Note: This is an encore presentation of Match 22

This week’s match on NBC’s Poker After Dark is sure to capture the attention of poker fans everywhere, but maybe even more so to those who also enjoy a day on the links whether they are a scratch golfer or a perennial hacker.  For anyone who has ever imbibed in a few of their favorite beverages with  friends at their local 19th hole after a round of golf, they’ll see a lot of similarities between the camaraderie that exists among their golfing buddies and how this match plays out.   The banter at the table is largely golf-oriented, and the stories the players relate are amusing and entertaining.

In a quest for this week’s $120,000 first place winner-take-all prize, two newcomers will make their debut on PAD in the persons of David Oppenheim and Gavin Smith.  David has been playing professionally for about 15 years, and is known as one of the best limit high-stakes cash game players in the world.  Gavin, a self-proclaimed “wild card” at the tables due to his aggressive nature, is anything but quiet when he plays and will undoubtedly provide some interesting table talk. 

These two will swap stories and butt heads with four pros that have also been known to engage in a friendly wager or two on the golf course in fan favorites Doyle Brunson, Phil Ivey, Daniel Negreanu, and Erick Lindgren.  Ivey has won two PAD titles, while Brunson and Negreanu have each won one, and Lindgren will be looking for his first in three tries.

Brief profiles of all six players follow.  The match will begin airing on NBC late night Monday at 2:05 a.m., July 7, 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, July 12, at 1:00 a.m., right after Saturday Night Live.  This show will feature Marianela with a behind-the-scenes look at the week with highlights and insightful player interviews. 

Each of the match’s six segments can also be viewed daily at www.nbcsports.msnbc.com/poker.   Be sure to check out the new player profile section, which now includes the players from all of PAD’s four seasons, as well as their past performance records on PAD and NBC’s National Heads-Up Poker Championship.  These profiles are updated on a weekly basis. 

There are a myriad of personalities represented at this table, along with some conduct that may raise the eyebrows of more than one watching, but it all contributes to making this match one that should have viewers riveted to their seats.  The heads-up clash for the title is a beauty and one that viewers definitely won’t want to miss.

Smith, Gavin:  (Seat 1)
· Born in Guelph, Ontario, Canada, and attended the University of Guelph
· Holder of 1 WPT title, and was the WPT’s Player of the Year for season IV
· Career tournament winnings in excess of $3.95 million
· Talkative at the tables, and a self-proclaimed “wild card” due to his aggressive play
· Known to engage in unusual prop bets during the World Series of Poker, especially with good friend poker professional Joe Sebok

Oppenheim, David:  (Seat 2)
· Has played poker professionally for 15 years
· Highly regarded as a high-stakes cash game player, playing as high as $4000/$8000, and considered one of the best limit players in the world
· Career tournament winnings in excess of $601,000
· Teamed up with Phil Ivey for ESPN’s Inaugural High Stakes Entertainment Golf Tour in 2007
· Born in Los Angeles and now resides in Calabasas, CA with his wife and 3 children

Lindgren, Erick:  (Seat 3)
· Nicknamed “E-Dog” and a very popular player among fans
· Highly successful player in WPT events, and won his first WSOP bracelet in the 2008 $5000 Mixed Hold’em event
· Lifetime tournament winnings in excess of $7.31 million, and ranks 16th on the all-time money list
· Started playing poker full-time as a prop player for a California casino at the age of 21, and was hired by then poker room manager Bill Edler
· Author of the book Making the Final Table

Ivey, Phil:  (Seat 4)
· Highly regarded by many as the best player in the game today
· Winner of five WSOP bracelets, and the 2008 WPT L.A. Poker Classic, his first WPT title after making a WPT final table 7 times before
· Career tournament winnings in excess of $9.98 million, and ranks 6th on the all-time money list
· Last player to win three WSOP bracelets in one year (2002)
· Is continuing his grandfather’s legacy through the Budding Ivey Foundation, and donated $50,000 to a charity after his 2008 L.A. Poker Classic and NHPC success

Brunson, Doyle:  (Seat 5)
· At the age of 74, perhaps the greatest player of all time, and is the author of several books, including Super System and Super System II
· Back-to-back World Series of Poker Champion in 1976 and 1977
· Lifetime tournament winnings in excess of $5.50 million, and ranks 30th on the all-time money list
· Owner of 10 WSOP bracelets, tied for 2nd with Johnny Chan
· Had the WPT Five Diamond World Poker Classic renamed the Doyle Brunson Five Diamond World Poker Classic in his honor in 2007

Negreanu, Daniel:  (Seat 6)
· Dubbed “Kid Poker” and one of poker’s most likeable and recognizable personalities
· Owns four WSOP bracelets, the latest in a 2008 WSOP $2000 limit hold’em event, and two WPT titles
· Lifetime tournament winnings in excess of $10.44 million, and ranks 3rd on the all-time money list
· 2004 Card Player magazine Player of the Year
· His passion away from poker is participating in a fantasy hockey league

Dennis Oehring serves as the Public Relations Coordinator for the firm POKER-PROductions.  Statistical information courtesy of The Hendon Mob database.