it.  Not only did Chris have difficulty picking up any big starting hands, but he rarely made any hands once the community cards were exposed, and eventually succumbed to Phil’s aggression.  The final hand saw Chris move in for his remaining $24,200 chips with Ah 4h, only to be called by Phil holding pocket 10s, the same hand he eliminated Chris with in Match 4.  The flop was 9c Kh 9d, and Phil was well ahead.  The 10d on the turn sealed Chris’ fate, and Phil Hellmuth emerged victorious in Poker After Dark’s inaugural Heads-Up Challenge.

Dennis Oehring serves as the Public Relations Coordinator for the firm POKER PROductions.