Stephanie Moore / © NBC Universal, Inc.

This week's "Magnificent Six" from left to right: Phil Hellmuth, Chris Ferguson, Howard Lederer, Leeann Tweeden, Phil Ivey, Doyle Brunson and Daniel Negreanu.

Note:  This is the final presentation of Match 50

This week, NBC’s Poker After Dark returns with a premium matchup featuring six of the biggest names in the game today. Appropriately named “The Magnificent Six,” this star-studded lineup is comprised of Phil Ivey, Chris Ferguson, Howard Lederer, Doyle Brunson, Daniel Negreanu, and Phil Hellmuth. Each will pony up $20,000 and compete for the $120,000 winner-take-all first prize.

This is one of the most celebrated and accomplished tables ever assembled on Poker After Dark, with each player sure to have a number of fans pulling for them to win. Just to put the overall achievements of this group into perspective, consider the following:
· Collectively, they have won 40 World Series of Poker bracelets
· They have amassed live tournament winnings in excess of $57 million
· They all rank among the top forty on the all-time money list for live tournament winnings, and three of them, Ivey, Negreanu, and Hellmuth, are in the top five

As you would expect, all of these high-profile pros have appeared on Poker After Dark many times in the past. But somewhat surprising is that Brunson, Ferguson, and Negreanu, as talented as they are, all sport overall records of just 1-7 coming into this match, perhaps one measure of how difficult it is to win on this show when consistently competing against only top professional players. Ivey and Lederer have fared better, with records of 2-3 and 2-5 respectively, while Hellmuth’s record is 3-10, with two of those victories coming in this format and the other in the four-player Heads-Up Challenge seen in Match 33.

Brief profiles of all six players follow. The match will begin airing on NBC late night Monday at 2:05 a.m., September 13, 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, September 18, 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.

There is no shortage of conversation at the table as all of these players know each other very well and have played against one another many times before. Viewers will be treated to a rare hand never before seen in the history of the show, a PAD record being tied, and a lengthy and interesting heads-up battle for the title.

Hellmuth, Phil: (Seat 1)
· Known as the “Poker Brat,” a name he now embraces, and was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame in July 2007
· 1989 World Champion, and won his 11th World Series bracelet in 2007, making him the first and only person in history to do so
· Career live tournament winnings in excess of $11.44 million, and ranks 4th on the all-time money list, despite never having a cash for more than $755,000
· Has more World Series cashes (79) and has made more WSOP final tables (41) than any other player in history
· His fame has given him the opportunity to be involved in many businesses on the side, and he is highly acknowledged as the game’s best self-promoter

Ferguson, Chris: (Seat 2)
· Nicknamed “Jesus” and one of poker’s most recognizable players
· World Series of Poker Champion in 2000 and owner of five WSOP bracelets, and ranks 3rd on the WSOP all-time cashes list with 64, trailing only Phil Hellmuth and Men Nguyen
· Career live tournament winnings in excess of $8.05 million, and ranks 19th on the all-time money list
· Runner-up in both the 2005 and 2006 National Heads-Up Poker Championship, and the winner of the event in 2008
· Earned a Ph.D. in computer science from UCLA in 1999, and is a former ballroom and swing dance instructor

Lederer, Howard: (Seat 3)
· Nicknamed “The Professor,” and one of the most respected of all players among his peers
· Has won two WSOP bracelets and two WPT titles, and just missed winning his 3rd bracelet when he finished 2nd in the 2009 WSOPE PLO event
· Lifetime live tournament winnings in excess of $5.93 million, and ranks 36th on the all-time money list
· Finished 2nd in the 2010 WSOP Tournament of Champions
· Highly regarded as a television poker commentator and analyst

Ivey, Phil: (Seat 4)
· Regarded by many as the best overall player in the game today
· Winner of eight WSOP bracelets (strangely none in hold’em), the latest in the 2010 $3000 H.O.R.S.E. event, and one WPT title
· Career live tournament winnings in excess of $13.54 million, and ranks 1st on the all-time money list
· Made a $1 million prop bet with Tom Dwan on the sixth season of High Stakes Poker that he could become a vegetarian for one year, but bought out of the bet after only three weeks for $150,000
· One of only five players in history to win three WSOP bracelets in one year (2002)

Brunson, Doyle: (Seat 5)
· At the age of 77, 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, and despite not playing in the Main Event from 1999-2001 has now played in the championship 38 times, a record
· Lifetime live tournament winnings in excess of $5.98 million, and ranks 35th on the all-time money list
· Owner of 10 WSOP bracelets, tied for 2nd with Johnny Chan, and is tied for 1st with Jesse Alto for making the most WSOP Main Event final tables in history with 5
· 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 live tournament winnings in excess of $12.75 million, and ranks #2 on the all-time money list
· Had 9 cashes, including 3 final tables, in the 2009 WSOP, more than any other player
· Became a vegan about 10 years ago, the result of a life-long prop bet with Ted Forrest that sees Negreanu paying him 20:1 if his weight ever exceeds 170 pounds

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.