Poker After Dark

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Poker After Dark
File:Poker After Dark logo.jpg
Logo of Poker After Dark
Presented byShana Hiatt (S1-2)
Marianela Pereyra (S3)
Leeann Tweeden (S4-7)
Drea Renee (S8-)
Narrated byAli Nejad
Country of originUnited States
No. of seasons7
No. of episodes474 (consisting of 48 tournaments and 11 cash games)
Production
ProducersPoker Productions (Eric Drache and Mori Eskandani)[1]
Production locationLas Vegas
Running time1 hour (with commercials; about 42 minutes without); 6 hours when on PokerGO (with player breaks; about 5 hours, 20 minutes without)
Original release
NetworkNBC (2007–2011), NBCSN (2012– )
ReleaseJanuary 1, 2007 –
July 23, 2019 (PokerGO), still airing live monthly

Poker After Dark is an hour-long poker television program that originally aired on NBC,[2] premiering on January 1, 2007.[1] The series was canceled on December 3, 2011, following the "Black Friday" criminal case, which involved major sponsor Full Tilt Poker as one of the defendants.[3] The show rebooted on August 14, 2017 with appearances from Tom Dwan, Daniel Negreanu, Antonio Esfandiari. Poker After Dark episodes are now filmed exclusively at the PokerGO Studio at ARIA Resort and Casino and Poker After Dark streams exclusively on PokerGO, a subscription video on demand service built for poker fans.

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] When the series returned on PokerGO in 2017, Drea Renee took over as lead presenter. All seasons have contained voice-over commentary by Oliver "Ali" Nejad.

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 mic'ed.[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.[Note 1] 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.[6] Also, Seasons 3, 4 and 5 had a "Dream Table," pitting an amateur against five pros.

Broadcast

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.[7] 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. It was not aired entirely in the state of Texas due to the state's strict gambling laws.

NBC abruptly stopped airing Poker After Dark on September 23, 2011,[8] 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."[9]

Since 2017, Poker After Dark has aired live each month exclusively on PokerGO. Full replays and highlight recaps are also available on demand for each episode.

International

In Canada Poker After Dark aired afternoons and late nights on Rogers Sportsnet and, since fall 2009 on the French network V.[citation needed]

In France Poker After Dark airs at night on RTL9. In Germany, it airs on SPORT1, with commentary provided by Michael Körner.[10] In Ireland, Poker After Dark airs on Setanta Ireland and Setanta Sports 1[11] 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.[citation needed] In Sweden, Poker After Dark airs on afternoons and nights on TV4 Sport[citation needed] and on TV 10 weekday nights at 01:30.[citation needed] In Denmark, it airs at night on TV3+.[citation needed] 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.[citation needed]. 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.

Episodes

Season 1 (2007)

Week Episodes Original Airdates Title Seat 1 Seat 2 Seat 3 Seat 4 Seat 5 Seat 6
1 1-6 Jan 1-6 Poker Brat Attack Gus Hansen Phil Hellmuth Shawn Sheikhan Annie Duke Steve Zolotow Huck Seed
2 7-12 Jan 8-13 Play Anything Mike Matusow Gabe Kaplan David Grey Doyle Brunson Jerry Buss Daniel Negreanu
3 13-18 Jan 15-20 WSOP Champions Chris Moneymaker Jamie Gold Johnny Chan Chris Ferguson Doyle Brunson Carlos Mortensen
4 19-24 Jan 22-27 Earphones Please Sam Farha Tony G Mike Matusow Phil Hellmuth Phil Ivey Andy Bloch
5 25-30 Jan 29-Feb 3 Phil Phil Phil Hellmuth Jennifer Harman Phil Laak Erik Seidel Antonio Esfandiari Doyle Brunson
6 31-36 Feb 12-17 Talking Heads Michael Konik Phil Gordon Howard Lederer Chad Brown Gabe Kaplan Mike Sexton
7 37-42 Feb 19-24 Against All Odds Chris Ferguson Clonie Gowen Sam Farha Gus Hansen Ted Forrest Tony G
8 43-48 Mar 12-17 Killer Table Phil Ivey Erick Lindgren Jennifer Tilly Patrik Antonius Jennifer Harman Phil Gordon
9 49-54 Apr 16-21 Loose Lips Mike Matusow Allen Cunningham David Benyamine Barry Greenstein Shawn Sheikhan John Juanda
10 55-60 May 14–19 Ladies' Week Clonie Gowen Evelyn Ng Dee Luong Vanessa Rousso Jennifer Harman Cyndy Violette

