The legendary $25K National Heads-Up Championship is returning after a decade-long hiatus, with some of poker’s biggest names battling for glory. The last champion crowned was Mike Matusow in 2013, but this year all eyes are on a new crop of contenders. Michael Mizrachi, Jason Koon and Liv Boeree are three of the big names that have been teased at launch, but Victoria Livschitz managed to get herself an invite to the party, and she’s thrilled to be a part of it. We caught up with her ahead of the tournament, which is set to air on Peacock in the autumn before moving to the PokerStars and PokerGO platforms at a later date.
Congrats Victoria, how did you get your invite?
I am not entirely sure how the process works. I know I got in at the last minute, as I found out I have an invite just last Sunday.
What are you most excited about?
Oh, the whole thing, really. Watching the old National Heads-Up Championships during COVID is how I fell in love with poker in the first place. Heads-up is such a special form of poker. Playing this specific event, along with all the legends, old and new, feels like such a pure joyride. I hope I can make a run, but even if it’s a one-hand all-in and all-out, I am going to cherish the experience.
Do you have much heads-up experience?
I wouldn’t say I have a ton of experience, but I love this format. Somehow it reminds me of the chess matches I spent my childhood playing. So I always try to get my friends to play heads-up with me. But I haven’t played a heads-up tournament like this before, let alone against the field of absolute crushers and personalities.
What are you doing to prep?
I only have a couple of days to prepare so I am doing my best to understand the main ideas and then hopefully be able to figure it out on the fly. The game plan will have to be very specific to the opponent and evolve during the battle. If it’s someone like Jason Koon or Stephen Chidwick, I’ll try to find clean and balanced lines, take a little bit more of the high variance spots, and hope I run good. And if it’s someone like The Grinder or Texas Mike, it’s a whole other kind of adventure... street poker it is! The beauty of heads-up poker is the exploitative nature of the strategies tailored to each opponent and who can adjust faster and smarter.
Who’s the one player you’d love to play?
I am always going for epic experience over self-preservation, so I am going to have to say it’s Jason Koon. Playing a high-stakes heads-up match on TV against one of the best no-limit poker players of all time is a bucket list item, and I am here for it.
Good luck!
Victoria Livschitz is the CEO of Octopi Poker — follow Victoria and Octopi on X. For more info, visit octopipoker.ai.
