Note:  This is an encore presentation of Match 43

The previous two editions of International Week on NBC’s Poker After Dark have been among the most watched in the show’s history.  This week’s match should continue that trend as it brings together six exceptionally talented players in a match that may be one of the most difficult fields yet assembled.  Participating this week are returning players Brad Booth (Canada), Allen Cunningham (USA), David Benyamine (France), and John Juanda (Indonesia), along with newcomers John Phan (Vietnam) and Ivan Demidov (Russia).  Each will put up $20,000 and compete for the $120,000 winner-take-all first prize, as well as some well-deserved bragging rights for their respective homelands.

Booth seeks to avenge a loss in his only PAD appearance, that being on International Week I (Match 12) when he finally succumbed to Patrik Antonius in the longest heads-up battle to date.  Brad suffered a bad beat on the last hand of the match and may still be smarting from it, so look for him to be on a mission this week.  Allen Cunningham is simply one of the best players in the game, and is one of only eight players to have crossed the $10 million threshold in lifetime live tournament winnings.  His PAD record is 1-2 with his victory coming in the $50,000 buy-in Mega Match, good for $300,000.

David Benyamine has firmly established himself in the eyes of the poker community as one of the world’s top players.  He had an extremely successful year in 2008, not only in live tournaments but also online, where he is a fixture in the highest-stakes cash games.  He comes into this match with a 1-3 record on PAD.  John Juanda’s victory in the 2008 World Series of Poker Europe Main Event helped catapult him currently into 11th place on the all-time live tournament money list.  John has been on a tear as of late, and admits to once again being challenged to prove he is one of the best in the game.  He currently sports a PAD record of 1-2.

Speaking of running well, both of this week’s newcomers can certainly make that claim.  John Phan was recently named Player of the Year for 2008 by both Card Player and Bluff magazines, awards well deserved for being the only player to win two WSOP bracelets in Las Vegas that year along with winning his first WPT title.  Not to be outdone, Ivan Demidov made history in 2008 by becoming the first player to reach the final table of both the WSOP and WSOPE Main Events, finishing 2nd and 3rd respectively.  He was, in fact, eliminated from the WSOPE by none other than John Juanda, so you can be sure he will be looking to extract a measure of revenge on his new nemesis if given the opportunity.

Brief profiles of all six players follow.  The match will begin airing on NBC late night Monday at 2:05 a.m., October 12, 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, October 17, at 1:00 a.m., right after Saturday Night Live.  This show will feature Leeann Tweeden with a behind-the-scenes look at the week with highlights and insightful player interviews.  Viewers can also watch the match at www.nbcsports/msnbc.com/poker.

While the previous week’s match, Dream Table III, showed the players whooping it up and having a great time, don’t expect the same this week.  Though there are a few lighthearted quips from the players from time to time, the tone throughout this match is one of strictly business.  It is obvious that all of the players have great respect for one another, and as such the motivation to win seems to be stronger among them all because of it.  Picking the winner here will be no easy task, as all of these pros are anxious to prove that they are deserving of the accolades they have received and to show what they can do against top-flight competition.

Booth, Brad:  (Seat 1)
· Nickname is “Yukon Brad” due to spending time during the summer in the Yukon Territory
· Highly regarded by his peers as a high-stakes no-limit cash game player who occasionally plays tournaments
· Career tournament winnings in excess of $748,000
· Began playing penny ante poker at the age of 7, and started his poker career by playing $4/$8 limit poker in smoky underground card rooms in Vancouver while not yet of legal age with money he made nightly delivering pizzas
· Was once considered by many pros to be “the best unknown poker player in the world,” a label given to him first by Phil Hellmuth

Cunningham, Allen:  (Seat 2)
· Quiet, focused, and unassuming at the tables, preferring to let his stellar play do the talking
· Winner of five WSOP bracelets, the latest coming in 2007, and was named the 2006 Player of the Year by ALL IN magazine
· Lifetime tournament winnings in excess of $10.38 million, and ranks 8th on the all-time money list
· Finished 4th in the 2006 World Series of Poker Championship Event, collecting more than $3.6 million, and won the 2008 WSOP circuit event at Caesars Palace
· Studied civil engineering at UCLA before becoming a professional poker player

Benyamine, David:  (Seat 3)
· Native of France, but now lives in Las Vegas
· Owns one WPT open title and one WPT invitational title, and won his first WSOP bracelet in the $10,000 Omaha Hi/Lo World Championship in 2008
· Lifetime tournament winnings in excess of $3.47 million, a good portion of those winnings coming in 2008
· Regarded as one of the best high-stakes cash game players in the world, especially in pot-limit Omaha
· Appeared on High Stakes Poker during Seasons 3, 4, and 5

Juanda, John:  (Seat 4)
· Is a native of Indonesia, where his mother and brother still live
· Owns four WSOP bracelets, the latest coming in the marathon 2008 WSOPE Main Event, which featured the longest final table in World Series history lasting 19 hours and 10 minutes
· Career tournament winnings in excess of $9.65 million, and ranks 11th on the all-time money list
· Holds an MBA degree from Seattle University
· Does not see himself playing poker for the rest of his life, but envisions helping others less fortunate in some capacity, especially in underdeveloped countries

Phan, John:  (Seat 5)
· Nicknamed “The Razor,” he was born in Vietnam and now resides in Long Beach, CA
· Has won two WSOP bracelets, both coming in 2008, the only player to win two bracelets that year, and one WPT title, also in 2008 at the Legends of Poker Championship
· Lifetime tournament winnings in excess of $5.39 million, and ranks 40th on the all-time money list
· Both Bluff and Card Player magazine’s Player of the Year for 2008
· Donates a portion of his winnings to support his extended family in Vietnam, and along with Liz Lieu makes frequent trips there to distribute food and supplies to their relatives’ villages and to visit shelters and orphanages

Demidov, Ivan:  (Seat 6)
· Is a 27 year-old semi-professional poker player from Moscow, Russia
· One of the 2008 WSOP November Nine, he came to the final table #2 in chips with 24,400,000
· Lifetime tournament winnings in excess of $6.58 million, and ranks 27th on the all-time money list, #1 on Russia’s all-time list
· Finished 2nd in the 2008 WSOP Main Event, good for $5.8 million, and 3rd in the WSOPE Main Event, good for another $609,000
· Was the first person in history to make the final table in both a WSOP Main Event and a WSOPE Main Event, and did so in the same year, a record which may stand for some time

Dennis Oehring serves as the Public Relations Coordinator for the firm POKER PROductions.