Season 2 (2007)

Season 2 was taped in May 2007 at the South Point Casino in Las Vegas.[12]

Week Episodes Original Airdates[13] Title[12] Seat 1 Seat 2 Seat 3 Seat 4 Seat 5 Seat 6
1 1-6 Jun 11-16 Golden Men Jamie Gold Joe Hachem Greg Raymer Huck Seed Doyle Brunson Johnny Chan
2 7-12 Jun 18-23 International Gus Hansen David Benyamine Patrik Antonius Daniel Negreanu Marco Traniello Brad Booth
3 13-18 Jun 25-30 Queens and Kings Gabe Kaplan Howard Lederer Ali Nejad Vanessa Rousso Annie Duke Kristy Gazes
4 19-24 Sep 10-15 World Series Legends Doyle Brunson Layne Flack Phil Hellmuth Chris Ferguson Erik Seidel T. J. Cloutier
5 25-30 Sep 17-22 WPT All-Stars Erick Lindgren Howard Lederer Daniel Negreanu Michael Mizrachi Gus Hansen Tuan Le
6 31-36 Sep 24-29 Live To Hurt Antonio Esfandiari Shawn Sheikhan Mike Matusow Phil Hellmuth Phil Laak Daniel Negreanu
7 37-42 Oct 1-6 Poker Prowess Phil Laak David Williams Annie Duke Andy Bloch John Juanda Clonie Gowen
8 43-48 Oct 8-13 Mega Match David Benyamine Allen Cunningham Jennifer Harman Phil Ivey Barry Greenstein Eli Elezra
9 49-54 Nov 5-10 Of Mouth and Men Alan Boston Antonio Esfandiari Mike Sexton Mike Matusow Jamie Gold Paul Wasicka
10 55-60 Nov 12-17 Show Open Howard Lederer Phil Ivey Chris Ferguson Phil Hellmuth Jennifer Harman Gus Hansen
  • 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.[12]

Week Episodes Original Airdates Title[14] Seat 1 Seat 2 Seat 3 Seat 4 Seat 5 Seat 6
1 1-6 Dec 31-Jan 5 Dream Table Daniel Negreanu Phil Hellmuth Jennifer Harman Mike Matusow Scotty Nguyen Ken Light
2 7-12 Jan 7-12 19th Hole Gavin Smith David Oppenheim Erick Lindgren Phil Ivey Doyle Brunson Daniel Negreanu
3 13-18 Jan 14-19 Hecklers Gavin Smith Sam Grizzle Jean-Robert Bellande Mike Matusow Shawn Sheikhan Phil Hellmuth
4 19-24 Feb 11-16 World Champions Chris Ferguson Johnny Chan Berry Johnston Jamie Gold Phil Hellmuth Huck Seed
5 25-30 Feb 18-23 Cowboys Doyle Brunson Chris Ferguson Chau Giang Andy Bloch Hoyt Corkins Gabe Kaplan
6 31-36 Feb 25-Mar 1 International Patrik Antonius Johnny Chan Roland De Wolfe Daniel Negreanu Gus Hansen John Juanda
7 37-42 Mar 24-29 Jam Up David Williams Howard Lederer Mike Matusow Barry Greenstein Antonio Esfandiari Eli Elezra
8 43-48 Mar 31-Apr 5 Gus and the Ladies Gus Hansen Vanessa Rousso J. J. Liu Clonie Gowen Beth Shak Erica Schoenberg
9 49-54 May 12–17 Love at First Raise Jennifer Harman David Benyamine Jennifer Tilly Marco Traniello Erica Schoenberg Phil Laak
10 55-60 May 19–24 Commentators Mark Gregorich Chad Brown Ali Nejad Robert Williamson III Phil Gordon Howard Lederer
  • 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.[6] Season 4 episode titles and presumed seating order taken from NBC's Web site.[14]

