Day 2 Recap - Heading to the Quarters
Two rounds of action were played on Saturday at NBC's National Heads-Up Poker Championship and the field is down to eight players. In the Clubs Bracket, Heads Up first timers Olivier Busquet and reigning WSOP Main Event champ Jonathan Duhamel will face off. In Spades, former WSOP Main Event champ Chris Moneymaker takes on David Oppenheim. In Hearts, it's Andrew Robl vs. cash game specialist David Benyamine. And finally in Diamonds, Vanessa Selbst will face off against against Erik Seidel and his eight WSOP bracelets.
Quarterfinals begin at 11 a.m. PT on Sunday.
Selbst stops Galfond; Seidel bests Gordon
Vanessa Selbst put Phil Galfond all in after the river as she had just over half of the chips. Selbst's kicker held as she had Q 8 over Galfond's Q 7 as she moved onto the Quarterfinals where she'll face Erik Seidel, who defeated Phil Gordon.
Benyamine finishes Grinder
David Benyamine advances to the Quarterfinals as he defeated Michael Mizrachi in the Round of 16. He'll face Andrew Robl on Sunday.
Robl runs to Quarters
Late replacement Andrew Robl is now heading into the quarterfinals after defeating James Bord. Robl will face the winner of Michael Mizrachi vs. David Benyamine.
Hearts and Diamonds about to begin
Here are the matchups:
Hearts
Andrew Robl vs. James Bord
Michael Mizrachi vs. David Benyamine
Diamonds
Phil Galfond vs. Vanessa Selbst
Erik Seidel vs. Phil Gordon
Bravo for Busquet
Down 4-1 in chips, Olivier Busquet rallied to defeat Jason Mercier and advance to the Quarterfinals where he'll face Jonathan Duhamel.
Onward for Oppenheim
David Oppenheim is the latest to make the quarterfinals. He'll face Chris Moneymaker in the round of 8 on Sunday.
Duhamel heads to Quarters
Jonathan Duhamel defeated Ayaz Mahmood to advance to the quarterfinals where he'll face the winner between Jason Mercier vs. Olivier Busquet.
Moneymaker takes out Dolly
The first quarterfinalist has made it through. Chris Moneymaker has beaten Doyle Brunson in the Spades Bracket to advance to the Round of 8. Moneymaker will face the winner of David Oppenheim vs. Eugene Katchalov.
Round of 16 action begins at 6:30 p.m. PT
Here are the matches for the Spades and Clubs Brackets:
Clubs
Olivier Busquet vs. Jason Mercier
Ayaz Mahmood vs. Jonathan Duhamel
Spades
Doyle Brunson vs. Chris Moneymaker
David Oppenheim vs. Eugene Kathalov
Selbst stops Eastgate
Vanessa Selbst defeated Peter Eastgate to advance to the Round of 16 where she'll take on Phil Galfond.
Seidel silences Harman
Erik Seidel continues his hot streak as he defeated Jennifer Harman in the second round of the Diamonds Bracket. He'll play Phil Gordon in the Round of 16.
Grinding it out
Michael Mizrachi recovered from a huge hole and take down Phil Laak in the second round of the Hearts Bracket. The Grinder will face David Benyamine in the Round of 16.
Emmitt can't hold off Robl; Galfond moves on
Andrew Robl rivered a straight, beating the NFL's all-time leading rusher Emmitt Smith, and advancing to the third round. In other action, Phil Galfond came back to defeat Bertrand Grospellier in their Diamonds Bracket matchup. Robl will next face James Bord, while Galfond will play the winner of Vanessa Selbst and Peter Eastgate.
Dwan down and out
David Benyamine advanced in the Hearts Bracket, defeating Tom Dwan in the second round. He'll face the winner of Phil Laak and Michael Mizrachi in the Round of 16.
Gavin taken off Bord
James Bord is in the money in his first appearance in the Heads Up Championship. Bord beat Gavin Smith in the second round and will face the winner of Andrew Robl and Emmitt Smith in the Round of 16.
Gordon beats Fossil Man
Phil Gordon was the first to advance in the Diamonds Bracket, taking out Greg Raymer. Gordon will play the winner of Jennifer Harman and Erik Seidel.
Mahmood takes out Greenstein
Ayaz Mahmood finished out the second round of the Clubs Bracket as he defeated Barry Greenstein. Mahmood will face Jonathan Duhamel in the Round of 16.
Texas Dolly downs Phillips
Doyle Brunson defeated Dennis Phillips in the second round of the Spades Bracket. He'll face Chris Moneymaker in the Round of 16.
Moneymaker, Oppenheim move on
In the Spades Bracket, Chris Moneymaker defeated Daniel Cates, while David Oppenheim took out Carlos Mortensen. Moneymaker now faces the winner of Doyle Brunson and Dennis Phillips in the Round of 16, while Oppenheim will take on Eugene Katchalov.
Katchalov eliminates Antonius, Busquet advances
Eugene Katchalov defeated Patrik Antonius in the second round of the Spades Bracket. Meanwhile, Olivier Busquet handled Liv Boeree in the Clubs Bracket.
Mercier avoids Bloch
Jason Mercier took out Andy Bloch in the Round of 32 to of the Clubs Bracket. He'll face the winner of Olivier Busquet and Liv Boeree in the third round.
Duhamel exposes the Magician
Jonathan Duhamel, the 2010 WSOP Main Event champ, defeated Antonio Esfandiari in the second round of the Spades Bracket. Duhamel will face the winner of Barry Greenstein and Ayaz Mahmood in the Round of 16.
Day 2 begins
The second round of the Heads Up Championship begins at 12:15 p.m. PT with the Spades and Clubs brackets. Check out the matchups:
Clubs
Olivier Busquet vs. Liv Boeree
Jason Mercier vs. Andy Bloch
Barry Greenstein vs. Ayaz Mahmood
Jonathan Duhamel vs. Antonio Esfandiari
Spades
Doyle Brunson vs. Dennis Phillips
Daniel Cates vs. Chris Moneymaker
Carlos Mortensen vs. David Mortensen
Patrik Antonius vs. Eugene Katchalov