Orel Hershiser to Shuffle Up & Deal at the 2010 National Heads-Up Poker Championship

 For fans of the Dodgers that also love to play a little poker from time to time, I wanted to mention that it was just announced that Orel “Bulldog” Hershiser is back (along with 63 other celebrities, poker pros and qualifiers) in the 2010 NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship, taking place March 4 through March 7 at Caesar’s Place in Las Vegas.  Before you count him out, know that Hershiser made it all the way to the quarterfinals in 2008.

Hershiser goes into the  tournament on a bit of a roll, finishing second in a celebrity charity poker tournament to kick off the new North American Poker Tour.  The tournament benefited Three Squares, a Las Vegas charity that provides food to more than 270 organizations around the great Southern Nevada area.  Model Joanna Krupa also participated, so I included a photo of her as well (you’re welcome).

The Bulldog Kicks Ass in Poker

Interesting interview with Orel Hershiser in Card Player Magazine the other day talking about his run in the NBC National Heads-up Poker Championship earlier this spring.  I caught part of this on TV, and it was fantastic to watch the Bulldog bluff and intimidate pros like Freddy Deeb and Allen Cunningham and then go up to them and ask them to sign his baseball.  Kind of like getting another notch on the old belt.  Personally, I can’t wait to see what kind of run Orel has at the World Series of Poker in July.

Card Player Magazine - Volume 21, Number 9

Hershiser Attempts to Brush Back World’s Top Poker Pros

I know, I know. It just seems odd, doesn’t it? Nice guy Orel Hershiser just doesn’t seem to be the type of guy to bluff and challenge the world’s top poker pros, but that’s exactly what he will be doing at the 2008 National Heads-Up Poker Championship. NBC has announced that the tournament will once again take place at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas from February 29 through March 2, 2008. This just seems to be something that you’d see Jeff Kent doing.

But apparently his “Bulldog” nickname fits his poker personality as well! Check out this great blog post from a guy recounting his experiences with Orel at a 1-2 NL game. Just reading this makes all of us at dodgerfan.net salivate in anticipation of a back and forth trash-talking match with Phil Hellmuth at the end of the month.