During the poker boom years, high stakes action meant watching poker celebrities battle in pots measured in 6 or even 7 figures. The likes of Phil Ivey, Gus Hansen, Tom ‘Durrrr’ Dwan and Patrik Antonius were regulars in online games which came to be known as ‘nosebleed stakes’. While Black Friday and the temporary closure of Full Tilt Poker saw the highest stakes games take a hit, there are still big money poker games online today.

1. High Stakes Poker Sites
2. High Stakes Poker Rooms
3. High Stakes Poker Online
4. Watch High Stakes Poker
5. Bellagio High Stakes Poker Room

High Stakes Poker is a cash game poker television program which was broadcast by the cable television network GSN in the United States. The poker variant played on the show is no limit Texas hold. High stakes poker sites are not for the fearful. Hundreds of thousands of dollars can be won or lost in a single poker hand, usually being commented on by railbirds in the chat box. Multiple high stakes poker rooms exist to accommodate those who dare to wager so much. We’ve listed them here, with our favorites at the top. Our Top Recommended Sites. Payout Speed 5 Days. # of easy players: Lots. Devices: Test Drive Intertops Poker. Payment options: #2. 100% Bonus up to $2000. Payout Speed 5 Days. # of easy players: Average. Devices: Test Drive Ignition Poker.

Instead of blinds in the $1000’s, you will now find the high stakes action capping out at $50 / $100 at most sites. When you consider average buy-ins for these games are $10,000, this is still very high stakes for most of us. While the roster of pros regularly changes, with new faces coming through all the time – there is still plenty to learn from ‘railing’ these games.

High Stakes Poker Sites

This page shows you where to find the high stakes action, for both US and international players.

Top 5 Poker Sites with High Stakes Action

High Stakes Poker Action for International Players

PokerStars bought out Full Tilt Poker, which used to be their fiercest rival – and have since merged the games of the two sites. As the biggest poker site by a considerable margin, you’ll find the most higher stakes players here. There are plenty of real-money games at the mid to high level, with buy-ins ranging from $1000 and up. You will find the biggest names at tables with blinds of up to $100 / $200. These include sponsored pros such as Daniel Negreanu.
The high stakes poker action is not limited to NL Holdem cash games. You will find Pot Limit Omaha, and Zoom Poker (a fast-fold poker variant) and mixed games tables on offer. High buy-in tournaments can also be found. The biggest of these have a buy-in of $10,000+, and run during events such as the World Championship of Online Poker.

There are plenty of reasons beyond the biggest buy-in games to play at PokerStars. These include industry leading software, an excellent player rewards scheme and the biggest prize regular tournament in the form of the ‘Sunday Million’.

High Stakes Poker for US Players

Banking restrictions mean that online poker sites welcoming US players are based offshore. Ignition Poker is the biggest of the offshore poker sites – and has built up significant traffic. You can play reasonably high stake poker games here, though as you will see this site is not the best place to watch these games to learn from the pros.
NL Holdem games can be found with blinds up to $10 / $20 – with a buy-in of $2000. You will find that all the games at Ignition Poker are played without permanent screen names. These anonymous games are used to discourage the use of 3rd party tracking tools, keeping the games softer for recreational players. While this makes it difficult to know who is playing in the high buy-in games – it does not stop the action being intense in those games.

Playing high stakes games at a US friendly site involves getting your money on board. Deposit options at Ignition Poker include credit cards, money transfer services and Bitcoin. You’ll be able to withdraw from this site via paper checks.

Reasons to Check Out High Stakes Poker Games

Nobody would argue that watching the highest buy-in poker games is entertaining. It can also be educational. When you see a showdown, you can backtrack through the hand and get a real insight into the thinking processes of players that have mastered the game. It is often difficult not to be impressed by their fearless style of play – especially if you are used to the loose / passive limping of small stake players.

Watching the biggest games can also be motivational. All the players you are watching swap pots of $10,000 or more will have started off in the smaller stakes games.

You will also have the opportunity to take a shot at high stakes tournaments – via satellite qualifiers. Buy-ins which are outside of your normal bankroll level will usually have a series of qualifier tournaments. These often work in stages, giving players a shot at a ticket for a $500 buy-in game for an outlay of just a few dollars.
The road to the high stakes tables starts off with building a poker bankroll. Choosing sites with the best reward programs or cash-back offers can help boost your returns. Selecting the fishiest games will also help to increase your hourly rate.

More About High Roller Poker Sites

High stakes poker sites are fun to play at because they give you a chance to watch the high stakes pros battle it out with $100,000+ stacks in real time action. It’s also cool to know that if you grow your bankroll large enough, you’ll be able to join the high stakes tables one day yourself.

