Poker

High Stakes Poker is back on Poker Central

By Paul Seaton
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Think of your favourite poker show that you thought had gone forever and imagine bringing it back. If you said anything other than High Stakes Poker, then commiserations, you’re incorrect. If you said High Stakes Poker, then congratulations, not only are you spot on, but your favourite show is coming back, with new shows, all the archive footage unlocked and more stacks of high society being thrown onto the felt.

If you’re a PokerGO subscriber, then the day you’ve been waiting for has arrived, with Poker Central announcing that they have successfully acquired the High Stakes Poker brand, including all the assets – including previous seasons – and will be bringing new series of the classic show to fans in the coming months.

To say High Stakes Poker was an instant classic is an understatement. When it burst onto TV screens via the Game Show Network in 2006, players such as Daniel Negreanu, Doyle Brunson, Phil Hellmuth and Gus Hansen virtually jumped out of the TV screen. The action was fast, the stakes were so high they interfered with the ceiling fan and poker fans were hooked from episode 1:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJduAUIN29A

With the show lasting for seven seasons, the first run of the show ended in 2011, a full nine years ago. However, with other shows such as Poker After Dark relaunching successfully on PokerGO, it’s clear that there is a huge audience for the older show formats that have lain dormant for too long.

Poker Central have come to the rescue again.

High Stakes Poker was the daddy of the cash game poker shows, with players often getting into massive raising wars during a period where attacking poker seemed to get bigger and better with every series. If anything, Black Friday and 2011 symbolises why High Stakes Poker ended, as a new era of poker took over.

Poker Central’s resurrection of the series has been hugely popular with poker fans, of course, but two stars of the show the first time it aired have already put their names forward for the list of luminaries expected to turn out this time around.

First, Phil Hellmuth put his name down…

…before his frenemy Daniel Negreanu threw his hat into the ring too.

With Poker Central currently putting together their plans for the relaunch of High Stakes Poker, the old episodes will be transferring from sites such as YouTube to their PokerGO subscription service, which offers poker fans 24/7 access when they pay a subscription fee.

Brand new episodes will premiere on PokerGO in the months that lie ahead, but while that statement sounds loose, Poker Central have a very quick turnaround usually in post-production and it might not be long before we see brand new High Stakes Poker. Straight after The World Series of Poker? It makes sense to us.

Sam Simmons, Poker Central’s President, is clearly delighted about the return of one of poker’s most iconic shows. In a statement on their site, he said:

“High Stakes Poker was a remarkable poker program. With star players, massive pots, and memorable moments, the show beautifully conveys the drama of cash game poker. Bringing the existing episodes of High Stakes Poker to our platform and producing more in the future will enable us to recapture the nostalgia and magic of the show for our PokerGO subscribers in the present-day poker climate.”

High Stakes Poker was a huge success when it was first broadcast and was one of the most naturally compelling poker shows in history, maybe the most compelling. As a guide to how successful the original series was, the original buy-in was $100,000 and in the next three seasons, went up to an eye-watering $500,000 by Season Four.

We can’t wait to see just how big the game gets when High Stakes Poker returns. We’ll let you know just as soon as its back on CalvinAyre.