Poker After Dark
| Poker After Dark | |
|---|---|
|
Logo of Poker After Dark | |
| Presented by |
Shana Hiatt (S1-2) Marianela Pereyra (S3) Leeann Tweeden (S4-7) |
| Narrated by | Ali Nejad |
| Country of origin | United States |
| No. of seasons | 7 |
| No. of episodes | 354 (consisting of 48 tournaments and 11 cash games) |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | Poker Productions (Eric Drache and Mori Eskandani)[1] |
| Location(s) | Las Vegas |
| Running time | 1 hour (with commercials; about 42 minutes without) |
| Release | |
| Original network | NBC (2007-2011), NBC Sports Network (2012- ) |
| Picture format |
480i (SDTV) 2007-2009 (HDTV) 2010-2011 |
| Original release | January 1, 2007 – September 23, 2011 (NBC) |
Poker After Dark is an hour-long poker television program on NBC.[2] The show made its debut on January 1, 2007,[1] and was cancelled on September 23, 2011 following the "Black Friday" criminal case, which involved major sponsor Full Tilt Poker as one of the defendants.[3] For its first two seasons, both of which originally aired in 2007, the show was presented by Shana Hiatt.[4] The host for season 3 was Marianela Pereyra, and Leeann Tweeden took over starting with season 4.[5] All seasons have contained voice-over commentary by Oliver "Ali" Nejad.
The program returned to American television over the NBC Sports Network on March 5, 2012 with previously aired repeats,[6] with unaired episodes from season 7 airing for the first time beginning June 4, 2012.[7] NBCSN schedules the show on weeknights at midnight, although the start time varies due to overruns by sporting events.
Summary
The Poker After Dark format featured an "intimate look at one table as it develops over the week."[1] Blinds start at $100/$200 and slowly escalate. Commentator Ali Nejad's commentary is limited, allowing viewers to hear much of the table talk among the players, all of whom are miked.[1] (The table talk occasionally reveals that the "week-long" series is taped in one long session.)
The series was originally structured as a series of week-long No Limit Texas hold 'em mini-tournaments for six top poker professionals. Each week the players vied for a $120,000 winner-takes-all prize pool, with each paying a $20,000 buy-in.[8] By the end of the fifth show, a winner is determined. The sixth show was a "director's cut" that includes excerpts from the action from the previous five days, interspersed with talking heads commentary from the participants. Beginning with Season 4, the producers began to experiment with different formats, including no-limit cash games, and a double-elimination Heads Up battle between the first 4 winners of the National Heads-Up Poker Championship.[9] Also, Seasons 3, 4 and 5 had a "Dream Table," pitting an amateur against five pros.
Schedule
Poker After Dark aired six times a week, at 2:05 a.m. ET (1:05 CT) Tuesday through Saturday, and then at 1:00 a.m. ET (12:00 CT) on Sundays, though times vary according to the preferences of the affiliates.[10] The early Sunday show is a "director's cut" weekly summary of the previous week's shows.
Several NBC affiliates, most notably those owned by Post-Newsweek Stations, Barrington Broadcasting, some Raycom Media stations, WBBH-TV in Fort Myers, Florida, and the LDS Church-owned KSL-TV in Salt Lake City refused to air the show due to management or locality objections against programs featuring gambling (the Post-Newsweek stations also refused to carry Face the Ace in August 2009), while other stations did not carry it due to existing syndication contracts precluding it from airing the series or to retain control of their overnight schedules.
NBC abruptly stopped airing Poker After Dark on September 23, 2011,[11] a few days after Preet Bharara, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, issued a statement alleging production underwriter Full Tilt Poker had perpetrated a Ponzi scheme on its customers. Replacing the show was a rebroadcast of the Hoda Kotb/Kathie Lee Gifford-hosted fourth hour of Today, and on the weekends, a second episode of In Wine Country from San Francisco Bay Area NBC station KNTV. NBC Sports has since removed their poker section entirely from their webpage, and previous episodes have been removed from Hulu. Although NBC did not issue a definitive statement regarding the schedule change or the future of the show, NBC Sports Senior Director of Communications Adam Freifeld has stated that NBC will "continue to evaluate our poker programming."[12]
Eventually, repeats of the series began to air in late time slots on the NBC Sports Network with that network's January 2012 rebranding.
International
In Canada Poker After Dark aired afternoons and late nights on Rogers Sportsnet and, since fall 2009 on the French network V.