If you’re planning on making a large deposit at any of these online poker sites, it’s recommended that you contact their customer support team first. Most deposit methods have limits on the amount of money that can be deposited in a single day, week and month. With the help of the customer support team, you can increase your deposit limits and talk about alternative deposit methods.

Withdrawals are handled in much the same manner for high stakes players. A popular withdrawal method for large sums is the wire transfer straight from Full Tilt Poker to your bank account. Some high roller poker sites may ask for proof of your identity, but that’s completely understandable given the large sums of money.

Table Of Contents

Wednesday's latest 'High Stakes Poker' episode on PokerGO was played as $400/$800 no-limit hold'em and featured a new lineup. Among those in action were Phil Ivey, Phil Hellmuth, and venture capitalist and former Facebook executive Chamath Palihapitiya, just to name a few.

Below is a look at five of the biggest and most interesting hands from the new episode.

Here’s how things stacked up at the top of the broadcast:

Daniels vs. Ivey – Flopping the Nuts

High Stakes Poker Rooms

Jake Daniels raised to $2,200 under the gun holding the and Ivey just called with the next to act. Tom Dwan came along from the button, both blinds folded, and the flop came down to give Daniels the nuts. He led out for $1,300, Ivey called, and Dwan got out of the way.

On the turn, Daniels upped his bet to $7,300 and Ivey once again called. With $25,800 in the pot, the completed the board on the river and Daniels overbet it by tossing out $30,000. Ivey thought long and hard before folding and giving up on the $55,800 pot.

Ivey eyed up Daniels, who shot him a smile and then tabled his hand.

“Ooof,” Ivey responded.

The show then showed a little interview with Ivey. “I’m happy to be back. It’s a good feeling, but it’s just the beginning. I’m looking forward to playing a lot more TV events and starting to play a lot more tournaments when they come back, and just getting back out there and starting to play poker from a different perspective.”

Ivey vs. Dwan – Classic Battle

Ivey raised to $2,500 with the in the cutoff and Dwan called from the small blind with the . After Brandon Adams folded from the big, it was heads-up action to the flop, which gave both players bottom pair.

Action went check-check and the case peeled off on the turn. Dwan checked, Ivey bet $2,500, and Dwan check-raised to $10,500. Ivey called and that inspired Hellmuth to chime in with, “Classic battle.”

The river was of no consequence and Dwan bet $21,000. Ivey called and watched the $69,600 pot pushed to Dwan, who won it thanks to his ace kicker.

Ivey vs. Adams – Set Up with the Ladies

Ivey raised to $2,000 from the hijack with the and Palihapitiya called next to act holding the . Dwan came along from the button with the and Brandon Adams from the small blind with the . Hellmuth ditched his hand in the big blind and it was four ways to the flop, which came down .

Adams checked top pair with the nut flush draw and Ivey continued for $7,000 after making middle set. Both Palihapitiya and Dwan folded before Adams called to see the turn. Adams checked and then called when Ivey bet $22,000.

The river was not was Adams was hoping for and he checked to Ivey, who bet $50,000. Adams wasted little time in folding his hand and Ivey took down the $117,600 pot.

Not long after, the current stacks were flashed on the screen:

Hellmuth vs. Dwan – Poker Brat Gets River Value

Hellmuth looked down at the under the gun, raised to $1,600, and picked up five callers, including Dwan with the in the small blind. When the flop came down , Dwan led out for $5,500 with top pair, Adams folded the big blind, and Hellmuth popped it to $17,000.

Action folded back to Dwan and he called to see the turn. Both players checked, the completed the board on the river, and Dwan checked to Hellmuth, who bet $18,000. Dwan didn’t seem excited about putting in the calling chips, but he did so nonetheless. Ship the $80,400 pot to the “Poker Brat.”

Hernandez vs. Daniels – Boat Stays Afloat

In the last hand of the episode, Lazaro Hernandez raised to $2,400 from the button with the and Daniels three-bet to $8,000 with the in the small blind. Hernandez called and flopped a full boat when the appeared on the flop.

Hernandez checked out of turn before calling a bet of $5,600 from Daniels, who turned a pair when the peeled off. Daniels bet again, this time $13,700, and Hernandez just called to the river.

High Stakes Poker Online

Daniels bet for the third time by tossing out $30,000, and Hernandez paused for a bit before min-raising to $60,000. Daniels quickly called only to muck when Hernandez tabled the full house to claim the $176,200 pot.

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.

Watch High Stakes Poker

_{*Images courtesy of PokerGO.}

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