'Tis the season to use brackets not only for the upcoming NCAA championship basketball tournament but for the National Broadcasting Corporation's 2009 National Heads-Up Poker Championship as well, which runs from March 5-8, 2009 at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas.

Already airing Poker After Dark, NBC will add more Hold'em content, as it is gearing up for its yearly "one-on-one" poker tourney—the fifth interation of the event.

There is a prize pool of $1.5 million and a tough field of players.

"Now in its fifth year, this year's event will feature an array of many of the greatest poker players in the world along with some celebrities known for their poker-playing prowess and a few amateur qualifiers," NBC said.

Chris "Jesus" Ferguson took last year's event and will return to defend his crown, says NBC, and Ferguson has been money in the event, owning a 16-3 record and an .842 win percentage.

Of the 64 players taking part, 16 will be event rookies, including a pair of players who will qualify via Caesar's Palace and four online players—comedian and "Everybody Loves Raymond" co-star Brad Garrett will be a first-time celebrity.

"[The] tournament also has a strong international flavor, with 15 different countries of origin represented among the 64 players," said NBC.

"And just to underscore the difficulty that each of the players will face in winning six straight matches en route to collecting the $500,000 first place prize, the field has collectively won 14 World Series of Poker Championships, 119 World Series of Poker bracelets, 27 WPT open titles, and amassed more than $290 million in live tournament winnings."

For a complete list of participants, go here.