In France Poker After Dark airs at night on RTL9. In Germany, it airs on SPORT1, with commentary provided by Michael Körner.[13] In Ireland, Poker After Dark airs on Setanta Ireland and Setanta Sports 1[14] on most weeknights with little change from the US version. In The Netherlands, it airs on Veronica; episodes feature the original English commentary with Dutch subtitles. In Sweden, Poker After Dark airs on afternoons and nights on TV4 Sport and on TV 10 weekday nights at 01:30. In Denmark, it airs at night on TV3+. In Italy, Poker After Dark airs at night on POKERItalia24. In Poland, Poker After Dark airs during evenings on Sportklub and Sport Klub+; commentary is provided by Paweł Majewski and Marcin Grzywacz.. In Russia, the show airs on 7TV at 11:30pm every day until the Febral, and now shows on REN-TV at 3:00 pm.
Reception
In the U.S., the show had some early ratings success: during season one's second week, it attracted on average a larger audience among adults 18-34 than The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson did the same week, even though the latter is broadcast 90 minutes earlier.[15]
Sponsorship
Full Tilt Poker regularly advertised during Poker After Dark broadcasts and in some countries, Full Tilt Poker is included in the show's title, which for a time prompted players associated with a rival site (Poker Stars) to stop appearing on the show. Full Tilt Poker held promotional tournaments that offered a seat on the show as the grand prize. The first of these winners, Ken Light, appeared in the first week of Season 3, and was said to have picked his own opponents, though Light later said on the show itself that he was only asked to provide a list of his favorite players and that he did not know that players from the list would join him on the show.[4]
Episode list
Season 1 (2007)
Season 2 (2007)
Season 2 was taped in May 2007 at the South Point Casino in Las Vegas.[16]
- Week 8 (Mega Match) required a $50,000 buy-in rather than the usual $20,000, resulting in a $300,000 first prize.
- Week 10 (Show Open) was so named because the participants were those featured in the show's 2007 opening credits.
Season 3 (2008)
Season 3 was taped in October 2007 at the South Point Casino in Las Vegas.[16]
- Week 1 (Dream Table) featured the winner of a Full Tilt Poker sponsored contest (Ken Light) and was billed as the five professionals Light chose to play against, though Light said in an interview during one of the week's episodes that he was only asked to list his favorite players,[4] and did not know that the list would be used to form the table.
- Week 9 (Love at First Raise) featured three pairs of players who were couples at the time of filming: Jennifer Harman & Marco Traniello, David Benyamine & Erica Schoenberg, and Jennifer Tilly & Phil Laak.
Season 4 (2008)
Season 4 was taped in April 2008 at the South Point Casino in Las Vegas.[9] Season 4 episode titles and presumed seating order taken from NBC's Web site.[18]
| Week | Episodes | Original Airdates | Title[18] | Seat 1 | Seat 2 | Seat 3 | Seat 4 | Seat 5 | Seat 6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1-6 | Jul 14-19 | Cash Game #1 | Tom Dwan | Phil Hellmuth | Mike Baxter | Allen Cunningham | Guy Laliberté | David Peat |
| 2 | 7-12 | Jul 21-26 | Nets Vs. Vets | Brian Townsend | Doyle Brunson | Tom Dwan | Johnny Chan | Huck Seed | Andrew Robl |
| 3 | 13-18 | Jul 28-Aug 3 | Heads Up Challenge | Phil Hellmuth | Ted Forrest | Paul Wasicka | Chris Ferguson | ||
| 4 | 19-24 | Sep 22-Sep 27 | Mission Impossible | Mike Matusow | Phil Laak | Phil Hellmuth | David Williams | Clonie Gowen | Gavin Smith |
| 5 | 25-30 | Sep 29-Oct 4 | Dream II | Mike Matusow | Phil Hellmuth | Mike Sexton | Jennifer Harman | Gavin Smith | Paul Featherstone |
| 6 | 31-36 | Oct 6-Oct 11 | Mayfair Club | Jay Heimowitz | Howard Lederer | Mickey Appleman | Dan Harrington | Steve Zolotow | Mike Shichtman |
| 7 | 37-42 | Oct 13-Oct 19 | Cash Game #2 | Patrik Antonius | Dee Tiller | Howard Lederer | Doyle Brunson | Gabe Kaplan | Eli Elezra |
- Dream II was the second tournament consisting of the winner of a Full Tilt Poker sponsored contest (Paul Featherstone) and the five professionals he chose to play against.
