Annie Duke Wins 2010 NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship

She has long been a leading lady in the poker community and it was only a matter of time before she took down another major league poker tournament. And that time has finally come for Annie Duke, as she takes the 2010 NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship title.

Team Ultimate Bet headliner and sister of fellow poker pro Howard “The Professor” Lederer, Annie Duke

This marks the first time that a woman has won this particular contest, the NBC National Heads-Up Championship. But besides the title, and concomitant bragging rights, Annie Duke also won $500,000 for her accomplishment.

To win the contest she had to beat Full Tilt Poker pro Andy Bloch first, then Darvin Moon, and then Paul Wasicka. Finally, on day thre of the event, she went back and forth with Erik Seidel, each winning one of three (first Duke, then Seidel), with the 2010 NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship title coming down to the third and final match.

The NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship is $20,000 buy-in invitational event. It is also the first ever major poker tournament for a TV network to produce.

Many former online poker satellite winners turned World Series of Poker Champions, a la Chris Moneymaker, were also invited to compete in the contest. Of the last several WSOP’s, a large number of them were taken down by previous unknown online poker talents, including: Greg “Fossilman” Raymer, Joe Hachem, Peter Eastgate, and the current reigning WSOP champ Joe Cada.

Now that Annie Duke has won the NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship, she’s going to be on everyone’s radar for this year’s WSOP prize (even more than she already was).