Poker After Dark

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.

Poker After Dark
Logo of Poker After Dark
Presented by	Shana Hiatt (S1-2) Marianela Pereyra (S3) Leeann Tweeden (S4-7) Drea Renee (S8-)
Narrated by	Ali Nejad
Country of origin	United States
No. of seasons	7
No. of episodes	474 (consisting of 48 tournaments and 11 cash games)
Production
Producer(s)	Poker Productions (Eric Drache and Mori Eskandani)[1]
Production location(s)	Las Vegas
Running time	1 hour (with commercials; about 42 minutes without); 6 hours when on PokerGO (with player breaks; about 5 hours, 20 minutes without)
Release
Original network	NBC (2007–2011), NBCSN (2012– )
Picture format	480i (SDTV) 2007-2009 (HDTV) 2010-2011
Original release	January 1, 2007 – July 23, 2019 (PokerGO), still airing live monthly

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.

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. 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.

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.
• 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.. 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.

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.
• 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.[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.

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.

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, 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]

See also

• World Series of Poker
• National Heads-Up Poker Championship
• High Stakes Poker

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. NBC Announces New Poker After Dark series, 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. Poker After Dark kicks off season with Dream Match
5. Cardplayer article on Season 4
6. 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%5B%5D
9. Katz, Dan (October 17, 2011). "2012 National Heads-Up Poker Championship Cancelled". Poker News Daily. Retrieved 2011-10-18.
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.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
12. "Poker After Dark returns for second season". Archived from the original on July 4, 2007. Retrieved 2007-06-13.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. 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.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. Nejad's commentary
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.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

• Poker After Dark on IMDb
• Poker After Dark at TV.com
• Poker After Dark at NBCUniversal's Media Village