- Heads Up Battle was a double elimination heads-up format featuring the first four winners of the National Heads-Up Poker Championship and required a $50,000 buy-in resulting in a winner-take-all $200,000 prize.[9]
- The two weeks of cash games were a $200/400 no-limit game instead of a winner take all tournament. During most of the second cash game, the players agreed to $100 antes and the occasional $800 straddle.
- Mission Impossible Week was named in deference to Mike Matusow, who entered the game winless in three-plus seasons of the show, while each of his opponents had won at least once.
Season 5 (2009)
Most of Season 5 was taped December 19–21, 2008 at the Golden Nugget Las Vegas. The season's first three weeks include episodes originally announced as Season 4 episodes and were taped at South Point.[19][20]
- Close but no Cigar Week consisted of players who at the time of taping had played at a WSOP Main Event final table but did not win.
- Mike Matusow is the only pro to participate in all three Dream Table games.
- The two weeks of Hellmuth Bash games were the first time the same six players appeared over 10 consecutive episodes of play.
- Celebrities and Mentors week was completed in four episodes. The director's cut was aired as the fifth episode, and a "Best Of" look back at Seasons 1-5 was aired at the usual time for the director's cut.
- Eli Elezra has only played in cash games or during weeks when the final prize was larger than the normal $120,000. Until this season, he always occupied Seat 6 when appearing.
- Magnificent Six featured five of the six players shown in this season's opening credits.
- Gus Hansen's participation in the Railbird Heaven Cash Game was his first appearance since Season 3.
Season 6 (2010)
Season 6 was taped in October 2009 at the Golden Nugget Las Vegas and is scheduled to have 13 weeks of episodes.[21]
- New graphics debuted with Season 6, including a notation of which player has the button. Previous seasons sometimes used a non-standard "first to act" graphic. Percentages to win the hand are shown more frequently than in past seasons, especially pre-flop, and a trailing player's outs are shown during all-in situations.
- Cash Game 150k, Part 2 - Phil Laak fills in for Alan Meltzer after Alan leaves mid-session.
Season 7 (2011)
Season 7 took place from the Aria Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, and was scheduled for 13 weeks of new episodes.. The program was pulled from the schedule during this season after episode 48, and as a consequence weeks 9-13 never aired on NBC.
| Week | Episodes | Scheduled Airdates | Title | Seat 1 | Seat 2 | Seat 3 | Seat 4 | Seat 5 | Seat 6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1-6 | Jan 3-Jan 8 | SNG 100k Freezeout | John Juanda | Erick Lindgren | Phil Galfond | Huck Seed | Tom Dwan | Phil Ivey |
| 2 | 7-12 | Feb 7-Feb 12 | Cash Game 150k #2, Part 1 | David Peat | Howard Lederer | Phil Laak | Greg Mueller | Olivier Busquet | Eli Elezra |
| 3 | 13-18 | Feb 14-Feb 19 | Cash Game 150k #2, Part 2 | Howard Lederer | Olivier Busquet | Greg Mueller | Phil Laak | David Peat | Eli Elezra |
| 4 | 19-24 | Apr 4-Apr 9 | SNG 50k Idol Week | Andrew Lichtenberger | Eric Baldwin | Melanie Weisner | Doyle Brunson | Annette Obrestad | Tom Dwan |
| 5 | 25-30 | Apr 11-Apr 16 | PLO 100k Cash Game, Part 1 | Brandon Adams | Patrik Antonius | Phil Ivey | Tom Dwan | Brian Hastings | Phil Galfond |
| 6 | 31-36 | Apr 18-Apr 23 | PLO 100k Cash Game, Part 2 | Brian Hastings | Jared Bleznick | Tom Dwan | Phil Galfond | Phil Ivey | Patrik Antonius |
| 7 | 37-42 | Aug 01-Aug 05 | Cash 100k min, Part 1 | Mike Matusow | Jean-Robert Bellande | Peter Jetten | Brandon Adams | Chris Ferguson | Michael Mizrachi / Phil Hellmuth |
| 8 | 43-48 | Aug 08-Aug 12 | Cash 100k min, Part 2 | Brandon Adams | Chris Ferguson | Peter Jetten | Phil Hellmuth | Mike Matusow | Jean-Robert Bellande / Michael Mizrachi |
| 9 | 49-54 | Sep 5-Sep 10 | Cash 100k min #2, Part 1 | Annette Obrestad | Huck Seed | Antonio Esfandiari | Phil Hellmuth | Andy Bloch | Justin Smith |
| 10 | 55-60 | Sep 12-Sep 17 | Cash 100k min #2, Part 2 | Andy Bloch | Annette Obrestad | Justin Smith | Antonio Esfandiari | Phil Hellmuth | Huck Seed |
| 11 | 61-66 | Sep 19-Sep 24 | SNG 20k Wish List | Mike Dappen | Phil Hellmuth | Mike Matusow | Chris Ferguson | Erica Schoenberg | Jennifer Harman |
| 12 | 67-72 | Nov 21-Nov 26 | Cash 200k min, Part 1 | David Peat | Eli Elezra | David Oppenheim | Patrik Antonius | Phil Ivey | Tom Dwan |
| 13 | 73-78 | Nov 28-Dec 3 | Cash 200k min, Part 2 | Tom Dwan | David Peat | Patrik Antonius | Phil Ivey | David Oppenheim | Eli Elezra |
Results and notes
The following tables omit results of unaired episodes, even if such information is available online.
