Poker Central Planning High Stakes Poker Reboot After Acquiring Branding Rights

February 5th, 2020 | by Greg Shaun

Poker Central has acquired the rights to High Stakes Poker and it’s already planning to bring back the popular show.

High Stakes Poker is set for a return after Poker Central acquired the rights to the popular show. (Image: Reelgood)

The company behind streaming service PokerGo announced it’s latest move on Feb. 4. Under the terms of the deal, Poker Central now has ownership of the brand name High Stakes Poker as well as its assets.

In practice, this means old episodes of the show will be available to stream on PokerGo. What’s more, Poker Central is planning to produce a new series that will air at an as yet undetermined date.

An Industry Icon Returns

The return of High Stakes Poker will strike a chord with long-time fans of the game.

During the heyday of online poker, the show became must-watch TV for players around the world. With the likes of Phil Ivey, Doyle Brunson and Tom Dwan all in action, High Stakes Poker broke the mold.

When the original four seasons aired in 2006 and 2007, the stakes TV viewers had never seen live cash games played at the highest level. Although major tournaments were already popular, few had seen the game’s elite contest six-figure pots on a regular basis.

By the time wealthy amateurs such as Guy Laliberte were drafted in (see video above), seven-figure pots were the norm.

The action was compelling and that prompted TV executives at revive the show in 2009. However, after seven seasons and 98 episodes, the show was cancelled in 2011.

Time is Right for High Stakes Poker Reboot

At the end of Season 7, it felt like the right time to call time on High Stakes Poker. Despite a new setting and the introduction of Norm Macdonald as commentator, it had lost some of its early appeal.

This, combined with the impact of Black Friday in 2011, prompted executives at GSN to end the show’s run.

Today, however, it could be the ideal time to bring back High Stakes Poker. Not only is the industry thriving once again, but the community’s appetite for big-money action is at an all-time high.

Thanks to Poker Central’s Super High Roller Bowls and Triton Poker’s live events, there’s a new appetite for nosebleed action. The new season of High Stakes Poker has the chance to capitalize on this buzz and bring a classic back to life.

Quite when Poker Central will make that happen is unclear at this stage. For now, though, you can watch the video above to see how the legends of High Stakes Poker started.