NBC National Heads-Up Championship - Live Updates

Huck Seed rivered a pair of nines to beat Vanessa Rousso's unconnected ace-jack and take the lead in their second match.

Seed then took another big pot off Rousso, re-raising her $40k open, making it $80k more.

Rousso called, but when Seed made it $85k on the A♦ Q♣ J♦ flop, she let it go.

A few hands later he made a big raise into a K♦ 8♥ 3♥ T♠ board, Rousso shoved and Seed made the call.

It was K♠ 7♥ for Huck leading Vanessa's J♦ T♣ and when the river bricked, Huck Seed became the 2009 NBC National Heads-Up Champion.

An impressive run for Rousso ends with her grabbing $250k for second, but Seed gets the glory and the $500,000 first place prize.

Huck Seed moved in on a Q♥ 7♥ A♦ T♠ 4♥ board to push Vanessa off a rather large pot and take a lead in the early going of their first match here at Caesars.

Seed extended the lead when he turned an ace to pick up a small pot from Rousso.

Soon after, the two began pushing in on one another until eventually, Seed called.

It was Q♠ J♣ for Rousso and Huck had the lead with K♦ J♦.

The flop came ace high and ran out blanks giving Huck seed the first win in this best of three match.

The next match will start in 15 minutes.

The cards are in the air here for the best-of-three final match between Vanessa Rousso and Huck Seed.

A $500k first place prize and all the glory of the 2009 NBC National Heads-Up Championship hangs in the balance, so this should be exciting.

Stay tuned!

The shoving continued until Huck Seed called Sam Farha's push with just T♣ 8♣.

Sam had A♣ K♣, but in stunning fashion, Seed rivered a flush to book a spot in the final with Vanessa Rousso.

The win also gave Seed the best record all-time here at The NBC National Heads-Up Championship, surpassing last year's champ Chris Ferguson.

The best of three final is slated to begin in just 20 minutes from now.

Huck Seed took control of his match with Sammy Farha right from the outset before Daniel Negreanu came out of the crowd and started giving us the play-by-play.

Farha began making a bit of a comeback, claiming Negreanu was a good luck charm for him, until Daniel was ushered off the set a short time later.

Then with just king-high, Seed picked off a Farha bluff to maintain his advantage.

However, as the blinds rose to dangerous heights, Farha inched his way into the lead.

Eventually Seed was forced to make a stand against the rising Farha tide, shoving in the turn of a raggedy board with two fives to pick up a decent pot and tighten things up.

Huck inched into the lead himself getting paid off with a full house. But just moments later, Seed shoved into a Farha raise and Sammy snap-called with aces.

Huck had deuces, he bricked out and Farha grabbed what seemed to be an insurmountable lead.

A few hands later though, Seed picked up two queens and got it all in against A♣ 4♦ for Farha.

Sammy picked up the nut flush draw on the turn, but Seed doubled on a spade river to get right back in it.

Huck then took the lead in this see-saw affair and after a short while they're in again.

This time Farha had Huck dominated with A♠ Q♣ to Huck's A♦ 2♥. The flop came T♥ 9♥ 3♦, the turn was the Q♥ and although Seed grabbed a flush draw, the river was the K♣ giving Farha the chip lead.

Seed then shoved with K♠ 4♠ and again Sammy called in dominating position with A♥ K♣.

But Seed flopped a four and was suddenly stay in it.

A few hands later they are in again with Sammy on J♣ T♦ and Seed holding K♠ 7♥.

Seed flopped a pair and although he had to sweat a Farha flush and straight draw on the turn, he doubled up to inch even closer to Sammy.

The two traded pushes and folds for a while until Huck took the lead, moved in and Sammy called with two fours.

Seed had K♣ 7♣, flopped a seven and looked to be moving on to the final until the board straightened, they chopped and this marathon of a match was forced to continue.

That's where it stands now.

Bertrand Grospellier took the early lead on Vanessa Rousso, but Vanessa fought back winning a sizeable pot with queens against ElkY's big slick.

After a slight lull in the action Vanessa ended up all in with two kings on a flop that gave ElkY both a straight and a flush draw.