Results from cash game weeks, which Poker After Dark introduced in Season 4 and continued in Season 5, Season 6, and Season 7, are also omitted.
Season 1 (2007)
| Week | Title | 6th Place | 5th Place | 4th Place | 3rd Place | Runner-Up | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Poker Brat Attack | Phil Hellmuth | Steve Zolotow | Shawn Sheikhan | Annie Duke | Huck Seed | Gus Hansen |
| 2 | Play Anything | Jerry Buss | Doyle Brunson | Gabe Kaplan | Mike Matusow | David Grey | Daniel Negreanu |
| 3 | WSOP Champions | Carlos Mortensen | Jamie Gold | Doyle Brunson | Chris Ferguson | Chris Moneymaker | Johnny Chan |
| 4 | Earphones Please | Sam Farha | Phil Hellmuth | Andy Bloch | Tony G | Mike Matusow | Phil Ivey |
| 5 | Phil Phil | Doyle Brunson | Erik Seidel | Phil Hellmuth | Jennifer Harman | Antonio Esfandiari | Phil Laak |
| 6 | Talking Heads | Chad Brown | Michael Konik | Mike Sexton | Gabe Kaplan | Phil Gordon | Howard Lederer |
| 7 | Against All Odds | Sam Farha | Ted Forrest | Clonie Gowen | Gus Hansen | Tony G | Chris Ferguson |
| 8 | Killer Table | Erick Lindgren | Phil Gordon | Jennifer Tilly | Phil Ivey | Patrik Antonius | Jennifer Harman |
| 9 | Loose Lips | Barry Greenstein | Mike Matusow | David Benyamine | Shawn Sheikhan | Allen Cunningham | John Juanda |
| 10 | Ladies' Week | Vanessa Rousso | Evelyn Ng | Dee Luong | Cyndy Violette | Jennifer Harman | Clonie Gowen |
- In the third episode of Week 1, the players continued to talk and make noise while Phil Hellmuth was trying to decide whether to go all-in against Annie Duke. Hellmuth held , while Duke had . The lack of decorum caused Hellmuth to lash out at Shawn Sheikhan, call over the show's executive producer, and leave the table. Hellmuth also threatened not to participate in future Poker After Dark tournaments unless the show implemented a rule that encouraged people to stop talking when a player is making an important decision. Immediately after the incident, producers put in place a rule which states that if a player wishes to have silence at the table when faced with a tough decision, the player need only inform the dealer, who will then notify the other players of the request. Failure to comply will result in a "time-out" period of one lap of the button for the offending player(s), with blinds forfeited during this time.[22]
Season 2 (2007)
| Week | Title | 6th Place | 5th Place | 4th Place | 3rd Place | Runner-Up | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Golden Men | Greg Raymer | Jamie Gold | Huck Seed | Doyle Brunson | Johnny Chan | Joe Hachem |
| 2 | International | Gus Hansen | Daniel Negreanu | Marco Traniello | David Benyamine | Brad Booth | Patrik Antonius |
| 3 | Queens and Kings | Ali Nejad | Annie Duke | Vanessa Rousso | Howard Lederer | Kristy Gazes | Gabe Kaplan |
| 4 | World Series Legends | Chris Ferguson | Layne Flack | Erik Seidel | T.J. Cloutier | Phil Hellmuth | Doyle Brunson |
| 5 | WPT All-Stars | Michael Mizrachi | Erick Lindgren | Daniel Negreanu | Gus Hansen | Tuan Le | Howard Lederer |
| 6 | Live To Hurt | Mike Matusow | Daniel Negreanu | Phil Hellmuth | Antonio Esfandiari | Phil Laak | Shawn Sheikhan |
| 7 | Poker Prowess | Phil Laak | Andy Bloch | David Williams | Annie Duke | John Juanda | Clonie Gowen |
