Despite how much I love to play poker, I've grown weary of watching the
same WSoP reruns on ESPN and the lower grade stuff that Fox Sports and GSN
puts out. Yet, I found myself Tivo-ing "Poker After Dark" on NBC last night, if for
no other reason, to drool over Shana Hiatt.

What I found was a dark, yet cool program that I could easily see getting myself addicted to.
No annoying commentators to overanalyze the action. Shana occasionally interviews the
players that come over to the bar area (where she sits not 5 feet from the table), but there's
really no interjection, giving you the real feeling that you're sitting at the table, listening in to
the conversations, hearing Phil Hellmuth cursing as he walks away from the table.

Even if you're as tired of poker shows as I am, give this a try.


//Make no mistake, Shana Hiatt gives new meaning to the term "Pocket Rockets".

I'm sold.

And "Texas Hold 'Em." :)

Just a brief comment. I will never accept poker shows as part of the game show fraternity because they allow losers to keep coming back to the show(s). It's like having the same three people on Jeopardy or WOF, day after day, win or lose.

Oh, no question that this thread is off topic. But since Shana Hiatt was mentioned, all is forgiven. :)

I would be first in line for a poker clip show that featured nothing but footage of Phil Hellmuth losing.

One of my favorite poker shows that came and went was "Hollywood Hold Em" probably for a lot of the same reasons you enjoy "After Dark." It was a pretty free-wheeling show, was fun to watch whether the game was interesting or not, etc.

-Jason

But that would be a very short show because Hellmuth never loses! He's the best player in the world! /sarcasm

Hellmuth's explosions on Poker After Dark and his threat of never appearing on PAD unless the rules change was great TV for this insomniac last night.

I was hoping PAD would be similar to the UK's Late Night Poker, with a seven-handed table completed in two nights. After three shows, I prefer the PAD format with its more relaxed atmosphere, very little commentary, and the variety of players at the table. (Shawn Sheikhan clashing with Hellmuth this week has been great, and next week has "The Mouth", Mike Matusow.) Oh yeah, Shana Hiatt's a plus too. :-)

/I'd hit Hiatt so hard that people in Tokyo would think a 9.8 earthquake was happening.
//Yeah, I said that.

Hollywood Showdown
Pass the Buck
Jackpot

I'm sure other posters can add more....

Ummm...I don't seem to recall any losing contestant that played in a Bob Stewart show week after week *and* month after month. And I would also dare to guess that a non-winning 'appearance' on the aforementioned shows was either one week, or when a specific winning event occurred.

And if I am wrong, may Ernest Angely mute that entire last sentence with his censor machine!!!


/2007 -- The Year of the Bay-Bee...Say Bay-Bee!

Never much cared for it, despite enjoying watching Phil Laak freak out every show, it was mostly people who couldn't play poker all talking at once. However, it was the first time I've seen a player flop a Royal Flush before. I thought the Unabomber was going to....well....explode.

Man, that's almost "WHOOOSH"able. There's clearly a difference between that small handful of slightly less conventional game shows , where the contestants stay on for a few days, and the poker programs that use the same pool of professional players over and over.

This is on NBC? Is it in the time slots usually housing Leno reruns?

It's on NBC at 2:05 a.m. (EST), Leno reruns have been moved back to 3:05 now. No more late night Conan reruns.

Not until 7/1, where Conan reruns will take over the Leno 3:05 slot.

Oh yeah? Didn't know that.

Also as well, the late-night SNL reruns have been lost too, as PAD runs on Saturday nights.

It should be noted that, according to the little blurb that popped up in the corner, the
Saturday night PAD is the "director's cut"...whatever that means.

"HHE" was pretty much a vanity project for Laura Prepon, whose production company packaged the show and she managed to get a lot of her "That 70's Show" costars and personal friends (including boyfriend Chris Masterson) to play on the show. But it wasn't a good show. Only saving grace was that Phil Laak showed up as the celebrity dealer, much as Hollywood Dave does on "Celebrity Blackjack".

Now, now, control yourself...after all, the show is called Poker After Dark, not Poke Her After Dark. ;<)

That's line of the day material there, folks.