The turn and river were bricks for ElkY and Rousso doubled up to grab a commanding lead.

Before long ElkY responded to a Rousso button raise by shipping it in and after she open-folded an ace, his long road to recovery had begun.

Grospellier stayed aggressive, picking up pot after pot with well timed shoves until he got back close to even again.

With the blinds up to $10,000/$20,000 ElkY kept the pressure on Vanessa and took the lead before she took a stand getting it all in with A♥ K♥ against Grospellier's J♦ T♦.

Vanessa turned a king and although ElkY picked up a flush draw, it did not come, allowing her to double up and take the lead once again.

Eventually they got it all in again with ElkY on K♣ 6♣ and Rousso holding two sevens.

Grospellier picked up a gutshot on the flop, but the turn came a six making his gutshot her open-ender.

The river came an eight, Vanessa made a straight and she moved on to the finals.

The semifinals are set to begin here at Caesars.

Huck Seed versus Sam Farha and Vanessa Rousso against Bertrand Grospellier.

It just doesn't get any better than this.

Daniel Negreanu grabbed the lead against Vanessa Rousso without a showdown, pushing her off a rather large pot on the river.

Although there was a straight on board, Daniel claimed he rivered two pair.

He made two pair again a few hands later to increase the lead and it wasn't long before Rousso pushed in on a J♦ J♣ 4♥ 4♠ board, forcing Negreanu into the tank.

"I don't have jack," he said, contemplating the call for quite some time before making it with just ace high.

Rousso did have the jack and doubled up to get close to even.

She grabbed the lead from Negreanu soon after, then shoved on a 2♣ 3♥ 6♥ 3♠ board forcing him back into the tank.

Eventually Daniel made the call again with just queen-six, Rousso had pocket deuces and the full house shot her through to the semi-finals.

Next up it's Huck Seed versus Sam Farha and Vanessa Rousso taking on Bertrand Grospellier for a spot in the final.

The semi-finals are schedule for 3:30 p.m.

The quick coolers continue here at NBC Heads-Up with Phil Hellmuth running queens into Bertrand Grospellier's aces in just their first couple of hands.

Hellmuth started the hand with a slight chip deficit and when ElkY's aces held, Phil was done.

ElkY now awaits the winner of the Negreanu/Rousso match in the semi-finals.

The cards are in the air for the second pair of quarterfinals.

It's Daniel Negreanu against Vanessa Rousso and Phil Hellmuth taking on Bertrand Grospellier.

And no, Daniel is not dressed up like Vanessa today.

In a shocking cooler, David Williams flopped a full house against Sam Farha.

However, Farha made a bigger full house on the river, the money went in and Farha was through to the semi-finals.

Seconds later, Huck Seed and David Oppenheim get it all in pre-flop with Seed on two black eights and Oppenheim holding A♠ Q♦.

Farha comes over to lay a few bets on the outcome and after Seed turns an eight, he moves through to the semis as well.

David Williams is still shaking his head as both matches lasted less than ten minutes.

The other two quarterfinal matches were set for 1:30 p.m. Vegas time, but have reportedly been moved up.

Stay tuned.

The cards are in the air for the first two quarterfinals.

It's David Williams against Sam Farha and Huck Seed taking on David Oppenheim.

We are mere minutes from the start of the 2009 NBC National Heads-Up Championship quarterfinals at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.

The four matches on the slate include a battle of Team PokerStars Pros Daniel Negreanu and Vanessa Rousso, who beat no less than Doyle Brunson, Phil Ivey and 2007 Heads-Up champ Paul Wasicka to get to this point.

The winner of their match will go on to play either Bertrand "ElkY' Grospellier or Phil Hellmuth, who finally got a little revenge for last year's first-round suck out by beating online phenom Tom "durrrr" Dwan last night.

David Oppenheim will face Huck Seed, who became the first and only player to cash in this event all five years yesterday and the winner will go on to play either 2004 WSOP Main Event runner-up David Williams or 2003 WSOP Main Event runner-up Sam Farha.

They will play down to a champion today and PokerListings will bring you all the action from start to finish.

Get your popcorn ready - The 2009 NBC National Heads-Up Championship is next.