In case you haven't heard the rumblings through the poker blogosphere, a new edition of the Heads Up Challenge is gearing up. In the past, the Heads Up Challenge was a cheap $10 buy-in, designed as a fun way to compete and socialize with other bloggers from all over the country and the world. From its humblest beginnings, it was really just my attempt to play with some close blogger pals and fill the void of HU tournaments that existed in the online poker world at the time (since rectified by Stars and FT).

This time around, Fuel55 has taken on the role of HUC Commissioner. Our goal is to reach 32 competitors this time, enough for a nice prize pool and an interesting field. But we need your help. In the past, the HUC has topped out at 32 competitors, but the buy-in was $10. This year, the buy-in is $30, in order to increase the prize pool. With the weekly blogger tournaments (the Hoy is $26), and the bulging bankrolls of the poker blogging community, there is no reason why we can't get 32 players into this HUC event.

You seem unsure. Let me offer some practical reasons for entering the HUC:

1. It'll give you a chance to meet and compete with other bloggers. The first HUC began about 2 years ago, and consisted of eight players, with TripJax taking the championship after a hard-fought battle with none other than fellow Poker Trust homie, GCox. If you've read this blog for any length of time, you might know that Trip, G and I are good pals. It was through events like the HUC that we first had an opportunity to interact. The same is true for other HUC 1 competitors like Will Wonka, the recently-returned SteelerJosh, and DNasty. So, if you are looking to get a bit deeper into the poker blogosphere, or want to rub elbows with people of similar interests, the HUC is for you.
2. You'll face good competition, but not too good competition. The HUC has seen its share of strong competition before, including DoubleAs, CMitch, and Hoyazo. But they aren't all good. In fact, some of us are just aweful. I, for one, never seem to make it through the first round, and there is always an element of luck in HU games, so even if you aren't a pro, you'll stand a fighting chance against a wide range of competitors.
3. You may learn a thing or two. The HU Queen, Veneno, got her first chance to really delve into the world of Heads-Up Poker through the HUC2. I, too, have learned a lot about HU poker through these matches. Even if you don't play HU often, you do hope to get HU in a major MTT one day, don't you? Okay, then. So why not play some HU in a format that is fun and friendly AND learn a thing or two that could help you out when you final table that Guarantee tournament you always dreamed of. Or you can just take 2nd place...see if I care.
4. Its fun. Playing HU is always fun to me (online...live it can be tedious). But playing online against other bloggers is awesome. In past HUCs, there was a slew of smack talk, be it in the chat box during the tournament, via girlie chat even before that, or via blog posts. In fact, you can take a look at some of the past player bios here. I'm sure you'll notice that pretty much all of the bios are dripping with sarcastic comments. Cause that's how we roll, sarcastically!
5. You'll have something to blog about. Let's face it, there comes a time in every bloggers existence in which we face the existential crisis: what should I write about? The answer is easy. HUC! I, personally, got a lot of material out of the HUC tournaments. Part of it is just a byproduct of the interaction with other bloggers. But also, I refined some of my favorite strategies through HUC play, and got to spend time critically thinking about poker as a result. The HUC also lends itself to some less-strategic posts. Whatever the case is, you'll always have something to write about when you are playing the HUC.
   
6. It'll get you readers. This one, I was almost going to skip, but since we really want to hit the 32 players mark, I'm throwing it out there. We all want to dance around the issue of hits. Lord knows I've dragged myself through the mud before with similar topics. But realistically speaking, you want readers to see your blog. By participating in the HUC, I can guarantee that you will get about 31 new readers immediately, those being your competition. Its less about getting hits for the sake of getting hits, and more about getting involved with other bloggers. I, personally, met a bunch of new blogs/bloggers through the HUCs. Its just natural. You sign up, people see your name in the brackets, and they click the link to see who this PokerHumper or whatever is.

So, there you go. 6 random reasons to join the HUC. Overall, its just a fun way to meet some fellow bloggers and play some poker. So, if you are interested, all you have to do is check out the Heads Up Challenge blog, or read the following:

Number of Players: 32 (first pay, first served)

Entry Fee: $30 (paid in advance to Fuel55 at FullTilt or Stars)

Places Paid: 4 (1st thru 4th will be paid $432, $288, $144 and $96, respectively)

Structure: Preliminary rounds will be best of 3 and Final 4 will be best of 5

Organization: Players will have 5 days per round to organize and complete their match - the winner will give me the match results

Suggested games:Poker Stars HU SNGs with NO blind increases - this is only a suggestion, and individual matches can determine their own HU SNG and stakes, provided that it is NLHE.

Once you pay please email Fuel55 your full name, blog, user name on Stars and Tilt so that he can compile a player database. His email is fuel55 at veltheer dot com.