NBC to air Heads-Up Championship on Sunday

LAS VEGAS, Nevada -- (PRESS RELEASE) -- Celebrity Apprentice star Annie Duke, comedian Brad Garrett, actor Don Cheadle and the world's best poker pros are the featured participants in NBC's 5th Annual National Heads-Up Poker Championship, which premieres Sunday, April 12 at Noon - 2PM ET (Check local listings for PT) and airs for six consecutive weeks in that time slot.

The National Heads-Up Poker Championship, which was taped at the Caesars Palace Poker Room March-6-8, features 64 top poker players competing in a series of heads-up (one-on-one games of No Limit Texas Hold'em) matches to determine the best heads-up poker player in the world. This tournament has a unique, single-elimination, bracket-style format modeled after college basketball's championship tournament, except that the finals are the best of three.

The pros competing in the event are a who's who of the poker world, including defending champion Chris Ferguson, 2008 World Series of Poker main event champion Peter Eastgate, Doyle Brunson, Johnny Chan, Jamie Gold, Phil Hellmuth, Phil Ivey and Daniel Negreanu, among others.

GoDaddy.com is the presenting sponsor of the broadcast.