Note:  This is an encore presentation of Match 46

NBC’s Poker After Dark continues in its quest to provide viewers with interesting matchups, and this week brings together six players who are known for chatting it up at the table in a match being dubbed “Sit-n-Talk.”  Competing for the $120,000 winner-take-all first prize are Jennifer Harman, Mike Matusow, Antonio Esfandiari, Jean-Robert Bellande, Vanessa Rousso, and David Grey.  One thing for certain is that these six players, who have all appeared on PAD in the past, will make Ali Nejad’s job this week easy as the banter will leave him little time for commentary.

Matusow has the most appearances among this group of players on Poker After Dark with twelve, and with only one victory has the lowest winning percentage of any player who has won at least once.  He also has the most 6th place finishes with five, lending credence to his claim that he is the unluckiest player in the world when he’s running bad.

Both of the ladies have tasted victory on PAD once before.  Harman’s record is now 1-7, so you know she’ll be eager to get back into the winner’s column.  Rousso’s record is 1-3, her victory coming in her last match, so she’ll be looking for back-to-back wins.

The three remaining players are all seeking their first PAD victory.  Esfandiari is now 0-4 in his previous matches with two second place finishes.  The jocular Grey is 0-2, with a second and third place finish to his credit, while Bellande, who finished third on Heckler’s Week, is making his second appearance on the program.

Brief profiles of all six players follow.  The match will begin airing on NBC late night Monday at 2:05 a.m., December 21, 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, December 26, 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 and analyses.  Check your local listings for the exact times in your area. Viewers can also watch the action at www.nbcsports/msnbc.com/poker.

As mentioned, at times the banter approaches a fever pitch during the week, so expect some interesting dialogue and quite a few laughs.  A good suckout on the turn eliminates one player who becomes visibly steamed, and an early chip leader goes out on two consecutive hands.  A lot of chips pass back and forth in this match, and for those who like to see plenty of all in confrontations, this match will not disappoint.

Harman, Jennifer:  (Seat 1)
· Only woman to regularly compete in the “Big Game” at the Bellagio
· Owns two WSOP bracelets, and finished 2nd in the 2007 World Series of Poker Europe H.O.R.S.E. event
· Career tournament winnings in excess of $2.37 million
· Wrote the section of playing limit hold’em in Doyle Brunson’s book Super System II
· Married to poker professional Marco Traniello, and spends considerable time hosting charity events which raise money for the Nevada SPCA and other worthwhile causes

Matusow, Mike:  (Seat 2)
· Known as “The Mouth” for trash talking at the tables, and one of poker’s most recognizable players
· Winner of three WSOP bracelets, his latest in the prestigious 2008 $5000 no-limit 2-7 draw event w/rebuys
· Lifetime tournament winnings in excess of $7.29 million, and ranks 23rd on the all-time money list
· Won a $100,000 prop bet with Ted Forrest at the beginning of the 2008 WSOP by losing more than 50 pounds since the 2007 WSOP, weighing in at a svelte 179
· Released his autobiography entitled Check-Raising the Devil in May 2009, a candid and revealing look at his life and the battles he’s faced with demons over the years

Esfandiari, Antonio:  (Seat 3)
· Nicknamed “The Magician” for having been a professional magician before becoming a poker player
· Winner of one WSOP bracelet and one WPT event
· Career tournament winnings in excess of $3.53 million
· Went deep in the 2009 WSOP Main Event, finishing 24th, collecting his biggest WSOP payday ever of nearly $353,000
· Hired Mindset Coach Sam Chauhan for a six-month period beginning in 2009 to help him regain his poker focus and his hunger and desire to win

Bellande, Jean-Robert:  (Seat 4)
· Born in New York City to Creole parents in 1971, but grew up in Taiwan before moving to Los Angeles at the age of 17
· Holds a degree in marketing from Azusa Pacific University and is a former L.A. nightclub owner now living in Las Vegas
· Career tournament winnings in excess of $991,000
· Considered one of poker’s bad boys due to his propensity to engage in trash talking at the table
· Was a contestant on the 15th season of CBS’ hit show Survivor: China, and is working on a TV pilot called Broke and Living Like a Millionaire, focusing on life as a poker player on the road with an ailing bankroll

Rousso, Vanessa:  (Seat 5)
· Nicknamed “Lady Maverick,” and she and professional poker player Chad Brown are engaged to be married sometime in 2009
· Graduated from Duke University in 2 ½ years and is scheduled to graduate from law school at the University of Miami in 2009, though she is not planning on taking the bar
· Lifetime live tournament winnings in excess of $2.37 million, and is only the 6th woman in history to cross the $2 million dollar threshold
· Finished 2nd in the 2009 National Heads-Up Poker Championship, and won the 2009 EPT High Rollers Event a couple of months later
· Holds dual citizenship in the United States and France and speaks 3 languages; English, French, and Spanish

Grey, David: (Seat 6)
· Known primarily as a solid high-stakes cash game player
· Holder of two WSOP bracelets, one in $2500 7-card stud in 1999 and the other in $5000 no-limit 2-7 draw lowball in 2005
· Lifetime tournament winnings in excess of $1.51 million
· Professional gambler for many years, and possesses a unique sense of humor
· Long-time player in the “Big Game” at the Bellagio

Dennis Oehring serves as the Public Relations Coordinator for the firm POKER PROductions.  Statistics courtesy of The Hendon Mob database.  Photo courtesy of Stephanie Moore.