NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship - Best of Three
3rd March, 2008
The first weekend of the month saw Chris ‘Jesus’ Ferguson finally win the NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship.
The NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship final was held between Chris ‘Jesus’ Ferguson, who has been in the final twice before but only came in as runner up, and Andy Bloch, a last minute substitute for comedian/actor Brad Garrett who was called back to work. Over the course of the championship many matches have seen many different players and playing styles. This match differs in that both finalists are similar in many ways. Both are associated with online poker group Full Tilt Poker, both hold advanced degrees from prestigious universities and both play with a very mathematical style relying on facts and odds to make their decisions. In the early 90s both players separately developed a ranking of all possible hands using a computer simulation program.
In both 2005 and 2006 Chris Ferguson was the runner up of the championship but he has now claimed victory. The best of three finals saw Chris Ferguson win against Andy Bloch. Here’s a rundown of the action:
Match One – Ferguson took an early lead only to be beaten when he flat called Bloch’s flush hand, reducing him to a much smaller chip stack. He then was forced all in with two pairs before the river card but Bloch’s three of a kind held out and he took the win.
Match Two – Prior to the start of the second match Ferguson said with a smile, “I think I have a lot of pressure on me now”. This turned out to be just what he needed. Although early on he folded a large sum to Bloch, Ferguson went on to win the match, forcing Bloch all in against four queens.
Match Three – After a grueling twenty minutes of the last match Ferguson had gained a small lead. The last hand for Bloch provided a tricky decision as to whether he should fold or call. In the end he used a coin toss up to make his decision. “Heads I call, tails I fold” he said. He threw up a quarter, it landed heads up and he called Fergusons bet, going all in with two pairs, tens and fours. Ferguson turned his cards over and threw his arms ion the air. His two jacks provided him with a higher two pairs, and his first win in the NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship.