Week Episodes Original Airdates Title[14] 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.[6]
  • 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.[citation needed]
  • 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.[15][16]

Week Episodes Original Airdates Title Seat 1 Seat 2 Seat 3 Seat 4 Seat 5 Seat 6
1 1-6 Dec 29-Jan 3 Close but no Cigar Andy Black Lee Watkinson Dewey Tomko David Williams Allen Cunningham Mike Matusow
2 7-12 Jan 5-Jan 11 Speak Your Mind Todd Brunson Phil Hellmuth Phil Gordon Gabe Kaplan Cory Zeidman David Grey
3 13-18 Feb 9-Feb 14 Brilliant Minds Brandon Adams Chris Ferguson Andy Bloch Bill Chen Jimmy Warren David Sklansky
4 19-24 Feb 16-Feb 21 Nets vs. Vets Cash Game Taylor Caby Cole South Gabe Kaplan David Benefield Doyle Brunson Eli Elezra
5 25-30 Mar 23-Mar 28 Dream Table III Johnny Chan Jennifer Tilly Arnold Thimons Mike Matusow Phil Laak Daniel Negreanu
6 31-36 Mar 30-Apr 4 International III Brad Booth Allen Cunningham David Benyamine John Juanda John Phan Ivan Demidov
7 37-42 May 4-May 9 Hellmuth Bash Cash Game I Tom Dwan Kenny Tran Phil Laak Antonio Esfandiari Phil Hellmuth Bob Safai
8 43-48 May 11-May 16 Hellmuth Bash Cash Game II Tom Dwan Antonio Esfandiari Kenny Tran Phil Hellmuth Bob Safai Phil Laak
9 49-54 Jun 15-Jun 20 Sit-n-Talk Jennifer Harman Mike Matusow Antonio Esfandiari Jean-Robert Bellande Vanessa Rousso David Grey
10 55-60 Jun 22-Jun 27 Celebrities and Mentors Barry Greenstein Jason Alexander Phil Gordon Orel Hershiser Don Cheadle Gavin Smith
11 61-66 Sep 7-Sep 12 Top Guns Cash Game #1 Tom Dwan Patrik Antonius Howard Lederer Eli Elezra Ilari Sahamies Phil Ivey
12 67-72 Sep 14-Sep 19 Top Guns Cash Game #2 Eli Elezra Tom Dwan Howard Lederer Phil Ivey Patrik Antonius Ilari Sahamies
13 73-78 Sep 21-Sep 26 Magnificent Six Phil Hellmuth Chris Ferguson Howard Lederer Phil Ivey Doyle Brunson Daniel Negreanu
14 79-84 Sep 28-Oct 3 USA vs. Italy Howard Lederer Marco Traniello Dario Minieri Erick Lindgren Max Pescatori Chris Ferguson
15 85-90 Dec 7-Dec 12 Railbird Heaven Cash Game #1 Patrik Antonius Daniel Negreanu Gus Hansen Phil Ivey Tom Dwan Phil Hellmuth
16 91-96 Dec 14-Dec 19 Railbird Heaven Cash Game #2 Tom Dwan Gus Hansen
/ David Peat		 Phil Ivey Phil Hellmuth Patrik Antonius Daniel Negreanu
  • 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.[17]