| 8 | Mega Match | David Benyamine | Jennifer Harman | Barry Greenstein | Phil Ivey | Eli Elezra | Allen Cunningham |
| 9 | Of Mouth and Men | Mike Matusow | Alan Boston | Antonio Esfandiari | Paul Wasicka | Jamie Gold | Mike Sexton |
| 10 | Signature Week | Jennifer Harman | Gus Hansen | Chris Ferguson | Phil Hellmuth | Howard Lederer | Phil Ivey |
- In "International" week, Gus Hansen was knocked out after six hands, and heads-up play started after 53 hands, both record lows for the show.[23]
Season 3 (2008)
| Week | Title[18] | 6th Place | 5th Place | 4th Place | 3rd Place | Runner-Up | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dream Table | Mike Matusow | Daniel Negreanu | Scotty Nguyen | Ken Light | Jennifer Harman | Phil Hellmuth |
| 2 | 19th Hole | David Oppenheim | Erick Lindgren | Daniel Negreanu | Doyle Brunson | Phil Ivey | Gavin Smith |
| 3 | Hecklers | Mike Matusow | Sam Grizzle | Gavin Smith | Jean-Robert Bellande | Shawn Sheikhan | Phil Hellmuth |
| 4 | World Champions | Huck Seed | Chris Ferguson | Berry Johnston | Jamie Gold | Phil Hellmuth | Johnny Chan |
| 5 | Cowboys | Hoyt Corkins | Doyle Brunson | Chau Giang | Chris Ferguson | Andy Bloch | Gabe Kaplan |
| 6 | International | Daniel Negreanu | John Juanda | Gus Hansen | Roland De Wolfe | Patrik Antonius | Johnny Chan |
| 7 | Jam Up | Barry Greenstein | Mike Matusow | Eli Elezra | Howard Lederer | Antonio Esfandiari | David Williams |
| 8 | Gus & Ladies | J. J. Liu | Gus Hansen | Erica Schoenberg | Beth Shak | Clonie Gowen | Vanessa Rousso |
| 9 | Love at First Raise | Erica Schoenberg | Phil Laak | Jennifer Harman | Jennifer Tilly | Marco Traniello | David Benyamine |
| 10 | Commentators | Howard Lederer | Phil Gordon | Robert Williamson III | Chad Brown | Ali Nejad | Mark Gregorich |
- "Dream Table" week featured a Poker After Dark first: Phil Hellmuth won by calling an all-in bet from both Ken Light and Jen Harman on the last hand, resulting in the first match to end with no heads-up play.
- "Hecklers Week" featured a controversial situation which necessitated the producer having to come to the table. Phil Hellmuth attempted to bluff the river with pair of aces on the board in a hand against Jean-Robert Bellande, and Bellande called. Hellmuth then said "you got it" and held onto his cards, waiting for Bellande to show the winner. Bellande felt he did not have to show his hand, while Hellmuth thought "olden day etiquette" indicated that he should. The tournament was stopped for 5 minutes while all players voiced their opinions and eventually the producer came over and then Hellmuth showed his hand, necessitating that Bellande show his to claim the pot.[24]
- "Jam Up" week featured a rule that allowed any player knocked out over the first six hands (once around the table) to rebuy. On the first hand, Eli Elezra was knocked out when his AK didn't crack Howard Lederer's AA when they both got all their chips in pre-flop. Eli was allowed to rebuy for another $20,000, which brought the total chips in play to $140,000, and the first place prize to $140,000.[23]
- The "Best Of" episode that closed Season 5 featured Elezra's knockout on the first hand of Jam Up week, but did not make clear that he was able to rebuy after busting out on the first hand per that week's rules, and insinuated he was eliminated.
