- Poker After Dark
infobox Television
show_name = Poker After Dark
producer =Poker Productions (Eric Drache andMori Eskandani ) [http://nbcumv.com/entertainment/release_detail.nbc/entertainment-20061011000000-nbcannouncesnew.html NBC Announces New "Poker After Dark" series] , from theNBC Universal Media Village website]
caption = From left: dealer John Waltermeyer, Gus Hansen, Phil Hellmuth, Shawn Sheikhan, Annie Duke.
format = Pokergame show
location = Las Vegas
runtime = 1 hour (with commercials; about 42 minutes without)
presenter =Shana Hiatt (S1-2)Marianela Pereyra (S3)Leeann Tweeden (S4)
narrated =Ali Nejad
country = USA
network =NBC
picture_format =480i (SDTV )
first_aired =January 1 , 2007
last_aired = present
num_seasons = 3
num_episodes = 180
website = http://www.poker-after-dark.com/
imdb_id = 0971928
tv_com_id = 67867"Poker After Dark" is an hour-long poker television program airing six nights a week [ [http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/Entertainment/2006/10/13/nbc_launches_poker_show/7243/ NBC launches poker show] from
United Press International ]The show made its debut on
January 1 , 2007. For its first two seasons, both of which first aired in 2007, the show was presented byShana Hiatt [http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-after-dark-kicks-off-season-with-dream-match-22691 Poker After Dark kicks off season with Dream Match] ] . The host for season 3 wasMarianela Pereyra , andLeeann Tweeden took over starting with season 4 [http://www.cardplayer.com/poker-news/article/11665/poker-after-dark-to-feature-new-hostess Cardplayer article on Season 4] ] . All seasons have contained voice-over commentary by Oliver "Ali" Nejad.In the United States, "Poker After Dark" is part of NBC's late night programming lineup. In
Canada it airs afternoons and late nights onRogers Sportsnet . InGermany , it airs weekdays at 5:30 p.m. on DSF. German commentary is provided byMichael Körner . [http://www.dsf.de/de/programm/pr-programm/prpr-poker/prprpo-turniere/poker-exklusiv.html Poker Exklusiv] on the DSF website] . In Latin America it airs in Fox Sports Latin America, saturdays 23:00 Central Time.ummary
The series is structured as a week-long No Limit
Texas hold 'em mini-tournament for six top poker professionals. Each week, the players vie for a $120,000 winner-takes-all prize pool, with each paying a $20,000 buy-in. [Although the standard buy-in on "Poker After Dark" is $20,000, the buy-in for the Mega Match (which first aired the week ofOctober 8 ,2007 ) was $50,000.] By the end of Friday's show, a winner is determined. Saturday's show is a "director's cut " that includes excerpts from the action from the previous five days, interspersed with talking heads commentary from the participants, and in the first two seasons included bloopers by Hiatt. The "Poker After Dark" format features an "intimate look at one table as it develops over the week." Blinds start at $100/$200 and slowly escalate. Nejad's commentary is limited, allowing viewers to hear more of the table talk among the players, all of whom are miked.Beginning with season 4, the producers began to experiment with different formats, including 2 weeks of cash game play, and a week consisting of a double-elimination Heads Up battle between the first 4 winners of the
National Heads-Up Poker Championship [http://www.pokernews.com/news/2008/04/poker-after-dark-season-four-preview.htm Season 4 preview from Poker News] ] .chedule
Although start times vary according to preferences of local affiliates, "Poker After Dark" usually airs weekdays at 2:05 a.m. ET (1:05 CT) on most stations following "
Last Call with Carson Daly " [http://www.nbcsports.com/poker/1413295/detail.html Poker After Dark returns for second season] Deadlink|url=http://www.nbcsports.com/poker/1413295/detail.html|date=November 2007|date=November 2007 from theNBC Sports website] . The "director's cut" weekly summary airs on Saturdays, typically following "Saturday Night Live "."Poker After Dark" airs on all NBC affiliates, except for preemptions from WNYT-TV
Albany, New York ,KPRC-TV Houston,WDIV-TV Detroit,KSL-TV Salt Lake City,WMC-TV Memphis,WBBH-TV Fort Myers,KDLT-TV Sioux Falls, South Dakota , andWNWO-TV Toledo, Ohio .Fact|date=November 2007Reception
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" did the same week, even though the latter is broadcast 90 minutes earlier. [ [http://poker.bodogbeat.com/poker-after-dark-draws-ratings-19096.html "Poker After Dark" Draws Ratings] , a January 2007
Bodog Online poker blog entry]ponsorship
Full Tilt Poker regularly advertises on NBC during "Poker After Dark" broadcasts.Full Tilt Poker also helds promotional tournaments that have offered a seat on the show as the grand prize. The first of these winners, Ken Light, appeared on 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.
Episode guide
eason 1 (2007)
*Week 1 (Dream Table) featured the 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, and did not know that the list would be used to form the table.
*Week 9 (Love at First Raise) featured 3 pairs of players who were couples at the time of filming: Jennifer Harman & Marco Traniello, David Benyamine & Erica Schoenberg, and Jennifer Tilly & Phil Laak.eason 4 (2008)
Season 4 was taped in April 2008 at the South Point Hotel in Las Vegas. Season 4 episode titles and presumed seating order were taken from NBC's website.
*In "International" week, Gus Hansen was knocked out after 6 hands, and heads-up play started after 53 hands, both record lows for the show.Nejad's commentary]
eason 3 (2008)
Never Won
The following players have appeared more than twice, but have yet to win.
Most Appearances
The following players have been invited to play on "Poker After Dark" more than twice.
References and footnotes
External links
* [http://www.pokerafterdark.com/ Poker After Dark] Official Homepage
* [http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/23011821/ Poker home page] fromNBC Sports , which includes "Poker After Dark"
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