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It is not common that you can walk into a local card room and find a high stakes poker game (unless of course you live in Vegas). There are literally hundreds of high stakes online poker sites. Limits can get as high as $500/$1000, which is not likely to be found anywhere else except for the Internet. High Stakes Poker is an American cash game poker television program which was originally broadcast by the cable television network GSN and is now shown on PokerGO.The poker variant played on the show is no limit Texas hold 'em.The first 4 seasons ran from January 16, 2006, to December 17, 2007. The next 3 seasons ran from March 1, 2009, to May 21, 2011, and was simulcast in 3DTV on N3D. Start really small. Many players are surprised by the quality of play in $25 and $50 games online. This fan-favorite poker cash game television show started it all. With minimum buy-ins of $100,000, enjoy the wildest high-stakes action highlighted by the biggest players, including Doyle Brunson, Daniel Negreanu, Barry Greenstein, and Antonio Esfandiari. Watch classic seasons.

'High Stakes Poker' was back last night on PokerGO, but in a departure from the past few episodes, it featured a mostly new crew of players.

Gone were the likes of Tom Dwan and Jason Koon, who were at the center of much of the prior action, and in their places were Phil Ivey and Doug Polk, making a rare appearance outside his favored online battleground. A few holdovers like Phil Hellmuth and Jake Daniels were back, though.

Action started off at $200/$400 and pretty much without a straddle the entire time.

Here's how stacks looked early on:

How To Play High Stakes Poker Rdr2

Hellmuth Bluffed Off of Kings

Hellmuth opened the action with a limp from early position holding . He opted not to spring the trap preflop, though, just calling when James Bord popped it to $2,000 a couple of seats over in the cutoff with .

Everyone else folded, and the flop came . Bord continued with a decent-sized bet of $3,000 and Hellmuth stuck around for the turn. Hellmuth checked again and Bord barreled big with $15,000, more than the $11K pot.

'I'm just gonna bluff it off now,' he declared.

'This kinda doesn't feel fair,' Hellmuth griped. 'Man. I almost stuck the whole hundred [thousand] in before the flop.'

'I wish you did.'

'I don't have anything at all,' Hellmuth said, flashing the kings and mucking.

'Good fold,' Bord said, casually tossing in his rags, much to the delight of the rest of the players.

'Good play Bordy,' Hellmuth allowed.

Bluffing into a Straight Flush

Hellmuth limped in late position with , Brandon Steven made it $2,100 in the small blind with , and Bord called with in the big.

Hellmuth let them go heads up to . Steven bet $3,000 and Bord called. Steven nailed the on the turn and bet again with $5,000. Bord responded with a sizable raise to $17,000. Steven stuck around with a slowplay but Bord didn't put any more money in on the river, so Steven cursed and showed his nutted hand with a smile to win the $45K pot.

'Didn't have another barrel in ya, huh?' he asked.

'I had value,' Bord replied.

Old-Fashioned Three-Barrel from Dwan

Steven opened to $1,100 early with and faced a three-bet to $4,000 from Dwan, who had recently sat with what looked like $100K, on the button with .

He peeled and they went to a flop of . Dwan flicked in a $5,000 chip and they continued to the . Steven check-called another barrel of $14,000, and the river bricked off with the . Dwan had $62K left, a bit over the pot, but he opted for a smaller bet of $30,000.

Steven snapped it off and Dwan could only shake his head and show his bricked combo draw, with Steven winning a pot worth $107,000, the biggest of the session thus far.

Aces Cracked?

John Andress took Phil Ivey's seat and hadn't been down long before he looked at the dream: on the button. Bord already had opened to $1,100 with , so Andress made it $3,500.

They went heads up to . Andress bet small with $2,500 and Bord check-raised to $10,000. Andress peeled and the turn was a . Bord fired a pot-sized bet of $30,000 and Andress continued to the river, which brought the .

Andress had only about $57K left with almost $90K in the pot, and he snap-called it off when Bord shoved. Bord knew immediately something had gone wrong.

'A cooler then?' he asked as he tossed his sevens in. 'Yeah.'

Ship the $203,200 pot to Andress for the dreamiest start possible.

Massive Cooler

Hellmuth opened in the hijack to $1,100 with the , Bord called on the button with , and Polk tagged along out of the big blind with .

The flop arrived to give Polk and Hellmuth straights. But it was Bord putting in money with $2,000 after they checked to him. Polk made it $7,000 and Hellmuth moved all in, splashing a pile of $5,000 chips casually in there.

'How much is that?' Polk said with a smile. 'I'm almost certainly calling but let's just see how much it is first.

'This is insane. It's just such a monster raise. Phil, whaddya got over there?'

It was $97,200 and Polk winced as he continued thinking.

'Phil, I'm considering making a very big laydown here,' Polk said. 'Very, very big laydown.'

'I mean, I could easily have...' Hellmuth trailed off.

'What could you easily have?' Polk asked skeptically. 'You just bet a lot into very, very little.'

'I could have a set.'

'Could you have a set? I don't think you could have a set here. Come on Phil, you're better than that.'

'I could have the blockers, the tens.'

