High Stakes Poker rumored to be canceled

Is the popular poker TV show High Stakes Poker on the way out?

That's what numerous poker blogs including WickedChops and Pokerati are reporting. Apparently GSN has yet to renew the program at a time when it is usually filming new episodes.

Pokerati quoted co-host AJ Benza as saying:

"Far as Gabe and I know... the show isn't coming back. Apparently... the network is going to go in a different direction and that aint good news for our show, especially since we skew a higher-aged audience.

Never mind that we're the network's No. 1 show. Still and all, no one calls us from the network to say squat. Only Kevin Bellincoff checks in periodically, but it just don't seem like good news. If you ask me... They're treating us like s**t. All we ever did was make them a bunch of money."

High Stakes Poker featured professional poker's most well-known players buying in with their own money for $100,000 or more and trying to get the best of each other. The show kicked off in 2006 and has been running for four seasons with 13 episodes in each episode. The commentators were Gabe Kaplan and Benza. Many poker forum members regard it as the best poker show on TV.

The last season was one of the most entertaining yet. The highlights included Phil Hellmuth bluffing Mike Matusow out of a massive pot with nothing but 7-2 and the largest pot in the history of High Stakes Poker, with Patrik Antonius going head-to-head with Sammy Farha for $998,000 pot.

One of the purported reasons for GSN's lack of interest in renewing the show is the departure of former GSN company president Rich Cronin, who championed poker shows on the network.

Many are wondering what the cancellation of High Stakes Poker would mean for GSN's other famous poker show - the World Poker Tour.

Written by Arthur Crowson

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