High Stakes Poker, Poker After Dark, and the WSOP Main Event all hit the public in December
A year unlike any other concludes with the poker community anticipating world-class poker content in the final month of the year. Poker fans have plenty to look forward to in December, including PokerGO content, the continuing High Stakes Feud between Doug Polk and Daniel Negreanu, and the World Series of Poker Main Event playing out in unprecedented fashion.
The following list takes a glimpse at some of the best poker content to look forward to as the 2020 holiday season plays on.
High Stakes Poker (PokerGO)
The original run of High Stakes Poker stands as one of the most popular poker shows in the modern era of the game. The high-stakes battles involving poker legends like Doyle Brunson, Sammy Farha, Tom Dwan, Phil Ivey, Jamie Gold, and many other big names from the poker boom era still capture the imaginations of fans to this day.
Poker Central announced a reboot of the classic show in September and later set the date at Dec. 16 for the first episode of the new season. This season's show, the first since 2011, takes place at the PokerGO Studio at Aria Las Vegas.
The full lineup hasn't been revealed yet, but Jean-Robert Bellande and Phil Hellmuth have been announced by PokerGO as two of the names fans will see on the 2020 edition of the show.
Tom Dwan also confirmed his participation in a preview tweet, which revealed a few other familiar faces as well:
"High Stakes poker coming back guys. Hope I run as good as last time," wrote Dwan in the tweet. The short video clip takes a quick pan around the table, revealing Hellmuth, Jason Koon. Phil Ivey, Brandon Adams, Ben Lamb, and John Andress.
Poker After Dark (PokerGO)
Like High Stakes Poker, another poker favorite from the 2000s and early 2010s, Poker After Dark also comes to PokerGO with new episodes beginning this December. The 12th season of the long-running show premiers on PokerGO on Dec. 13.
The first run of Poker After Dark played out on NBC from 2007-2011. PokerGO relaunched the series in 2017, and Season 12 marks the fifth season of the PokerGO revival of the show.
If the latter seasons of Poker After Dark give any indication, the upcoming slate of Poker After Dark episodes should be an all-star affair. Some of the names appearing on the show in its second run include Bellande, Hellmuth, Eli Elezra, Daniel Negreanu, Freedy Deeb, Nick Schulman, and a host of other big poker names.
The PokerGO Studio hosts Poker After Dark for the fifth consecutive season. Between this show and High Stakes Poker, plenty of original content awaits PokerGO subscribers in December.
High Stakes Feud (multiple channels)
High Stakes Feud, the long-awaited heads-up poker match between Negreanu and Doug Polk, debuted in November as one of the most anticipated poker battles in recent memory. The two longtime rivals are currently entrenched in a 25,000-hand No-Limit hold'em battle, with the lead going back and forth multiple times so far.
Streaming coverage of High Stakes Feud is available on multiple channels, each with different commentators. Depending on preference, poker fans can watch the battle on the Upswing Poker Twitch channel or the GGPoker Twitch stream.
Some of poker's most popular vloggers also provide their take on the heads-up challenge. Andrew Neeme has posted more than five hours worth of live stream analysis on his YouTube channel, while Joey Ingram has covered the last five days of the challenge on his YouTube channel.
The Negreanu vs. Polk battle is producing something never seen before in the poker world, with simultaneous live coverage of the same event from multiple different sources. The difference in commentary perspective among the different sources is as fascinating as the match itself.
World Series of Poker Main Event (ESPN)
The 51st Annual World Series of Poker didn't run as scheduled this year, but the 2020 Main Event will take place in an unprecedented format. GGPoker will host an international side of the event on its online poker client, while WSOP.com will offer U.S. players the opportunity to win the most coveted title in the game.
The GGPoker side of the Main Event will halt when play is down to nine players, and those nine combatants will reconvene at King's Casino in Rozvadov, Czech Republic, Dec. 16. The tournament will play as a live event from there, eventually crowning an international WSOP Main Event Champion.
The WSOP.com side of the tournament will use a similar format, with the final nine from the U.S. side of the event moving to the Rio in Las Vegas for a live final table on Dec. 28. The winner from that final nine then takes on the international champion in a heads-up match for the bracelet, convening from the Rio Dec 30.
ESPN will provide television coverage of the U.S. final table, as well as the heads-up match.
Featured image source: Twitter
