NBC invites viewers into the exclusive Las Vegas poker scene with its new late night show, Poker After Dark, debuting Jan. 2 at 2:05 a.m. ET/PT. One week of hourlong programs hosted by former World Poker Tour hostess and one of Maxim magazine's "Hot 100 of 2005" Shana Hiatt will air nightly Monday through Saturday. The shows will feature six of poker's most elite players vying for a winner-take-all $120,000 first-place prize.
Set in the backrooms of various casinos on the Vegas strip, Poker After Dark gives viewers an intimate look inside a poker game usually reserved for the eyes of professional players. The show features world poker pros Phil Ivey, Daniel Negreanu, Doyle Brunson, Howard Lederer, Chris Ferguson, Erick Lindgren, Jennifer Harman, and Gus Hansen.
Each program allows viewers a glimpse at how seasoned pros apply their strategy against one another. Friday's show
will determine the winner, and on Saturday night "The director's cut" will recap the events with commentary.
"There's a vibrant late-night audience looking for original programming," said West Coast NBC Universal Television President Marc Graboff. "We felt this inside look at the professional poker scene is perfect for late-night viewers seeking a unique and original broadcast."
Poker After Dark is produced in conjunction with Poker Productions, the only television production company owned and operated by top professional poker players. Producers Mori Eskandani and Eric Drache have both played a key role in producing poker shows for major networks and cable television, including NBC's Heads Up Championship, GSN's High Stakes Poker, Fox Sports Net and NBC's Poker Superstars, and CBS's Intercontinental Poker Championship.