Week Episodes Original Airdates Title Seat 1 Seat 2 Seat 3 Seat 4 Seat 5 Seat 6
1 1-6 Jan 4-Jan 10 Commentators III Howard Lederer Gabe Kaplan Joe Sebok Ali Nejad Mark Gregorich Kara Scott
2 7-12 Jan 11-Jan 17 Nicknames Annette Obrestad Mike Matusow Antonio Esfandiari Erick Lindgren Phil Laak Phil Hellmuth
3 13-18 Mar 15-Mar 21 Cash Game 50k, Part 1 Chris Ferguson Phil Hellmuth Antonio Esfandiari Brandon Adams Todd Brunson Mike Matusow
4 19-24 Mar 22-Mar 28 Cash Game 50k, Part 2 Todd Brunson Mike Matusow Phil Hellmuth / Dennis Philips Brandon Adams Antonio Esfandiari Chris Ferguson / David Peat
5 25-30 Apr 19-Apr 25 My Favorite Pro Craig Ivey James Ashby Steve Bartlett Phil Hellmuth Jens Voertmann Chris Ferguson
6 31-36 Apr 26-May 2 He Said, She Said Erica Schoenberg Jean-Robert Bellande David Grey Karina Jett Mike Matusow Annie Duke
7 37-42 Jun 7-Jun 13 Cash Game 100k, Part 1 Phil Hellmuth Phil Laak Eli Elezra Tom Dwan Doyle Brunson Gus Hansen
8 43-48 Jun 14-Jun 20 Cash Game 100k, Part 2 Tom Dwan Phil Laak Doyle Brunson Gus Hansen Eli Elezra Phil Hellmuth / David Peat
9 49-54 Aug 9-Aug 15 Lonesome Shark Erick Lindgren James Akenhead Antonio Esfandiari Mike Matusow David Williams Brad Booth
10 55-60 Aug 16-Aug 22 Mixed Martial Arts Bruce Buffer Patrik Antonius Dan Henderson Randy Couture Howard Lederer Erick Lindgren
11 61-66 Oct 4-Oct 10 Cash Game 150k, Part 1 Eli Elezra Patrik Antonius Alan Meltzer Gabe Kaplan David Peat Tom Dwan
12 67-72 Oct 11-Oct 17 Cash Game 150k, Part 2 Gabe Kaplan Tom Dwan Patrik Antonius David Peat Alan Meltzer / Phil Laak Eli Elezra
13 73-78 Dec 13-Dec 19 Charity In Mind Phil Gordon Chris Ferguson Jennifer Harman Howard Lederer Andy Bloch Annie Duke
  • 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.[citation needed]. 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

Season 8 (2017)

Episodes and live streams for Season 8 were available exclusively on PokerGO, which also makes rebroadcasts of episodes available on demand. Every episode was filmed inside the PokerGO Studio at ARIA Resort and Casino.

Week Episode Scheduled Airdates Title Seat 1 Seat 2 Seat 3 Seat 4 Seat 5 Seat 6
1 1-3 Aug 14-Aug 16 The Return of Tom Dwan Tom Dwan Daniel Negreanu Antonio Esfandiari Jean-Robert Bellande Bill Klein Lauren Roberts
2 4-6 Aug 22-Aug 24 Voices Carry Mike Matusow Will Kassouf Jean-Robert Bellande Matt Berkey Nick Schulman David Williams
3 7-9 Sep 5-Sep 7 Rumble with Jungle Daniel Cates Isaac Haxton Brian Rast Jason Koon Matt Berkey Doug Polk
4 10-12 Sep 26-28 PLOMG Phil Galfond Ben Lamb Brandon Adams Tom Dwan Daniel Cates Isaac Haxton
5 13-15 Oct 10-12 High Stakes Hybrid Dan Shak Doug Polk Jason Koon Mike Baxter Brandon Steven Brian Rast
6 16-18 Oct 17-19 Perks of the Trade Phil Galfond Bill Perkins Brian Rast Rick Salomon Aaron Zang Haralabos Voulgaris
7 19-20 Nov 20-21 Leave It to Seiver Scott Seiver Garrett Adelstein Ben Lamb Yong Wang Bob Bright Matt Berkey
8 21-22 Nov 28-29 Moon Magic Danielle Andersen Antonio Esfandiari Lauren Roberts Justin Young Barry Woods Jacky Wang
9 23-24 Dec 12-13 Games of our Lives Farah Galfond Bill Klein Bob Bright Jean-Robert Bellande Bill Perkins Matt Berkey
10 25-28 Dec 19-21 Holidays with Hellmuth Maria Ho Phil Hellmuth Daniel Negreanu Doyle Brunson Antonio Esfandiari Mike Matusow

Season 9 (2018)

Episodes and live streams for Season 9 were available exclusively on PokerGO, which also makes rebroadcasts of episodes available on demand. Every episode was filmed inside the PokerGO Studio at ARIA Resort and Casino.

