NBC Has Changed Their Selection Process

NBC has changed the Heads Up selection process after four years.  The NBC selection committee has decided to implement a list of automatic invitations to be included in the show.  Any player that qualifies in any of the new categories will get an automatic invitation into the tournament.

The categories are to get an automatic invite are:

Previous 5 National Heads-Up Poker Champions
Previous 2 National Heads-Up runners-up
Defending National Heads-Up semifinalists
Any player who cashes in the past 4 consecutive years of the National Heads-Up Poker Championship
Previous 3 World Series of Poker Main Event Champions
Defending World Series of Poker Main Event runner-up
Beginning with the 2008 WSOP, multiple bracelet winners in the same year will receive an automatic invitation to the next Heads-Up Championship
Defending World Series of Poker Player of the Year
Defending World Series of Poker Heads-Up Champion
Defending World Series of Poker Europe Main Event Champion (must be 21 or older)
Reigning World Poker Tour Player of the Year
Reigning Monte Carlo European Poker Tour Grand Final Champion (must be 21 or older)
Reigning Card Player magazine Player of the Year
Reigning Bluff magazine Player of the Year
Reigning ALL IN magazine Player of the Year
Online and NBC qualifiers (1-3) (must be 21 or older)
Host venue qualifiers (2)

If no one player qualifies in multiple categories there will be as many as 27 different players receiving an automatic invitation to the event.  NBC still has the right to change the list and add bids at any time. 

So this list is current now and is expected to be used for the 2009 event but it could change. All of the players that receive an invite will still have to pay the buy in unless their seat is won through an online qualifier.