'God, now you're busting out blockers. If I fold this and I'm wrong, oh my f****** lord.'

How To Play High Stakes Poker Rdr2

'I mean I think I'm either dead — and I think I'm dead a lot, given this — or like, you just have a ton of equity against me. This is gonna look so dumb if this is...this is completely absurd. He has to get through him then he has to get through me. Nah, this is just a fold.'

He tossed his hand in, much to the shock of some of the other players. Steven in particular wondered how he could let it go.

'If he's got queen-ten, he's got queen-ten. Pay the man and let's go on to the next hand.'

Commentator Gabe Kaplan called it the greatest laydown in the history of the show.

Relive the hand here:

Stacks to End the Episode

Remember, High Stakes Poker will air every Wednesday but is only available to PokerGO subscribers. If you’re not currently subscribed, you can get a monthly subscription for $14.99, a three-month plan for $29.99, and an annual subscription for $99.99.

_{*Images courtesy of PokerGO.}

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Table Of Contents

Wednesday's latest 'High Stakes Poker' episode on PokerGO was a doozy, featuring what will undoubtedly go down as one of the biggest pots of the entire season. And it was one of the show's most familiar faces running well once again in the huge spot.

Here's a recap of the $400/$800/$800 action — sometimes with a $1,600 straddle — that took place at the PokerGO Studio.

Early Cooler Irritates Bellande

The show opened with a bit of a cooler right off the bat as Tom Dwan opened with and was called by Jean-Robert Bellande, who had in the big blind, and Bryn Kenney, with in the straddle.

Dwan continued for $9,000, just over half the pot, on the flop that gave him the nuts. Bellande made it $31,000, Dwan raised it back, and JRB jammed for $167K. Dwan obviously called.

'That's a cold flop,' Brandon Steven observed.

'Yeah, ya think so?' Bellande retorted.

Dwan won both runouts to drag $352K and couldn't contain his smile as Bellande groused about his poor luck.

High Stakes Poker Youtube

'What a surprise that the number one cooler of the day, I'm on the shit end of it,' he said.

Bellande Feeling Better

The other side of variance showed up for Bellande in the next big pot. Dwan limped under the gun with , Bellande made it $7,000 to go in the cutoff with , and Rick Salomon called with in the small blind. Brandon Steven woke up with in the big blind and raised to $24,000. Dwan ducked out of the way but the other two called.

Steven bet $37,000 when he hit top pair on the flop and Bellande played it slow with a call. Bellande had $138K left to play on the turn. With $147,600 in the middle, Steven bet $77,000 and called the rest.

'Still complaining now, John?' Steven asked.

'I do feel a lot better,' he allowed.

Kenney Turns Top Pair into a Bluff

Kenney opened to $2,500 under the gun with . Steven three-bet a couple of seats over with to $8,500 and Kenney called.

Steven found his three-outer and more on the flop. Kenney double-checked his cards then fired in a check-raise to $35,000. Steven peeled, bringing the . Kenney continued for $69,000 and Steven called again. On the river, Kenney put in a third barrel of $147,000 into the $227,000 pot.

Steven sighed and stretched back in his seat, muttering that Kenney had the in his hand. He said he didn't think he was going to call and he did toss in his cards.

Kenney asked if he had worse than an overpair and Steven said better than an overpair.

'I had you?' he asked.

Kenney smiled and nodded.

The $985K Pot

With the straddle back on, Salomon opened to $4,000 second to act with . Steven called with and Dwan came along with on the button. Lynne Ji called as well with in the big blind and Bellande woke up with in the straddle. He made it $11,000, the next two players called, and Dwan put in $54,000.

Ji went all in for $163,000, JRB instantly followed suit for $399,000, and Salomon and Stevens finally mucked.

Dwan covered both players and thought awhile before chucking in a stack of chips.

The players agreed to run it three times for both the main and side pots. Dwan had already dodged a few cards because of Steven and Kenney throwing aces away, along with the king that Petrangelo had mucked. Here's how the boards rolled off:

• First board:
• Second board:
• Third board:

Everything worked out perfectly right Dwan, right down to the last five being dead to take away an out on the final run.

Busted, Ji and Bellande headed for the doors and left two seats open. Jason Koon filled one immediately.

Massive Pot Between Kenney and Dwan

Kenney opened early to $2,500 with and got action from Steven and his in the cutoff before Dwan made it $12,000 with on the button.

They went three ways for that price to . Dwan continued for $22,000 and Kenney called, bringing a . Kenney checked again, this time calling a barrel worth $55,000. On the , Kenney checked again. Dwan bet $95,000.

This time, Kenney cut out a raise to $285,000. Dwan rubbed his face as he thought for awhile before he finally mustered up a fold. Kenney smiled and showed the as Dwan muttered about his 'stupid f****** river bet.'

'Three of diamonds,' Dwan accurately guessed.

Remember, High Stakes Poker will air every Wednesday but is only available to PokerGO subscribers. If you’re not currently subscribed, you can get a monthly subscription for $14.99, a three-month plan for $29.99, and an annual subscription for $99.99.

_{*Images courtesy of PokerGO.}

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