Season 4 (2008)
Weeks 1 and 7 were Cash Games #1 and #2, and are omitted from the results table.
| Week | Title[18] | 6th Place | 5th Place | 4th Place | 3rd Place | Runner-Up | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Nets Vs. Vets | Andrew Robl | Johnny Chan | Tom Dwan | Huck Seed | Doyle Brunson | Brian Townsend |
| 3 | Heads Up Challenge | Not Applicable | Paul Wasicka | Ted Forrest | Chris Ferguson | Phil Hellmuth | |
| 4 | Mission Impossible | David Williams | Gavin Smith | Mike Matusow | Phil Hellmuth | Phil Laak | Clonie Gowen |
| 5 | Dream II | Mike Sexton | Mike Matusow | Paul Featherstone | Jennifer Harman | Phil Hellmuth | Gavin Smith |
| 6 | Mayfair Club | Dan Harrington | Mike Shichtman | Steve Zolotow | Mickey Appleman | Howard Lederer | Jay Heimowitz |
- The Heads Up Challenge used a double-elimination format. In the opening round, Chris Ferguson defeated Paul Wasicka and Phil Hellmuth defeated Ted Forrest. Hellmuth then defeated Ferguson to move on to the final, while Forrest's win against Wasicka eliminated Wasicka. Facing off with one loss each, Ferguson defeated Forrest to set up a Hellmuth-Ferguson final, where Hellmuth only needed to win one out of two matches while Ferguson needed to sweep both matches. Ferguson won the opener before Hellmuth won the finale. In each of Hellmuth's wins against Ferguson, he had pocket tens on the final hand.
Season 5 (2009)
Seven of the 16 weeks during season 5—Weeks 4, 7, 8, 11, 12, 15, 16—were cash games, and are omitted from the results table.
| Week | Title[18] | 6th Place | 5th Place | 4th Place | 3rd Place | Runner-Up | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Close but no Cigar | David Williams | Dewey Tomko | Allen Cunningham | Lee Watkinson | Andy Black | Mike Matusow |
| 2 | Speak Your Mind | Phil Hellmuth | Todd Brunson | Gabe Kaplan | David Grey | Cory Zeidman | Phil Gordon |
| 3 | Brilliant Minds | David Sklansky | Bill Chen | Brandon Adams | Jimmy Warren | Chris Ferguson | Andy Bloch |
| 5 | Dream Table III | Mike Matusow | Daniel Negreanu | Phil Laak | Arnold Thimons | Jennifer Tilly | Johnny Chan |
| 6 | International III | David Benyamine | John Phan | Brad Booth | Allen Cunningham | Ivan Demidov | John Juanda |
| 9 | Sit-n-Talk | Mike Matusow | Antonio Esfandiari | Jean-Robert Bellande | Jennifer Harman | David Grey | Vanessa Rousso |
| 10 | Celebrities and Mentors | Jason Alexander | Orel Hershiser | Phil Gordon | Barry Greenstein | Don Cheadle | Gavin Smith |
| 13 | Magnificent Six | Howard Lederer | Phil Ivey | Doyle Brunson | Daniel Negreanu | Phil Hellmuth | Chris Ferguson |
| 14 | USA vs. Italy | Marco Traniello | Chris Ferguson | Max Pescatori | Erick Lindgren | Dario Minieri | Howard Lederer |
- Season 5 started with three veteran Poker After Dark players securing their first PAD wins (Matusow, Gordon and Bloch).
- In Celebrities and Mentors, the mentor-celebrity relationships were Greenstein-Alexander, Smith-Hershiser and Gordon-Cheadle.
- Chris Ferguson had lost six times, including the Season 4 Heads-Up Challenge, before his Magnificent Six win became his first win since Season 1.
- Howard Lederer became the first player to place last one week, and win the next week.
Season 6 (2010)
Six of the 13 weeks during season 6—Weeks 3, 4, 7, 8, 11, and 12—were cash games, and are omitted from the results table.
