Stacking Up The Odds

Your life can change in seconds. A decision to do something or not significantly affects the rest of your life, or at least the outcome of a particular situation. Such principle is true in poker where a moment's hesitation can be read by an opponent and might mean losing the game and your cash in the process. While this situation may be scary to think of, it is on the other hand, just really exciting to watch. Just imagine you could see professional poker players test each other's game and skill all to win the pot. GSN, a cable network, has brought this excitement to television with its show, High Stakes Poker.

The show features poker players competing in a no limit Texas Hold 'Em game where current buy-in is at $200,000. Already on its fifth season, this show has continued to capture the attention and interest of its audience.

In all of the seasons so far, games and rounds have been held in hotels around Las Vegas. The first season was taped in the Golden Nugget and was aired in January 2006. During the first season, the show was made up of 13 episodes. In the following season, there were 16 episodes, 3 more than the previous one.

GSN's High Stakes Poker is hosted by AJ Benza with Gabe Kaplan as the game analyst. Kaplan, as poker enthusiasts might know, was a professional poker player and was the star of Welcome Back, Kotter. With these two at the helm of hosting and analyzing the game, the audience is treated to insightful commentary which, in turn, serves as tips on how to play like the pros.

There are a lot of interesting twists in High Stakes Poker. Primarily, the most interesting is that in the fifth season, the show has recorded the largest minimum buy-in at $200,000. Another unique thing about this show is that it does not take place in a tournament but rather, a ring game with really high stakes. Chips used in the game represent actual cash, unlike regular poker tournaments. Players who lose their buy-in are allowed to buy back at $50, 000 minimum. They can also use cash as well as poker chips while they are playing. The cash used in the game stay as cash and will not be converted into chips. Blinds and antes in High Stakes Poker also remain at a fixed rate, another unique feature of the poker game show.

While other poker shows feature just professional poker players, High Stakes Poker includes poker players of all levels. While big names like Daniel Negreanu are participating, amateurs like Jerry Buss, Bob Safai and Fred Chamanara also join the game.

With interesting changes and a pot reaching staggering amounts, it's no wonder that people are hooked on this show. Though producers targetted a younger demographic for this season, it can be safely said that poker as a game of risk and strategy is one of the most riveting things to watch on cable television.