Big money and competitive action are the hallmarks of Game Show Network's
popular poker series "High Stakes Poker" and fans will be
looking forward to January 15 when season three airs at 9 pm Eastern
Time.
13 episodes of the show were filmed at the South Point Casino in Las
Vegas for High Stakes Poker 3, which will run on consecutive Mondays
at 9pm, with repeats at 2 am the next day and on the following Thursday,
again at 9pm.
To help viewers get in the mood and refresh their memories, a one
hour special titled "The Best of High Stakes Poker" will
precede the start of season 3 on January 15.
Pre-publicity material from GSN says that the show features the heavy
hitters of poker actually playing with their own bankrolls. "The
action is always fast and furious, with some of the pots exceeding
what most Americans pay for their homes," it claims. "For
example, in the second season, Daniel Negreanu lost the largest pot
in the show's history when his full house ran into Gus Hansen's quads.
Hansen won $575 000 in that hand alone."
High Stakes players have to put at risk at least $100 000 on the buy-in,
but many of them double that. The stress and intensity that the large
amounts of money produce makes it one of the best poker shows on television.
The popularity of the show has meant that video clips of outstanding
hands find their way onto the Internet; one
7 minute clip of a Hansen/Negreanu confrontation which was posted
on YouTube was viewed well over 200 000 times, and special podcasts
can be obtained via iTunes.
This year, 2006 World Series of Poker Champion Jamie Gold is a newcomer
to the game. He joins 2006 WSOP runner-up Paul Wasicka, Phil Ivey,
WSOP champ Chris Ferguson, Patrik Antonius, David Benyamine, John
D'Agostino, Victor Ramdin, David Williams, Bill Chen, Dan Harmetz,
Dan Shak, Illya Trincher, and Brian Townsend.
Players from the first two seasons will also be in action again, including
Mike "The Mouth" Matusow, Doyle and Todd Brunson, Negreanu,
Sean Sheikhan, Eli Elezra, Antonio Esfandiari, Jennifer Harman, Phil
Laak, Sam Farha, Barry Greenstein, Erick Lindgren, Daniel Alaei, and
Brad Booth.