Week Episodes Scheduled Airtimes Title Seat 1 Seat 2 Seat 3 Seat 4 Seat 5 Seat 6
1 1-2 Jan 3-4 Femme Fatale Kathy Liebert JJ Liu Melanie Weisner Kitty Kuo Kristen Bicknell Sofia Lovgren
2 3-4 Jan 16-17 The Prestige Antonio Esfandiari Bobby Sura Bob Nouri Randall Emmett Robert Sanchez Bill Perkins
3 5-6 Jan 25-26 Reality Check Jean-Robert Bellande James Bord Maria Ho Bob Bright Sean Dempsey Nick Schulman
4 7-8 Feb 15-16 Dead Money Matt Berkey Garrett Adelstein Stanley Choi Sean Dempsey Bob Bright Jean-Robert Bellande
5 9-10 Feb 21-22 Talk the Talk Antonio Esfandiari Mike Dentale Danielle Andersen Mickey Craft Maurice Hawkins Jared Jaffee
6 11-12 Mar 6-7 Racks of Lamb Ben Lamb Brian Rast Len Ashby Keith Lehr Matt Kirk Jesse Sylvia
7 13-14 Mar 14-15 Moving Violations Antonio Esfandiari Don Cheadle Jennifer Tilly Robert Sanchez Nick Vertucci John Morgan
8 15-16 Mar 20-21 Whine and Cheese Tom Marchese Justin Young Dan O'Brien Bob Bright Jeremy Ausmus Phil Hellmuth
9 17-18 May 15–16 Open House Phil Hellmuth Antonio Esfandiari Daniel Negreanu Eli Elezra Mike Matusow Maria Ho
10 19-20 Aug 1-2 Solve for Hollywood Matt Berkey Garrett Adelstein Jacky Wang Randall Emmett Farah Galfond Dave Peters
11 21-22 Aug 14-15 Rise and Grind Michael Mizrachi Alan Richardson Justin Young John Cynn Farah Galfond Maria Ho
12 23-24 Aug 21-22 Masters of the Main John Cynn Tony Miles Kelly Minkin Mickey Craft Scott Blumstein Ben Lamb
13 25-26 Aug 28-29 Under the Gun Jennifer Tilly Eli Elezra Randall Emmett Phil Hellmuth Daniel Weinand Jean-Robert Belland
14 27-28 Sep 25-26 Big Three Ben Lamb Jonathan Depa Isaac Haxton Ryan Tosoc Sam Soverel Brandon Adams
15 29-30 Oct 9-10 Power Play Nick Schulman Daniel Negreanu Jean-Robert Bellande Justin Young John Morgan Bill Klein
16 31-32 Oct 23-24 Godfather Doyle Brunson Billy O'Neil Gus Hansen Daniel Cates Brian Rast Scott Seiver
17 33-34 Nov 5-6 888poker Maria Ho Eli Elezra Jennifer Tilly Bill Klein Kelly Minkin Chris Moorman
18 35-36 Nov 13-14 Magic Moments Antonio Esfandiari Nick Varano Roger Sippl Bo Brownstein Jennifer Tilly Liron Ben Shimon
19 37-38 Nov 26-27 Dolly's Game Doyle Brunson Daniel Alaei Billy Baxter Frank Kassela Shawn Sheikhan Farzad Bonyadi
20 39-40 Dec 3-4 Pro Bono Justin Bonomo Sam Soverel Daniel Aharoni Ben Lamb Jonathan Depa Daniel Cates

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 A♥ 10♦, while Duke had K♠ K♥. 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.[18]

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.[19]

Season 3 (2008)

Week Title[14] 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.[20]
  • "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.[19]
  • 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[14] 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.[citation needed]

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[14] 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.[citation needed]
  • Howard Lederer became the first player to place last one week, and win the next week.[citation needed]

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.[21]
  • 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.[citation needed]

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.[citation needed]

Season 8 (2017)

Only 3 weeks during Season 8 featured a high stakes sit & go, other episodes featured cash games and are omitted from the results table.

