Cinderella Woman

Vanessa Rousso proved that Cinderella can sometimes wear a pair of boxing gloves this past weekend at Caesars Palace.



There were many impressive feats that took place at the 2009 NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship. Huck Seed winning the tournament while cashing for the fifth year in a row (the only player to do so) to improve his overall record to 18-4 jumps right out from the headlines. Don Cheadle defeating another tough heads-up opponent in the first round (David "The Dragon" Pham) two years after he upset Phil Ivey was the most impressive performance by a celebrity. But the single most impressive performance brought to the table was the amazing string of victories that Rousso put together in beating the toughest road in the tournament. Here is the list of names she defeated during three days of heads-up matches:



Doyle Brunson, Phil Ivey, 2007 champion Paul Wasicka, Daniel Negreanu, and Bertrand Grospellier.



This is easily one of the hardest paths taken to the finals in NBC Heads-Up history, and the best comparison in the world of sport that comes to mind is Carl Hubbell's pitching performance in Major League Baseball's second All-Star Game in 1934. In baseball's version of a heads-up match Hubbell struck out Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Jimmie Foxx, Al Simmons, and Joe Cronin in order (all five are in baseball's hall of fame) using his devastating screwball. It is a feat that over 70 years later still defines the hall of fame pitcher's career even though it lives outside the margins of an official record book.



This feat may not become career-defining for Rousso but it surely created a buzz at Caesars Palace during the event. Her most impressive victory came against Daniel Negreanu in the elite eight, when Rousso fast played her hand against him twice to double up and then score a victory to advance to the final four. In both cases Rousso laid the trap for Negreanu and he walked right into it. You can read about Negreanu's reaction to the hands in his blog, while Rousso's take on the action is featured in the What's My Line? series on CardPlayer.com and in Card Player Magazine.



Listed below is the road that every NBC Heads-Up finalist has taken during the five years of the tournament. You are free to come to your own conclusion below, but Rousso defeating three of the four largest names in poker in Brunson, Ivey, and Negreanu, a former NBC Heads-Up champion in Wasicka, and one of the hottest players on the planet right now in Grospellier is hard to argue against as the toughest road ever taken by a finalist.



2009



Champion Huck Seed Defeated: Jonathan Little, Gus Hansen, Glen Chorny, David Oppenheim, Sam Farha



Runner-Up Vanessa Rousso Defeated: Doyle Brunson, Phil Ivey, Paul Wasicka, Daniel Negreanu, and Bertrand Grospellier



2008



Champion Chris Ferguson Defeated: John Juanda, Gavin Smith, Mike Matusow, Jonathan Little, Phil Ivey



Runner-Up Andy Bloch Defeated: Shannon Elizabeth, Vanessa Rousso, Scott Fischman, Orel Hershiser, Huck Seed



2007



Champion Paul Wasicka Defeated: Eli Elezra, Joe Hachem, T.J. Cloutier, Nam Le, Shannon Elizabeth



Runner-Up Chad Brown Defeated: Yosh Nakano, Gabe Kaplan, Brad Booth, Kristy Gazes, Gavin Smith



2006



Champion Ted Forrest Defeated: Erik Seidel, Chad Brown, Ernie Durack, Sam Farha, Shawn Sheikhan



Runner-Up Chris Ferguson Defeated: Freddy Deeb, Chip Reese, Josh Arieh, James McManus, Huck Seed



2005



Champion Phil Hellmuth Defeated: Men Nguyen, Paul Phillips, Huck Seed, Lyle Berman, Antonio Esfandiari



Runner-Up Chris Ferguson Defeated: Cyndy Violette, Gus Hansen, Mimi Tran, Mike Sexton, T.J. Cloutier