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Wasicka wins NBC Heads-Up Poker Championship

5 March 2007

By Aaron Todd

Paul Wasicka will no longer face questions about his heads-up strategy.

Wasicka, who lost to Jamie Gold in heads-up play in the 2006 World Series of Poker Main Event, beat Chad Brown to claim the 2007 NBC Heads-Up Poker Championship yesterday at Caesar's Palace.

Wasicka won $500,000, while Brown won $250,000 for finishing second.

Wasicka defeated Nam Le to advance to the semifinal round, then beat actress Shannon Elizabeth to advance to the best -of-three championship match. Wasicka needed just two matches to defeat Brown and join Phil Hellmuth and Ted Forrest as winners of the made-for-television tournament.

It's been quite a week for Wasicka, who also finished fourth at the L.A. Poker Classic to win $455,615 on Thursday.

Brown, the 2006 Bluff Magazine Player of the Year, defeated Kristy Gazes in the quarterfinals and Gavin Smith in the semifinals.

Elizabeth defeated Costa Rican pro Humberto Brenes to advance to the semifinals, while Smith beat Andy Bloch. Both semifinalists won $125,000.

NBC will broadcast the Heads-Up Poker Championship starting at noon on Sunday, April 8, with the semifinal and championship rounds slated to run on Sunday, May 20.

Aaron Todd

When he's not slaving away at Casino City, home-game hotshot Aaron Todd plays in a semi-regular poker game with his friends in the Boston area. While he is happy to play Texas Hold'em, he'd rather mix it up and include lesser-known games such as Omaha Hi/Lo, Razz, Deuce-to-Seven Triple Draw, and (his personal favorite) Badeuci.

After graduating from St. Lawrence University, Aaron worked in media relations for several college athletic departments. When he grew tired of long nights and weekends watching college sports in leaky press boxes, he decided to spend long nights and weekends watching professional card players in stuffy poker rooms.

A native of a small town in New York just south of Ottawa, Aaron lives in Needham, MA with his wife and son. Write to Aaron at aarontodd@casinocity.com.