High-stakes heads-up action will be back on television this fall with the return of the National Heads-Up Poker Championship in a partnership between PokerGO and PokerStars.
The two poker brands will resurrect the iconic series with episodes to premiere exclusively on Peacock before they end up on PokerGO and PokerStars platforms at a later date.
Heads-Up Championship returns
The original National Heads-Up Championship aired on NBC and Mike Matusow is still technically the defending champion from 2013. Other past champs include Phil Hellmuth, Huck Seed, and Ted Forrest. This will be the first iteration since PokerGO picked up the rights to the show.
“The National Heads-Up Poker Championship helped define the golden era of televised poker,” said Mori Eskandani, President of PokerGO. “We’re proud to partner with PokerStars to bring back a truly iconic brand and share it with a new generation of fans.”
The single-elimination bracket will feature a $25,000 buy-in and a long list of invited stars from the poker world and beyond. Big-name players like Michael Mizrachi, Jason Koon, Erik Seidel, Phil Galfond, Shaun Deeb, Doug Polk, Liv Boeree and Chris Moneymaker are among those confirmed so far, and they'll be joined by celebrities like Nick Wright, Rob Riggle, Boston Rob Mariano, and retired NFL star Richard Seymour.
Two other players, Victoria Livschitz and Kasey Lyn Mills, confirmed that they would be playing on X.
National Heads-Up Championship winners
| Year | Champion |
|---|---|
| 2005 | Phil Hellmuth |
| 2006 | Ted Forrest |
| 2007 | Paul Wasicka |
| 2008 | Chris Ferguson |
| 2009 | Huck Seed |
| 2010 | Annie Duke |
| 2011 | Erik Seidel |
| 2013 | Mike Matusow |
