Confirmed by PokerNews and CardPlayer, the NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship will not take place in 2014. Poker Productions’ Mori Eskandani, whose company produces the series, told PokerNews last week, “NHPC will not be on the calendar this year. But, I have good reason to believe that the future of the series will be bright.”

Eskandani told PocketFives, “I totally expect a promising future for the NHPC.”

Poker Productions has also created shows like “High Stakes Poker,” “Poker After Dark,” and telecasts of the World Series of Poker Europe, just to name a few. Eskandani told CardPlayer that not holding the made-for-TV spectacle this year was the “network’s decision [for] so many different reasons.” He added that negotiations are still taking place and “some really exciting news” is anticipated. Whether the National Heads-Up Championship will return in 2015 remains to be seen.

The show has been on a roller-coaster ride since Black Friday. It all began in 2005, with Phil Hellmuth defeating Chris Ferguson for the Heads-Up title. In 2006, Ferguson once again made the final match of the NCAA bracket-style tournament, this time losing to Ted Forrest. In 2007, the 64-player field featured a finale of Paul Wasicka edging out Chad Brown. Wasicka was the runner-up to Jamie Gold the year before in the World Series of Poker Main Event.

In 2008, Ferguson made the finals for the third time in four years and this time defeated Andy Bloch to win the NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship. One year later, Huck Seed denied Vanessa Rousso the first victory for a female in the tournament. In 2010, then-Ultimate Bet pro Annie Duke avenged Rousso’s loss to win it all, and 2011 saw Erik Seidel best Chris Moneymaker.

Following Black Friday in 2011, the NBC Heads-Up event was put on hold for 2012 as it sought new sponsors. Last year, it returned and the first two rounds aired on the NBC Sports Network before moving over to NBC. Viewers were in for a treat, too, as Mike Matusow (pictured) defeated Hellmuth for the $750,000 top prize while donning an “I am McLovin” shirt.

Caesars Palace has been the host site of the National Heads-Up Poker Championship since 2006 and the event’s pairings have been determined via a random draw the night before it starts. The field has traditionally featured a mix of brand name poker pros, amateur qualifiers, businessmen, and mainstream celebrities who play poker, the latter of which has included the likes of actress Jennifer Tilly, NFL Hall of Famer Emmitt Smith, Academy Award winner Don Cheadle, “Seinfeld” star Jason Alexander, and “American Pie” actress Shannon Elizabeth.

Want the latest poker headlines and interviews? Follow PocketFives on Twitterand Like PocketFives on Facebook. You can also subscribe to our RSS feed.