Poker After Dark premiers tonight

In the early hours of Tuesday morning, US viewers watching NBC will be treated to the new season of Poker After Dark. Starting at the unusual time of 2:05AM Eastern Standard Time, the show returns for 2009 with the usual suspects all accounted for. With 16 new episodes, loyal fans of the show will get plenty of fresh content for this year.

Mike “The Mouth” Matusow and his polar opposite brethren from Full Tilt Poker, Allen Cunningham will grace the first few episodes titled “Close, but no Cigar”. The tag line refers to the fact that each player has made a World Series of Poker Main Event final table but failed to actually win the event. Others joining the party for these first few episodes include Dewey Tomko and David Williams.

The highlight of Poker After Dark, for those who aren’t familiar with the show, is the cash game that each player buys into using their own money. It’s a freeze out type table with the winner taking the entire prize pool. These games have proven to be very exciting and entertaining. Notable moments include several Phil Hellmuth meltdowns with players such as Jennifer Harman.

To keep the show entertaining, favorites (or those we love to hate) coming back include Phil Hellmuth. Also notable are returning players such as Doyle Brunson, his son Todd, and Phil Ivey. New faces such as Internet phenom Tom “Durrrr” Dwan and David Benefield will also join the show to prove that they can hang with the old guard of the poker world.