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Copyright 2005 eMedia Wire
October 21, 2005
HEADLINE:
'National Heads-Up Poker Championship' Moves to Caesars
Palace in New Deal
BODY:
World's Best to Vie for $1.5 Million in NBC Broadcast
"The National Heads-Up Poker Championship," which
brings together 64 of the world's best players competing in a
unique one-on-one, single-elimination, bracket-style format, will
move to Caesars Palace starting in 2006, Harrah's Entertainment,
Inc. (NYSE: HET) announced today. NBC will broadcast 10 hours
of tournament action over six shows next April and May.
The inaugural edition of the tournament
generated solid ratings on NBC and strong buzz in the poker community.
This year's event, featuring a total purse of $1.5 million, including
a top prize of $500,000, will be contested March 3-5 in the casino
at Caesars Palace.
The first-ever "National Heads-Up Poker Championship,"
(NHPC), held at The Golden Nugget in Las Vegas in March, generated
big crowds at the casino plus an average of four million home
television viewers for each of six telecasts (eight total hours)
on NBC. Television audiences grew as the tournament progressed,
with a total audience of six million watching the finale on May
22, when Phil Hellmuth bested Chris Ferguson in the two-hour telecast.
"This is a terrific addition to our portfolio of sports
ventures," said Jeffrey Pollack, vice president of sports
and entertainment marketing for Harrah's Entertainment. "We're
thrilled Caesars Palace has joined with NBC Sports to showcase
this increasingly popular event in Caesars' new poker room."
The 2006 TV coverage will be expanded to 10 hours over six shows
to be telecast on Sundays in April and May. Hellmuth will defend
his title against many of the sport's most prominent players,
with the field expected to include legendary Hall of Famers Doyle
Brunson and Johnny Chan, plus established stars such as Howard
Lederer and 2003 Player of the Year Erick Lindgren. Others expected
to compete include 2005 Poker Superstars champion Gus Hansen;
2003 World Series of Poker champion Chris Moneymaker; 2004 Player
of the Year Daniel Negreanu; 2004 World Series of Poker champion
Greg Raymer; and 2005 and National Heads-Up Poker Championship
semifinalists Antonio Esfandiari and T.J. Cloutier.
"This event has special qualities that have enabled it to
rise in the poker landscape and establish a uniqueness that the
public can embrace," said Jon Miller, Senior Vice President
of NBC Sports, which created the event. "The head-to-head
confrontation between players, who are now legitimate stars, provides
compelling competition for players and makes for entertaining
television."
A blind draw will put the contestants into college basketball
tournament-like brackets that, because of the quality of the invitational
field, produce attractive match-ups between some of the best players
in the world throughout the competition. Tournament officials
will conduct the draw at Caesars Palace on Thursday evening, March
2, as part of a media event to be attended by the 64-player field.
"All the top players were excited last year when the 'National
Heads-Up Poker Championship' was announced," said Hellmuth,
the youngest player to ever win the World Series of Poker Main
Event (24 years old in 1989). "Then the event exceeded our
expectations. This is the type of big-time stage that will enhance
poker's position as a mainstream institution for decades to come."
Further information on NHPC, including 2005 results, playerbiographies
and informational updates, is available at http://poker.nbc.com.
Harrah's Entertainment, Inc., is the world's largest provider
of branded casino entertainment. Since its beginning in Reno,
Nevada 67 years ago, Harrah's has grown through development of
new properties, expansions and acquisitions. Harrah's Entertainment
is focused on building loyalty and value with its customers through
a unique combination of great service, excellent products, unsurpassed
distribution, operational excellence and technology leadership.
SOURCE Harrah's Entertainment, Inc.
Web Site: http://poker.nbc.com
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