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High Stakes Poker: GSN Raises the Stakes for Poker on Television
Poker is everywhere. Casinos and cardrooms around the world are expanding their poker rooms to accommodate the throngs of people who desire to play. Casinos that long ago removed their handful of poker tables are reinstituting them. Filmmakers are creating poker-themed movies, and television sitcoms and dramas are incorporating poker games into their scripts.
Poker has become an accepted form of entertainment, a sport of sorts. It is recognized as a game that involves much more than the luck of the draw; it requires skill, intelligence, study, and dedication. Poker has gone mainstream.
Television was one of the first mediums to take a chance on poker. With coverage of the World Series of Poker for many years, even if only at odd hours and without the use of hole card cameras, poker had an audience. And when the World Poker Tour came to the small screen, it found a wider audience in a primetime slot, prompting the WSOP coverage to move to that popular evening time slot as well. Other shows followed - shows with celebrities playing against each other for charities, celebrities pitted against poker pros, and amateurs taking on the pros.
To be honest, all of the poker shows are somewhat entertaining, some more so than others. They all use the hole card cameras to allow viewers to feel as if they are a part of the action, and they all center around tournaments with big payouts.
GSN Raising the Stakes
GSN had a different vision. They wanted to add poker to their primetime lineup of shows, but they wanted to give the audience real poker action in which the chips on the table represented actual dollar amounts being bet. Further, they wanted to bring top poker players to the table, not just tournament winners but high stakes players with a genuine love for the game.
High Stakes Poker was that vision.
According to Kevin Belinkoff, VP of Programming for the network, the decision to bring poker to GSN was a long time coming. "We had discussed adding poker to our programming for some time, going back to when we changed our brand from Game Show Network to GSN, The Network for Games, in 2004," he said. "We had a lot of success with our World Series of Blackjack programming and wanted to do something distinct and unique in the poker arena. With all the tournaments on television, High Stakes Poker presents something bold and different, and has really captured a new poker audience."
They developed that bold and different show called High Stakes Poker and invited some of today's top poker players to buy in to GSN's own version of the "Big Game." Each player was requested to buy in for $100,000 of their own money, though they were given the option to bring more money to the table if they wished. They were also given the option to re-buy for a minimum of $50,000 as often as they wished during the course of the game. During the no limit hold'em game, players were given the option of playing with chips or stacks of real money, both representing the actual amounts of money being wagered.
The first game was held in a suite at the Golden Nugget in downtown Las Vegas. Players such as Doyle Brunson, Jennifer Harman, Phil Helmuth, Barry Greenstein, and Sam Farha. Daniel Negreanu stood out from the crowd by bringing a solid million dollars to the table.
The action was a bit more laid back than a typical televised tournament because most of the players seemed to be acquainted with each other. Jokes were aplenty and personal side conversations could be heard, but the main focus was on the high stakes action that was taking place on the felt. With pots ranging from several thousand dollars to over $300,000, each round was interesting to watch, to say the least.
The commentators chosen for High Stakes Poker were Gabe Kaplan and AJ Benza. Kaplan is well-known to the poker community as a long time player who has multiple tournament wins under his belt, though the rest of the world knows him as Mr. Kotter from the hit television show, "Welcome Back Kotter." Benza is no stranger to television and film, but he is not known to be a regular at the poker tables. Nevertheless, he knew the game well, and Kaplan and Benza called the action at the games with the utmost accuracy, tossing in interesting facts about the players as well as some subtle and well-timed humor.
When all was said and done, filmed, and televised, High Stakes Poker was the talk of the poker community. Audiences loved the action, the naturalness of the game, and the ease between the players. And players loved it. Negreanu called it "the best teaching tool on television," and other pros were anxious to know when the next game would take place.
High Stakes Poker was a hit.
GSN Isn't Bluffing
When the ratings came in, High Stakes Poker proved to be one of the highest rated original programs ever broadcast on GSN. With outstanding feedback from viewers and players alike, there was no question that a second game would be scheduled.
The second season of shows was filmed at The Palms Casino Resort, just off the Las Vegas Strip and is edited into 16 shows, three more than the first season. The hosts, Kaplan and Benza, returned to call the action, and many of the same players returned. Due to the show’s popularity, more poker pros wanted to join in the game for the second season, including Erick Lindgren, Phil Laak, Mike Matusow, Michael Mizrachi, and Gus Hansen.
"The game is pretty much the same," said Belinkoff of GSN’s second season of High Stakes Poker. "That's the strength of the show. But with new players and a new venue at the Palms, the game evolves on its own. Players start losing and chasing; others have to change their style of play since their game has been shown to all on television. This season is better than ever. The pots are huge, and the best part is the conversations between the players that take place at the table. It's like being a fly on the wall at the biggest game in town.”
With High Stakes Poker 2 on tap for Monday nights throughout the summer, the poker community will be abuzz with tales of big pots, risky plays, and entertaining pros. Viewers will be allowed into an exclusive world that most will never experience. To be able to live vicariously through the players on this show is priceless.
The future of poker has its skeptics, but most of us in the business of poker know its capacity for longevity and further growth. And while many networks are scrambling to air poker television shows so as not to miss out on the trend, GSN took a fresh approach to the game and confidently aired High Stakes Poker, the closest thing to a high-stakes cash game possible. It's no wonder that the show is a tremendous success.
And with the second season in progress, the world of poker has just one question for GSN. Where and when is the next game going to be?
And I have just one question. Mom, can I borrow $100,000 to play High Stakes Poker 3?
Written by Jennifer Newell.
Printed with permission from American Poker Player Magazine.
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High Stakes Poker: GSN Raises the Stakes for Poker on Television : Poker Player
