Poker After Dark: The Match We've Been Waiting For Airs on 11/12

(PRWEB) November 9, 2007 -- Many have probably wondered how the six players seen over the course of the past year on NBC's Poker After Dark's show open would fare against one another if involved in a match between them. Well, it's time to find out, as Chris Ferguson, Phil Hellmuth, Jennifer Harman, Phil Ivey, Gus Hansen, and Howard Lederer each put up $20,000 and battle for this week's $120,000 winner-take-all prize and the coveted PAD title that accompanies it.

These players are among the biggest names in the game today, with all being virtually household names. Bringing together players of this caliber in an exclusive 6-handed match is something that viewers of Poker After Dark have come to expect, and the show should make for must viewing among poker fans the world over.

Before the match even started, Gus Hansen laid Phil Hellmuth 4.5:1 for $20,000 that Hellmuth would not win, so an additional $90,000 incentive was on the line for Hellmuth to conquer five of the world's top players. Hellmuth stated in his blog that he readily accepted the bet, saying that he didn't care who was playing, he was never even a four-to-one dog in any 6-handed match, ever! And the stage was set for an action-packed match that is sure to delight audiences.

In fact, of all the players participating in this match, Hellmuth is the only player without a victory on PAD. Howard Lederer has two, and the rest of the players have one apiece, putting additional pressure on Hellmuth to win. Should he lose, he would become the first player on Poker After Dark to have a record of 0-6 after two seasons.

This match has a little of everything, from intense poker marked by long and difficult decisions to more smiles from Phil Ivey than anyone has ever seen. It also includes some eyebrow raising behavior from Phil Hellmuth that most viewers never been witnessed, and some other behavior that most viewers have.

Brief profiles of all six players follow. The match will begin airing on NBC late night Monday at 2:05 AM, November 12, and will continue for five consecutive nights in the same time slot. A special program called the "Director's Cut" will air late night Saturday, November 17, at 1:00 AM, right after Saturday Night Live. This show will feature a behind-the-scenes look at the week with highlights and insightful player interviews.

Each of the match's six segments can also be viewed daily at www.nbcsports.com/poker. More detailed information on the players is also available there and at www.pokerafterdark.com.

Viewers can be assured that each of the players want this one very much, and if anyone believes that the players don't take the matches on Poker After Dark seriously, they'll change their mind after watching this week's show.

Lederer, Howard: (Seat 1)

* Has won two WSOP bracelets and two WPT titles

* Lifetime tournament winning in excess of $3.52 million, and ranks 50th on the all-time money list

Ivey, Phil: (Seat 2)

* Winner of five WSOP bracelets

* Career tournament winnings in excess of $7.88 million, and ranks 10th on the all-time money list

Ferguson, Chris: (Seat 3)

* World Series of Poker Champion in 2000 and owner of five WSOP bracelets

* Career tournament winnings in excess of $5.95 million, and ranks 19th on the all-time money list

Hellmuth, Phil: (Seat 4)

* 1989 World Champion, and won his 11th World Series bracelet in 2007, making him the first person in history to do so

* Career tournament winnings in excess of $9.58 million, and ranks 4th on the all-time money list

Harman, Jennifer: (Seat 5)

* Owns two WSOP bracelets, and finished 2nd in the 2007 World Series of Poker Europe H.O.R.S.E. event

* Career tournament winnings in excess of $1.85 million

Hansen, Gus: (Seat 6)

* Has won three WPT open titles and was inducted into the inaugural WPT Hall of Fame in 2004

* Lifetime tournament winnings in excess of $5.27 million, and ranks 26th on the all-time money list

This press release was written by Dennis Oehring, who is a freelance writer and poker consultant and works with the firm POKER-PROductions. Statistical information courtesy of The Hendon Mob player database. Photo courtesy of NBC's Dave Bjerke.

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