poker superstars: FULLTILTPOKER.NET Pro Showdown Airs LIVE Thursday on FSN

Pro Players Compete for $1 Million at Red Rock Casino Las Vegas
The best poker players in the world will compete for $1,000,000 as FSN furthers its already prominent position as the only network daring enough to televise live poker. Coverage of the FullTilt Poker.net Pro Showdown will include a televised all-star, single-table tournament on Thursday, June 22 at 6:00 pm EST/3:00 pm PST.

This is the fourth live poker tournament FSN has showcased featuring seven Team Full Tilt poker superstars from its all-star roster. Hollybrook Regency Inc., who is kicking in another $160,000 to bring the purse up to a cool million, is promoting the tournament with a $120,000 buy-in. The seven Full Tilt players have 22 World Series of Poker bracelets combined and have amassed tens of millions of dollars in poker winnings. The winner will receive $600,000, with the runner-up taking home $280,000 and third place breaking even, winning $120,000.

The players:

Phil Ivey: Also a five-time WSOP bracelet winner, Ivey is the answer other pros often give to the question, “Which player do you least like to see at your table?” Cool and calculated, Ivey almost never makes mistakes and has no tells. Ivey has won two of FSN’s previous three live poker tournaments and is the favorite at this table.

Chris "Jesus" Ferguson: The 2000 World Series of Poker Main Event Champion has five WSOP bracelets overall. Ferguson, as well known for his poker prowess as his ability to slice fruit in half by throwing cards and his hysterical beer commercials, is one of the most analytical players in poker. With a PhD from UCLA in computer science, Ferguson often has the odds calculated before the cards hit the felt.

John Juanda: Every time a poker tournament is on television, Juanda seems to be at the final table. The three-time WSOP bracelet winner has made five World Poker Tour final tables and has won 19 tournaments overall.

Erik Seidel: Only four men in history have more World Series of Poker bracelets than Seidel’s seven. His strength lies in his ability to make the necessary reads in all kinds of formats. His seven bracelets came in five different events. A master tournament player, Seidel is hoping to use a victory at Red Rock to propel himself towards his eighth WSOP title.

Mike Matusow: “The Mouth” roared in 2005, making the final table of the WSOP main event and winning the WSOP Tournament of Champions. Matusow’s mouth is the reason television invented a short delay, as nobody – not even Mike himself – knows what he’ll say at any given moment of the tournament. The two-time WSOP bracelet winner will definitely be the player to watch – and listen to – in this tournament.

Erick Lindgren: His victory in 2004’s Poker Million III tournament earned him $1,000,000 and shot him into the poker spotlight. Always a prestigious online tournament player, Lindgren has had success moving deeper into larger tournaments and should be a force in the 2006 WSOP.

Clonie Gowen: Regardless of her finish in the FullTilt Poker.net Pro Showdown from Red Rock, Gowen is going to have an amazing day on June 22, as she will be the featured cover girl on Maxim magazine. But Gowen isn’t just a pretty face -- in 2003, she bested world-renowned players Annie Duke and Jennifer Harmon to win the World Poker Tour Ladies’ Night event.

FSN’s veteran poker announcer Barry Tompkins will call the action alongside analysts Michael Konik and two-time WSOP bracelet winner Howard Lederer, who’ll serve as an analyst for a third FSN live poker telecast.

This is FullTiltPoker.net’s fourth program and the third live tournament telecast on FSN.