Poker is a fun game to play but it can also be thrilling to watch. In the last couple of years, there have been many shows where professional poker players and wealthy amateurs battled for enormous sums of cash.
Nowadays the coverage of poker changed a little but one thing is constant: people still enjoy watching poker and there’s plenty of poker to watch. So whether you’d like to sharpen your game and see professional players incorporating GTO lines in real life, or you’re more into crazy cash games where a lot of weird stuff is going on, there’s something out there for your taste.
So, what poker shows to watch and where to watch them?
PokerGO: courtesy of Poker Central
Poker Central is an American poker website founded by businessman and poker aficionado Cary Katz. The site focuses primarily on news and coverage of games both in the USA and worldwide. It also operates its own streaming service, which you might have already heard about, PokerGO.
PokerGO is a content platform that offers a variety of poker-related stuff. In fact, its library is so vast that probably no other service can rival PokerGO at the moment. Everything is available on demand. Most importantly, PokerGO provides live coverage for a number of the most widely known and prestigious tournaments, including the World Series of Poker, US Poker Open, and Super High Roller Bowl.
In most of the streamed events, the stakes are really high as we’re talking buy-ins ranging from $10,000 to as much as $500,000. Such high-stake poker attracts elite players from all over the world. As a result, you can watch top poker pros playing as close to perfection as humanly possible.
Right now there are few poker TV shows that could rival such an in-depth look at poker professionals battling it out for the highest stakes.
Speaking of high stakes, we can’t forget one of the most essential poker tv shows ever made.
High Stakes Poker
High Stakes Poker is a show with a very long and rich history. Its first episode aired in early 2006, over 16 years ago! Over the first few seasons, it was a truly unique show for its time, showing a real cash game for hundreds of thousands of dollars (minimum buy-in was initially $100,000, which was raised on a few occasions to $200,000 and $500,000).
While today these stakes are not that impressive, back in its glory days High Stakes Poker was the show to watch. Shot in the opulent interiors of Las Vegas casinos, it included the most notable names in the poker community back then: Daniel Negreanu, Phil Ivey, Phil Hellmuth, Doyle Brunson, Patrik Antonius, and the list goes on.
Good times for HSP ended in the wake of the infamous April 15, 2011, later dubbed Black Friday. On that day the biggest companies in the poker world, Poker Stars and Full Tilt Poker were forced to cease any US operations which changed the poker landscape in the United States for years to come.
The legend of High Stakes Poker lived on, though. In 2020 the beloved show was brought back to life for its eighth season. And it’s still going strong. The latest series of high-stakes cash games under the HSP name was aired in the first half of 2024.
All ten seasons of High Stakes Poker are available on PokerGO, and we’ll probably see more in the future.
Poker After Dark
Poker After Dark is another TV show with a long history. It premiered on January 1, 2007, and just like HSP, was canceled in Black Friday’s aftermath.
Over its initial seven-season run Poker After Dark showcased different poker formats, including cash games, heads-up play, and even some Pot Limit Omaha. Most of the time, though, it was a six-player sit-and-go with $20,000 buy-in and $120,000 for the winner. Check our article on which poker format to choose in 2024.
Apart from the ever-changing formats, Poker After Dark was designed to provide a more intimate look at the game. The show was (and still is in its newest incarnation) commentated by Ali Nejad, who does not elaborate on the hands, allowing the table talk to be heard by viewers.
Just like the High Stakes Poker, Poker After Dark was brought back to life after a few years of hiatus. The eighth season featured a mix of professional poker players battling out in high-stakes cash game format and the sit & go formula known from the earlier iterations of the show.
Right now, every Poker After Dark episode is available on PokerGO as well. As of writing this article, you can watch the last few seasons on GGPoker’s YouTube channel.
Twitch’s & YouTube’s rise to fame
While High Stakes Poker and Poker After Dark ignited the imagination of recreational players aspiring to be professionals, the shows’ influence probably doesn’t even come close to the popularity that YouTube and Twitch channels have nowadays.
Every day hundreds of players, from seasoned pros to aspiring recreationals, stream their game online, mainly on Twitch, providing a rich insight into what’s going on in their heads. Therefore it’s a common pastime to watch skilled players duke it out on the final tables with thousands of dollars in prize money.
What’s really appealing in Twitch streams is that you can communicate with the players you watch. Despite some delay, which is necessary while streaming the hole cards, most streamers are happy to interact with their chat, which helps them grow a dedicated community. Also, cheering for someone and then watching them win a lot of money is a lot of fun.
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Moreover, a lot of big tournaments happening out there are streaming the action both from live and online felts. Twitch and YouTube streams are accessible and offer a peek at the big games for free, spreading the love for poker among new viewers.
From smaller casinos to European Poker Tour, there is a lot of live poker action happening almost every day on YouTube and Twitch.
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It’s an excellent time for poker TV shows
Broadcasts of high-level poker and highly entertaining poker games are now easier to find than ever. Never before has an average player had a chance to watch such quality content with so little hassle. Undoubtedly it’s a great time to watch this fascinating game.
It’s also a great time to play poker, as there is still a lot of money to be won. If you would like to level up your game, why don’t you try our offer? We’ve coached hundreds of successful poker players who’ve won millions of dollars. Join our supportive community on Discord and see it for yourself.