Two Qualifiers Earn Seats in Heads-Up Championship

Thanks to two live satellites at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, NBC’s National Heads-Up Poker Championship (NHUPC) has only one more seat waiting to be filled.  While several poker pros who did not receive an invitation to play in the tournament tried to win a seat, it was two amateurs that took the spots. 

The first was Tom Kelly, a hedge fund manager and restaurateur from Fort Lauderdale, Florida.  Considering his occupation and the fact that he plays high-stakes blackjack more than he does poker, it is probably safe to say that he could have scrounged up the $20,000 buy-in if had been on the invite list.  Kelly is recently married and has a three-month-old son. 

The latest qualifier is Hooman Nikzad from Scottsdale, Arizona.  Nikzad is really a semi-pro, with more than $538,000 in tournament winnings under his belt.  His biggest cash was for over a quarter-million dollars when he won the $3,000 no-limit hold’em event at the 2007 Five Diamond World Poker Classic.  He is good friends with two-time WSOP bracelet winner and 2007 WSOP Player of the Year, Tom Schneider, who is also playing in the NHUPC. 

The sixty-fourth and final seat will be determined through an online qualifying tournament.