Poker After Dark: This week's preview

NBC’s Poker After Dark continues to bring viewers the very best in six-handed table match-ups with the airing of its 12th week. Three of the poker’s more vocal and controversial players, Phil Hellmuth, Mike Matusow, and Tony G, will take center stage in what promises to be anything but a quiet match. They will go up against three other highly recognized and accomplished pros in Andy Bloch, Sam Farha, and Phil Ivey.

Matusow and Hellmuth have had some classic confrontations in the past, and each is known to needle the other incessantly when seated at the same table. The addition of one of the game’s most caustic trash talkers in Tony G, though, could add even more fuel to a match that already has potential for some fireworks.

But these three have many other attributes other than their propensity to wear their emotions on their sleeves and to pummel the airwaves with insults and expletives. Together, they have won more than $14 million in tournament play, and whether you love them or not, they do make for interesting television.

The above bad boys, however, are not the only players in this match. They will have to contend against the steady play of Andy Bloch, the shiftiness of Sam Farha, and the skills of one of the game’s best in Phil Ivey. All had good years in 2006, with Bloch earning nearly $1.6 million, Ivey almost $1.4 million, and Farha winning his second WSOP bracelet. Collectively, they have won nearly as much as the other three in tournament play, cashing for over $12 million in their lifetimes.

Brief profiles on all six players follow. The match will begin airing late night Monday at 2:05 AM, Monday, March 19, 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, March 24, 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, and conclude with the winner sitting down with Shana Hiatt to discuss and analyze the match.
By Dennis Oehring