The allure of high-risk wagers can entice individuals to gamble amounts exceeding their financial comfort zones. Yet, the spectre of substantial losses can also cast their shadow over these high-stakes ventures.
This hand sees Gold bet his KK against Antonius’ AJ, creating an all-in pot of over $1 million. Both players agree to run this one four times.
The Thrills and Spills of High Stakes Poker
Featured in the iconic 90s movie of the same name, Rounders offers viewers a fictional look into the world of high-stakes poker. The film follows a group of friends who compete against each other in underground high-stakes poker games in Sin City.
Rainer Kempe, who ranks 19th in the GPI top cash winners, has won over $7.5m competing in these events. He says that he doesn’t see these tournaments drying up anytime soon.
Talal Shakerchi also agrees that these games are good for poker. He feels that the fact that players don’t have 100% of their action makes them more likely to invest in each other and take pieces of each other’s action.
Season 1
A new line-up leads to big pots and big bluffs in this episode. It starts off rocky for Jean-Robert Bellande, but then he begins to wake up with some big hands. Damien LeForbes, Michael Schwimer and Rick Salomon are dealt some big hits as well.
Tom Dwan gets off to a hot start in this episode as he wins two big pots. But his luck takes a turn when Eric Persson flops the nuts in one of the biggest pots of the season. Then DoorDash Co-Founder Stanley Tang goes on a heater and puts Garrett Adelstein in a preflop battle with pocket kings.
Season 2
There’s nothing like looking down at a big pocket pair, and Daniel Negreanu gets to do just that in this episode. He’s not the only one to get lucky at the table, as Jean-Robert Bellande flops a set for the third time in a row before losing to Ferdinand Putra’s lucky river card.
The heat is on as the players battle over huge pots in this season-opener. Eric Persson has an up-and-down night while Dennis Phillips and Lex Veldhuis make their High Stakes Poker debuts. But the best hand may be the one in which Gus Hansen and Steve Gold create a $1,227,900 pot before getting schooled by Doyle Brunson.
Season 3
The third season of High Stakes Poker is packed with jaw-dropping pot sizes and thrilling battles. Whether it’s friendly banter or legitimate tension, the players’ interaction is what makes High Stakes Poker the pinnacle of poker television.
The action heats up on this episode as Jean-Robert Bellande looks down at pocket aces not once, but twice! Eric Persson flops the nuts twice but also gives back to Bellande in two spots. Stanley Tang goes on a heater and puts DoorDash Co-Founder Krish Menon in a spot with a set, while Bryn Kenney and Patrik Antonius go to war in one of the biggest pots of the season.
Season 4
The stakes are raised even more on this episode of High Stakes Poker as Doyle Brunson slow plays cowboys to huge pots. Freddy Deeb, Sammy Farha, Mimi Tran, Bob Stupak and Daniel Negreanu are all at the table.
Big pots and back-and-forth banter between players is the order of the day on this episode of High Stakes Poker. Mike Matusow picks up pocket aces and Antonio Esfandiari gets picked on as this lineup battles for a monster pot.
Eric Persson joins the action on this episode of High Stakes Poker, but his luck soon takes a turn. This high-stakes game also features a massive pot between Rob Yong and Charles Yu.
Season 5
The fifth season of High Stakes Poker premiered on GSN this week. It features a mix of veteran talent, including Barry Greenstein, Doyle Brunson, and Eli Elezra, as well as young players such as Tom Dwan, Peter Eastgate, and Ilari Sahamies.
Yong wraps up Episode 3 by taking down the biggest pot of the night with his AK against Robl’s KK. Yong wisely downsized his preflop bet to avoid getting exploited by his opponent.
One thing that all the top players have in common is a constant desire to learn and improve. They try different poker variations and tweak their bet sizing to optimize their chances of winning.
