Can the PokerStars.net Big Game challenge High Stakes Poker?

GSN’s popular poker show High Stakes Poker is picking up some competition in the form of PokerStars and Fox, called The Big Game. The show’s format follows a similar model to High Stakes Poker in that it is a deep-stack cash game -The buy-in is $100,000, with $200/$400 blinds and a $100 ante-and will feature some of the biggest poker names in the world.

Where the show differs is the addition of a “Loose Cannon” player, otherwise known as an online qualifier from PokerStars. The “Loose Cannon” is given $100,000 by PokerStars and is able to keep any winnings they make from the show, and is off the hook for any losses they incur.

Some other interesting innovations that will be implemented in PokerStars.net The Big Game –to close any loopholes that the amateur, playing with house money, could take advantage of are:

• The game is played short-handed, with five pros and the online qualifier, and is played pot-limit before the flop and no limit after the flop -to prevent the amateur player from shoving all-in pre-flop.
• Each session must be a minimum of 150 hands -which is to prevent the amateur from getting up quickly and then stalling.
• The amateur winning the most money at the end of the season will receive an additional prize as an incentive to continue to play hands when they are up -instead of turning into a rock.

The first episode of The Big Game will air on Fox, June 14^th (check local listings for airtimes), with the first lineup including Daniel Negreanu, Doyle Brunson, Tony G, Phil Laak, Phil Hellmuth, and online qualifier Ernest Wiggins.

In a leaked video there is a huge all-in confrontation where Wiggins puts a horrible beat on Hellmuth (actually 3 horrible beats, because the two decided to run it four times) and the usual hilarity ensues -especially with such vocal, and animated, players as Tony G, Phil Laak, and Daniel Negreanu at the table. Despite the needling and high-fives, perhaps the greatest reaction to the hand’s outcome comes from the stoic Doyle Brunson, who after 50 years of poker can still be surprised and amused by the outcome of a hand -The beat is so shocking it’s likely the first time any of the players have seen anything of this magnitude-and of course the fact that it’s Phil Hellmuth on the losing end only makes it more interesting.

There will be a total of six episodes, with a new online qualifier in each episode, and will feature a revolving group of Poker Pros -most of whom are PokerStars sponsored players: Chau Giang, Antonio Esfandiari, Todd Brunson, Scott Seiver, Isaac Haxton, Joe Cada, Vanessa Rousso, Jason mercier, David Williams, Barry Greenstein, Justin Bonomo, Andrew Robl, Lex Veldhuis, Eugene Katchalov, Abe Mosseri, Daniel Alaei, Joe Cassidy, Rick Rahim, Prahlad Friedman, Dani Stern, Jason Calcanis and David Peate.