Week Title 6th Place 5th Place 4th Place 3rd Place Runner-up Winner
2 Voices Carry Jean-Robert Bellande David Williams William Kassouf Mike Matusow Nick Schulman Matt Berkey
2 Voices Carry Scott Seiver Jason Koon Brian Rast Matt Berkey Nick Schulman Ben Lamb
2 Voices Carry Eric Worre Igor Kurganov Greg Mueller Jason Koon Randall Emmett Liv Boeree
3 Rumble with Jungle Isaac Haxton Doug Polk Daniel Cates Frank Kassela Brian Rast Jason Koon
10 Holidays with Hellmuth Mike Matusow Dan Shak Randall Emmett Antonio Esfandiari Phil Hellmuth Maria Ho
10 Holidays with Hellmuth Doyle Brunson Joseph Marchese David Penski Maria Ho Daniel Negreanu Phil Hellmuth

Season 9 (2018)

Only 1 week during Season 9 featured a high stakes sit & go, other episodes featured cash games and are omitted from the results table.

Week Title 7th Place 6th Place 5th Place 4th Place 3rd Place Runner-up Winner
17 888poker Chris Moorman Jennifer Tilly Kelly Minkin Peter Martin Bill Klein Eli Elezra Maria Ho
17 888poker Maria Ho Bill Klein Chris Moorman Kelly Minkin Jennifer Tilly Otto Richard Eli Elezra

Season 10 (2019)

Only 1 week during Season 10 featured a high stakes sit & go, other episodes featured cash games and are omitted from the results table.

Week Title 7th Place 6th Place 5th Place 4th Place 3rd Place Runner-up Winner
5 888poker II Dominik Nitsche Jennifer Tilly Mark Heintz Randall Emmett Chris Moorman Phil Hellmuth Ali Imsirovic
5 888poker II Jennifer Tilly Phil Hellmuth Dominik Nitsche Eli Elezra Randall Emmett Ali Imsirovic Chris Moorman

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.[22]

Sponsorship

Full Tilt Poker regularly advertised during Poker After Dark broadcasts, and in some countries,[specify] 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[who?] 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]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ 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.

References

  1. ^ a b c d NBC Announces New Poker After Dark series[permanent dead link], from the NBC Universal Media Village website
  2. ^ NBC launches poker show Archived 2007-10-28 at the Wayback Machine from United Press International
  3. ^ B. Solomon (April 21, 2011). "Sponsorship Casualties Of US Online Poker Crusade". Retrieved 2011-10-11.
  4. ^ a b c Poker After Dark kicks off season with Dream Match
  5. ^ Cardplayer article on Season 4
  6. ^ a b c Season 4 preview from Poker News
  7. ^ http://www.nbc.com/schedule/?tz=ET
  8. ^ http://www.lasvegasvegas.com/content/nbc-national-heads-poker-championship-folds-1319490592[permanent dead link]
  9. ^ Katz, Dan (October 17, 2011). "2012 National Heads-Up Poker Championship Cancelled". Poker News Daily. Retrieved 2011-10-18. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  10. ^ Poker Exklusiv Archived 2007-08-05 at the Wayback Machine on the DSF website
  11. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2009-12-12. Retrieved 2009-12-12.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  12. ^ a b c "Poker After Dark returns for second season". Archived from the original on July 4, 2007. Retrieved 2007-06-13.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) from the NBC Sports website
  13. ^ pokerafterdark.com past matches Archived 2007-10-01 at the Wayback Machine from the NBC Sports website
  14. ^ a b c d e f 2008 Poker After Dark schedule Archived 2008-02-25 at the Wayback Machine from the NBC Sports website
  15. ^ Murphy, Steve (2008-12-29). "Poker After Dark's Fifth Season Debuts Tonight". CardPlayer.com. Retrieved 2009-01-06.
  16. ^ "2009 Poker After Dark schedule". nbcsports.msnbc.com. Archived from the original on 2009-01-21. Retrieved 2009-01-06.
  17. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2010-11-12. Retrieved 2010-01-04.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  18. ^ Poker After Dark Week 1 Recap Archived 2007-02-04 at the Wayback Machine from the NBC Sports website
  19. ^ a b Nejad's commentary[vague]
  20. ^ Poker After Dark Hecklers Recap Archived 2008-01-23 at the Wayback Machine from the PAD website
  21. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2010-01-16. Retrieved 2010-01-11.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  22. ^ Poker After Dark Draws Ratings Archived 2007-02-26 at archive.today, a January 2007 Bodog Online poker blog entry

External links

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