NBC’s Poker After Dark will return to a cash game format this week for just the second time in the series’ four seasons. The late-night show is usually structured as a six-person winner-take-all tournament in which each player buys in for $20,000. This week’s contestants, however, will battle off in a $200/400 No Limit cash game with a minimum buy-in of $100,000.
Squaring off this week will be Doyle Brunson, Patrik Antonius, Howard Lederer, Eli Elezra, Gabe Kaplan and Dee Tiller. All but Tiller are regulars in televised high-stakes cash games, but the business man and poker amateur will get a chance to cut his teeth with the world’s best. Tiller is an oil and gas service provider in Texas and is a self-proclaimed “loose player” at the table, saying he sometimes plays every hand.
Brunson, Antonius and Elezra can often be seen on GSN’s High Stakes Poker, an enormously popular show hosted by Kaplan that has a similar format as the one seen this week. They, along with Lederer, take part in some of the biggest cash games in the world, including the elite mixed-games in Bobby’s Room at the Bellagio in Las Vegas.
The first Poker After Dark cash game aired July 14-20 of this year was a huge hit among viewers. It featured players Allen Cunningham, Phil Hellmuth, Mike Baxter, Guy Laliberte, David Peat and internet sensation Tom “durrrr” Dwan, who demonstrated his aggressiveness early and often during the show. Dwan took control of the table, but it was Allen Cunningham who dealt the biggest early blow. Cunningham took all of Phil Hellmuth’s chips on the second night when he flopped a set of tens against Hellmuth’s flopped set of fives. Phil took a break from the game, but to everyone’s delight returned and reloaded for another $100,000.
Baxter and Laliberte walked away as the week’s biggest winners. Laliberte, founder of Cirque du Soleil, donated all of his winnings to his charity, the One Drop Foundation.
That show was also the debut of current hostess and in-game interviewer Leann Tweeden.
This week’s episode will be the last featuring a cash game format this season. The final three episodes will go back to a tournament structure. The next new episode will be aired the week of November 10th, titled “Close but no Cigar” and will feature Andy Black, Lee Watkinson, Dewey Tomko, David Williams, Allen Cunningham and Mike Matusow. “Speak Your Mind” (Todd Brunson, Phil Hellmuth, Phil Gordon, Gabe Kaplan, Cory Zeidman, David Grey) and “Brilliant Minds” (Brandon Adams, Chris Ferguson, Andy Bloch, Bill Chen, Jimmy Warren, David Sklansky) will be shown the weeks of November 17th and November 24th, respectively, rounding out the season.
Poker After Dark can be seen Monday through Friday at 2:05 a.m. following Last Call with Carson Daly. The special “Director’s cut” is shown Saturday night at 1:00 a.m.
Mike wins this week. He told me. =)
question:what up with the logos on the players shirts and jackets? thought they are suppose to use their own cash??????