#353 - NBC Heads-Up Championship #4 - Club Bracket Preview

Amazingly, I’m getting all these previews posted before the matches really get underway. I’m still not finished with WSOP Europe. I never finished “best of 2006.” Yet here is the last of the 4 preview posts.

Clubs Bracket – Round 1

Jonathon Little v. Erik Seidel – Little has become one of the most successful tournament players in the world over the last year or so, though Seidel has become one of the most successful tournament players in the world over the last two decades. Someone very good is going to come out of this match. I’m picking Seidel because we’re the same age and I know him better than Jon, but a real handicapping of the match would call it pretty close to even.

Patrik Antonius v. Gabe Kaplan – I loved Gabe Kaplan as a stand-up comic in the 70s and Welcome Back Kotter was one of my favorite TV shows. Getting to know Gabe a little during the Andy Beal games was a unique thrill. But some of the stuff I wrote about Patrik Antonius after the Million Dollar Cash Game – please look for them in the archive; they were wonderful – is among the best I’ve ever written and I don’t even know Patrik that well. I think Patrik will win this round.

Greg Raymer v. Hooman Nikzad – Raymer is a great player and deservedly garners a lot of respect from other pros. Nikzad is a great player you just don’t know about yet. I’m picking him to win this match.

Kenny Tran v. Scott Clements – These guys are both solid choices to win the whole thing: solid, smart, imaginative, successful, running good, patient, determined. If I had to pick, I’d take Tran. No, Clements. No, Tran.

Mike Matusow v. Joe Hachem – It seems like Mike Matusow, despite being universally beloved in poker, has a vendetta of some sort against just about every decent poker player on earth. Hachem won the 2005 World Championship that Mike probably thinks was his to win. Hachem, like Greg Raymer, has “proven” the legitimacy of his championship, so I’m picking Matusow for purely personal reasons. I’m still carrying the pen I loaned Mike to sign all those strippers’ asses at 4 AM after he won the ToC here in November 05, so I have to pick him.

Tom Dwan v. Phil Hellmuth – Dwan, as “durrr”, is one of the most successful online players in the world. Hellmuth finished sixth yesterday at the LA WPT and I’m sure I’ll be hearing at some point about the private jet that ferried him here. Dwan obviously has loads of heads-up (or short-handed) experience for huge amounts of money. But Hellmuth has that permanent chip on his shoulder and a potential date with Mike Matusow for round two so I think he’s going to show up cranky, act all pissy toward Tom, and win this. (If he doesn’t, I predict he’ll look bad losing.)

Tom Schneider v. Gavin Smith – Tom was the MVP of the 2007 WSOP by winning 2 bracelets, though neither was in a NLHE event. He’s an Arizona guy so I automatically like him, and a good guy besides. But Gavin keeps knocking on the door at this tournament. I think he has a chance to go deep so I’m picking him to win this.

Chris Ferguson v. John Juanda – They won’t exchange a word or an emotion, but what a match this is going to be. It’s a little sad for me to say this, but it’s going to depend entirely on the cards. They are both experts on this type of play and on each other’s style. I think it’s going to come down to both of them making big hands at the same time. Could you call either of these men an underdog to any other player in the field?

Round 2 teases: Geez, what’s NOT a dream match-up? Gavin against Ferguson or Juanda? Matusow against Hellmuth?