List Released For NBC Heads-Up Invitational

Daniel Cates? Is this some kind of joke? Poker is doomed unless people take image seriously and get cheaters like Cates out of the game for good.

Gotta love Howard Lederer, his skag sister Annie Duke and Chris Ferguson not being there. They got rid of three bigger cheaters!

How on earth are some of these names still on this list. Jennifer Tilly? Are f*&$#*g kidding. This bulls*&t show has zero to do with poker. Where the hell is Selbsts name? I hope she got the invite and shot them down. Greg Raymer are your serious? Moneymaker is the only has been that should always be invited. They gotta do better then this . At least a guy like Will the Thrill deserves a shot at some branding and getting his act in TV.

I P Excellent point as usual on the Raymer and Tilly situation .
Now for you not to know who Will the thrill is kinda strange if you follow who's making noise in the poker world. This guy is a pure grinder that finally started winning some big tournaments a few years ago. Trust me this guy will get more TV coverage then anyone . he's a real character .
Check his stats this guy 100% earned his way to this invitation .

Rob Salaburu & Gaelle Baumann? Really? All you have to do is make the top 12 of main event & you get more exposure than people who have been putting up great results constantly. Dunno how or who chose to send invites.

Here is some analysis on who did and did not get invited, and why.

http://www.pokernews.com/news/2013/01/analyzing-the-nbc-national-heads-up-poker-championship-list-14177.htm

A summary in case you don't want to read it:

Tony G, Vanessa Selbst, Joe Hachem, Jesse Sylvia, and Sam Trickett declined invitations.

Non-pros & celebrities who should have been invited: Guy Laliberte, Bill Perkins, David Einhorn, Michael Phelps, and Norman Chad.

Erick Lindgren did not get invited because he is a broke deadbeat. Matusow is in the same category and should not have been invited.

Johnny Chan is officially a "has been" and was not invited. John Hennigan and Huck Seed could be on that list soon, too.

Young interweb players are generally ill-mannered, rude, and slow acting players who make for poor television. Most got weeded out but unfortunately a few slip through the cracks every year.

Thanks for the link to the analysis .. It made my comment a lot shorter. So go read it folks!! In a made for TV event they have to consider the product going out to the screen. Doc Sands is someone who I would have liked to see .. they could have said that his girl (AM) needed to 'team' up with him and then that might have worked!!

I don't really pay attention to these shows since I am more interested in the poker aspect, not the entertainment aspect. 6 episodes really limits their ability to show any true poker skills but they are fun to watch if you run across them or can DVR or on-demand them.

It is also tough for poker players to commit to a 'one-game' show since most tournaments have more than just one event to try and enter. Also the $25k entry has to come from somewhere and poker sites and/or NBC might not be comping as much.

Lets go with the true TV final of Kid Poker against The Magic Man !!

You'll post the brackets and start-times tonight as soon as they're done? Our bracket pool group is counting on you for the quick news, and time to make our choices! Go Doyle... ;)

"Tony G, Vanessa Selbst, Joe Hachem, Jesse Sylvia, and Sam Trickett declined invitations.

Non-pros & celebrities who should have been invited: Guy Laliberte, Bill Perkins, David Einhorn, Michael Phelps, and Norman Chad.

Erick Lindgren did not get invited because he is a broke deadbeat. Matusow is in the same category and should not have been invited.

Johnny Chan is officially a "has been" and was not invited. John Hennigan and Huck Seed could be on that list soon, too."

This Tourney is slowly dying so the Pro's that declined their invitations saw the writing on the wall before anyone else.
This used to be a good tourneys but now it's full of tainted ignorant has been Pros looking for 5 more minutes of fame.

You guys forget this is a made for TV event... Sorry to David Sands.. He obviously deserves to be there, but they are trying to attract viewers not poker pros... That is why it is called an "invitational" not "open". A non poker enthusiast or former viewer of all the poker shows, just flipping channels might find the show on NBC and say "hey... i remember that guy being fun to watch (Matasow)" and he will stop channel surfing. Same for Tilly... "hey isnt she that actress with big boobs." Again..sorry David Sands you aren't an actress and you don't have big boobs.

If this show gets ratings, maybe it spells the return of other poker shows, which Sands (and other unknowns to most viewers) could appear.