Stephanie Moore / © NBC Universal, Inc.

Note: This is an encore presentation of Match 59

It’s another battle of the sexes this week on Poker After Dark as three men well-known for their gift of gab in Jean-Robert Bellande, David Grey, and Mike Matusow take on three ladies also known to be chatty at the table in Erica Schoenberg, Karina Jett, and Annie Duke. Each will put up $20,000 and compete for the $120,000 winner-take-all first prize.

Despite a less-than-stellar 1-13 record on Poker After Dark, Matusow is the only player in this group to have ever won on the show, so this week presents a great opportunity for him to pick up his second win as he has the most experience with the PAD format. Matusow has been a far more serious and quiet player in recent months, so it will be interesting to see if this change in demeanor will help him against this rather gregarious group.

Both Grey and Duke sport 0-3 records on PAD, with Grey having two seconds and a third to his credit while Duke has two thirds and a fifth. Grey has a reputation as being one of the most talkative players in the game and he will have no difficulty maintaining that status in this match. Duke has been playing great poker of late as her victory in the 2010 National Heads-Up Poker Championship will attest, and she will undoubted be motivated to break into the win column this week.

Bellande and Schoenberg have each appeared on Poker After Dark twice before, but neither has fared better than 3rd. Bellande is perhaps one of the more snake bit players ever to appear on the show, suffering some horrendous beats in each of his previous two appearances, while in the Love at First Raise match Schoenberg made one of the fastest exits in PAD history, lasting only five hands before being eliminated by Marco Traniello. Each will be looking to change their previous fortunes on the show with a victory here.

Jett will be making her PAD debut. She is primarily known as a cash game player, and is the wife of poker professional Chip Jett. But she’ll have her hands full with this group, as most newcomers have failed to win in their first attempt on the show against players who have played on the show before.

Brief profiles of all six players follow. The match will begin airing on NBC late night Monday at 2:05 a.m., September 6, 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 11, 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 you would expect with this group, the banter at the table is lighthearted and at times is more entertaining than the action, especially early in the match. But that changes after a couple of players get knocked out and the remaining players focus on the task at hand. One of the players is the beneficiary of a run of good cards throughout the match, while another is the recipient of some coolers that are almost hard to believe but make for great entertainment.

Schoenberg, Erica: (Seat 1)
· Nicknamed “Poker Babe” and one of the game’s more attractive female players
· Studied how to win at blackjack with members of the infamous MIT blackjack team, and derived much of her income from blackjack until turning to poker full-time in 2005
· Career live tournament winnings in excess of $786,000
· Her parents met while gambling at the Santa Anita racetrack in Arcadia, CA
· Former model, personal trainer, kickboxing instructor, and professional volleyball player

Bellande, Jean-Robert: (Seat 2)
· 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 live tournament winnings in excess of $1.17 million
· 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

Grey, David: (Seat 3)
· 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 live 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

Jett, Karina: (Seat 4)
· Is a professional poker player who was born into a military family in Saigon, Vietnam but now lives in Las Vegas
· Studied political science in college, but returned to Las Vegas to help her mother run the family businesses, a jewelry store and a Chinese restaurant
· Primarily a cash game player, but does have lifetime tournament winnings in excess of $361,000
· Learned how to play poker from her mother, who was a very good 7 card stud player
· Married to professional poker player Chip Jett, who she met while playing poker in Mississippi, and the two were married at the infamous Little White Chapel in Las Vegas

Matusow, Mike: (Seat 5)
· 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 live tournament winnings in excess of $7.42 million, and ranks 25th 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

Duke, Annie: (Seat 6)
· Nickname is the “Duchess of Poker,” and one of the most recognized women in the game
· Winner of one WSOP bracelet, that coming in a 2004 $2000 Omaha hi/lo event, and also won the 2010 National Heads-Up Poker Championship
· Career live tournament winnings in excess of $4.27 million
· Ranks 2nd on the women’s all-time money list, trailing only Kathy Liebert
· Appeared on NBC’s Celebrity Apprentice 2, and though eventually “fired” by Donald Trump she did the poker community proud by finishing 2nd to Joan Rivers

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.