Stephanie Moore / © NBC Universal, Inc.

Note: This is a rebroadcast of Match 66

Poker players as a group have raised millions of dollars for charitable causes over the years, and this week’s match on NBC’s Poker After Dark features six of the most prominent players known for their benevolent natures. Competing are Phil Gordon, Chris Ferguson, Jennifer Harman, Howard Lederer, Andy Bloch, and Annie Duke. Each will put up $20,000 and compete for the $120,000 first place prize.

All of these players have appeared on Poker After Dark many times in the past, and are very familiar with each other’s games. Lederer leads this pack with four previous PAD victories, one of only two players in the history of the show to win four times, the other being Johnny Chan.  Ferguson has won twice before, while Gordon, Bloch, and Harman each have one victory. Only Duke has yet to notch a win.

The charities these players have raised money for over the years covers a wide range of causes. Among the many charities they support are the Prevent Cancer Foundation (Gordon), the Save the Children Foundation (Ferguson), the National Kidney Foundation (Harman), the Boys and Girls Clubs (Lederer), the Multiple Sclerosis Society (Bloch), and Ante Up for Africa (Duke).

But in addition to their philanthropic ventures, these six are highly-accomplished professional poker players with $28.5 million in live tournament winnings between them, along with ten World Series of Poker bracelets. Each of them has their own reasons for wanting to win this match, and despite the friendship that exists between them, their competitive natures will provide for a week of great poker and entertainment.

Brief profiles of all six players follow.  The match will begin airing on NBC late night Monday at 2:05 a.m., March 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, March 12, 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.

The players agree to show one card at the beginning of the match, but after a couple of hands agree to show both, something never seen on Poker After Dark. Action starts right out of the gate with some unbelievable hands, and one player suffers a surprising early knockout. There is an impressive comeback by one of the players once play becomes three-handed, while the intense desire to win this match often leaves another player visibly frustrated. There is no shortage of table talk among this group, and viewers will find the banter both interesting and entertaining.

Gordon, Phil: (Seat 1)
· Was the lead software engineer and first employee of Netsys Technologies, Inc., a company bought out by Cisco Systems three years later for $95 million
· Owner of one WPT title, and won the 2010 Ante Up for Africa tournament at the WSOP, promptly donating the entire $129,086 first place prize money to the charity
· Career live tournament winnings in excess of $2.75 million
· Along with poker pro Rafe Furst, was the recipient of the 2nd annual “Cancer Champion” award presented by the Prevent Cancer Foundation in March 2010
· Has provided expert commentary for several televised poker events, and is the author of several books and instructional CDs on poker

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 $8.28 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

Harman, Jennifer: (Seat 3)
· 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 live tournament winnings in excess of $2.61 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

Lederer, Howard: (Seat 4)
· 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 $6.46 million, and ranks 36th on the all-time money list
· Finished 2nd in the 2010 WSOP Tournament of Champions
· In February, 2011, was named as the most influential man in poker by Bluff magazine in their annual Power 20 awards

Bloch, Andy: (Seat 5)
· Holds two electrical engineering degrees from MIT and a law degree from Harvard
· Finished 2nd to the late Chip Reese at the 2006 $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. event, and was runner-up to Chris Ferguson in the 2008 NHPC
· Lifetime live tournament winnings in excess of $4.46 million
· Former member of the MIT blackjack team, the subject of a book entitled Bringing Down the House
· Began wearing his unique hat full time to play poker about 2 years ago, but wore it prior from time to time as part of an Irish rock star costume

Duke, Annie: (Seat 6)
· Nicknamed 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, and ranks 2nd on the women’s all-time money list, trailing only Kathy Liebert
· Announced in January 2011 that she is joining forces with former WSOP Commissioner Jeffrey Pollack to create a yet unnamed new poker league, in which she will serve as commissioner
· 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.