At the recent NBC National Heads-Up Challenge Vanessa Rousso eliminated poker legend Doyle Brunson in the first round. In his blog on Doyle's Room, the man himself commented on what went on there and what he thinks about Vanessa.

Brunson wrote, 'I’ve got no excuses, she held the best hands and I never really had a chance.  I made two hidden pair twice and she beat both hands.  It’s hard to overcome a bad start and she played very well and now I’m on the rail.'

Adding to his sympathy for Vanessa Rousso Doyle also said 'She beat me, Phil Ivey, Paul Wasicka and Daniel Negreanu.  That’s pretty impressive and it shows how many good players that are out there that aren’t really recognized. Vanessa probably isn’t ready for the high stakes cash games but she is certainly good enough for the tournaments.'

Vanessa is one of those players who are often ridiculed in the poker forums, and Doyle has something to say about that, too. "I don’t understand all the negative comments about Vanessa... She is obviously very smart and I think she should command everyone’s respect for what she did."

Doyle also congratulates the winner, Huck Seed. "Huck was the next 'great player' 20 years ago but had some personal problems and was overlooked the past few years. He is a cool guy and I hope he continues to keep his head on straight and wins," says Doyle.