| Week | Title | 6th Place | 5th Place | 4th Place | 3rd Place | Runner-Up | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Commentators III | Kara Scott | Ali Nejad | Mark Gregorich | Howard Lederer | Joe Sebok | Gabe Kaplan |
| 2 | Nicknames | Erick Lindgren | Annette Obrestad | Mike Matusow | Phil Hellmuth | Antonio Esfandiari | Phil Laak |
| 5 | My Favorite Pro | Chris Ferguson | James Ashby | Steve Bartlett | Craig Ivey | Phil Hellmuth | Jens Voertmann |
| 6 | He Said, She Said | Erica Schoenberg | Jean-Robert Bellande | David Grey | Annie Duke | Mike Matusow | Karina Jett |
| 9 | Lonesome Shark | Erick Lindgren | Antonio Esfandiari | Brad Booth | Mike Matusow | David Williams | James Akenhead |
| 10 | Mixed Martial Arts | Patrik Antonius | Randy Couture | Erick Lindgren | Dan Henderson | Bruce Buffer | Howard Lederer |
| 13 | Charity In Mind | Howard Lederer | Chris Ferguson | Jennifer Harman | Annie Duke | Andy Bloch | Phil Gordon |
- Gabe Kaplan's win in Commentators III week marked the greatest comeback in Poker After Dark history.[25]
- Phil Laak's win in Nicknames week marked the first time a single player has won two Poker After Dark titles against the same opponent heads-up (he won both of his titles against Antonio Esfandiari, the first being in Phil Phil week from Season 1).
- The My Favorite Pro tournament marked the first time every episode of play ended in an elimination.
Season 7 (2011)
As of April 9, 2011, 2 of the 4 weeks aired from season 6 were cash games, and are omitted from the results table.
| Week | Title | 6th Place | 5th Place | 4th Place | 3rd Place | Runner-Up | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | SNG $100K Freezeout | John Juanda | Erick Lindgren | Phil Galfond | Tom Dwan | Phil Ivey | Huck Seed |
| 4 | SNG 50k | Doyle Brunson | Annette Obrestad | Andrew Lichtenberger | Melanie Weisner | Eric Baldwin | Tom Dwan |
- In week 4, Tom Dwan came back from below 40k in chips early to knock out both Andrew Lichtenberger and Melanie Weisner while trailing preflop both times, to finally finish the match against Eric Baldwin, again trailing preflop.
See also
References and footnotes
- 1 2 3 4 NBC Announces New Poker After Dark series, from the NBC Universal Media Village website
- ↑ NBC launches poker show from United Press International
- ↑ B. Solomon (April 21, 2011). "Sponsorship Casualties Of US Online Poker Crusade". Retrieved 2011-10-11.
- 1 2 3 Poker After Dark kicks off season with Dream Match
- ↑ Cardplayer article on Season 4
- ↑ Douglas, John (March 6, 2012). "Poker After Dark Returns, Full Tilt Player Patches Remain". PocketFives. Retrieved June 20, 2012.
- ↑ Cypra, Dan (June 1, 2012). "Unaired Poker After Dark Episodes to be Shown June 4 to June 16". PocketFives. Retrieved June 20, 2012.
- ↑ Although the standard buy-in on Poker After Dark is $20,000, the buy-in for the Mega Match (which first aired the week of October 8, 2007) was $50,000.
- 1 2 3 Season 4 preview from Poker News
- ↑ http://www.nbc.com/schedule/?tz=ET
- ↑ http://www.lasvegasvegas.com/content/nbc-national-heads-poker-championship-folds-1319490592
- ↑ Katz, Dan (October 17, 2011). "2012 National Heads-Up Poker Championship Cancelled". Poker News Daily. Retrieved 2011-10-18.
- ↑ Poker Exklusiv on the DSF website
- ↑ http://www.setanta.com/ie/TV-Listings/
- ↑ Poker After Dark Draws Ratings, a January 2007 Bodog Online poker blog entry
- 1 2 3 Poker After Dark returns for second season at the Wayback Machine (archived July 4, 2007) from the NBC Sports website
- ↑ pokerafterdark.com past matches from the NBC Sports website
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 2008 Poker After Dark schedule from the NBC Sports website
- ↑ Murphy, Steve (2008-12-29). "Poker After Dark's Fifth Season Debuts Tonight". CardPlayer.com. Retrieved 2009-01-06.
- ↑ "2009 Poker After Dark schedule". nbcsports.msnbc.com. Retrieved 2009-01-06.
- ↑ http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/34631050/ns/sports-poker_on_nbc/
- ↑ Poker After Dark Week 1 Recap from the NBC Sports website
- 1 2 Nejad's commentary
- ↑ Poker After Dark Hecklers Recap from the PAD website
- ↑ http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/34782190/ns/sports-poker_on_nbc/
External links
- Poker After Dark at the Internet Movie Database
- Poker After Dark at TV.com
- Poker After Dark at NBCUniversal's Media Village