NBC Announces Late Night Poker Show Debut

NBC comes out with a new late night show that will tickle the poker aficionados' fancy. "Poker After Dark" debuts at Jan 2 at 2:05 a.m. ET/PT, as announced by Marc Graboff, president of the NBC Universal Television West Coast. The show will feature six poker pros going into a fierce battle for a winner take-all $120,000 first place prize. The show will be aired from Monday to Saturday, and will be hosted by Shana Hiatt, one of poker's widely recognizable faces. Shana Hiatt is best known for having hosted the World Poker Tour, and has been dubbed by Maxim Magazine as one of the "Hot 100 of 2005".

Every night, the program will present an intimate look at one of the tables as it progresses over the week, where every winner will be announced Friday night. Saturday night's program will show the "Director's Cut", and will show the week's highlights with Hiatt and that week's winner giving commentary on the winning strategy.

"Poker After Dark" will be set in various Las Vegas casinos' back rooms, places that are usually reserved for the eyes of high-rolling professional poker players. "Poker After Dark" will showcase the best known players in poker, including Phil Ivey, Daniel Negreanu, Doyle Brunson, Howard Lederer, Chris Ferguson, Erick Lindgren, Jennifer Harman and Gus Hansen.

"There's a vibrant late night audience looking for original programming," said Graboff. "We felt this inside look at the professional poker scene is perfect for late night television and those viewers seeking an unique and original broadcast."