Bodog Beat

Bodog poker pro David Williams will be in the field for the NBC Heads-Up Poker Championship this weekend. (Bodog Beat Image)

Everyone loves brackets, hence the popularity of the NCAA March Madness, and the visceral head-to-head combat where the underdog can pull out a win against the overwhelming favorite. Well, NBC is bringing that same feeling to the poker world, and Bodog is giving poker and gaming enthusiasts alike a chance to get in on the action with their NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship prop bet.

Featuring 64 of the best heads-up poker players in the world, the NHUPC takes place at Caesar's Palace this weekend – March 7-8 – and will pay out $500,000 to the winner. Bodog oddsmakers have been busy with their calculators and complex algorithms coming up with lines for the participants and they are now up and available in the Bodog Sportsbook.

As the defending champion, Chris "Jesus" Ferguson is the favorite of the Bodog oddsmakers and poker pundits alike, but by no means an overwhelming one at 22/1. Nipping at his heels at 25/1 is a collection of players that you would expect to see as near-favorites, online poker phenom Tom "durrrr" Dwan, Phil Ivey and Daniel Negreanu, and they are followed by Johnathan "FieryJustice" Little and Andy Bloch, who was Ferguson's heads-up opponent in the final last year, at 30/1.

Getting no respect for his deep run last year is baseball great Orel Hershiser, who is staring down 95/1 odds that he will win this event. In fact, none of the celebrities participating this year are getting good odds. So, if you're looking for a long shot to take a chance on, look no further than movie star Don Cheadle and TV star Brad Garrett at 90/1.

Other notables in the field include Bodog poker pro David Williams, Doyle Brunson, Johnny Chan and 2008 WSOP Main Event final tablist Ivan Demidov all at 40/1.

For a full listing, check out Bodog's NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship prop bets and place your bets now.