Of all the poker television shows that have flooded into the market over the past couple of years, I have found one that I believe tops them all. High Stakes Poker on the Game Show Network features some of the top pros and amateurs coming together to play a $300/$600 no limit Texas hold'em cash game. What's the difference between this show and other poker shows you see on television? Well, for starters the cash and chips that you see on the table are the players' actual money, not tournament chips. So when you see someone making a $50,000 raise on this show, that's actually $50,000 he's dropping in the middle of the table. Needless to say, pots can get pretty huge and you do see some big hands go down. If a player loses all of his/her money, they can just reload on the spot and buy additional chips. One of the things I appreciate about this show is the laid back atmosphere that's created around the game despite the large amounts of money at stake. Players drink, play and chat with each other casually. Plus, if one player leaves, another one comes and takes the former player's spot, giving the show a little variety. It's nice to see a lot of these pros come together in a casual environment playing some pretty competitive poker while getting a glimpse into some of their personalities outside of tournament play. And just to show you how big the pots can be, here's a clip of the biggest pot shown thus far.
