Top 10 Best Poker Shows

Poker After Dark (2007–2011, revived 2017–2021), 13 Seasons

A weekly show sponsored by Full Tilt Poker in which six professionals played NLHE and PLO cash games against each other for a top prize of $120,000.

Atmosphere — that’s the main feature of this show. It had something cozy, warm, homely, intimate, and at the same time something incredibly cool — especially when you saw those piles, those “bricks” of cash on the table. The first time you saw poker professionals in action on screen, it hooked you forever. Blinds started at $100/200 and gradually increased. Seeing the show for the first time, the viewer would ask: “Are they playing for real money?”

In September 2011, Poker After Dark stopped airing: the title sponsor of Poker After Dark was connected to Full Tilt Poker — the room from which “Black Friday” began. Starting in 2017, Poker After Dark aired every month exclusively on PokerGO. Reruns of the show are also available on the site.

There are also plenty of Poker After Dark highlights on YouTube. Here’s one of the most popular clips featuring Phil Hellmuth, Mike Matusow, Shawn Sheikhan, Gavin Smith, Sam Grizzle & JRB.

High Stakes Poker (2006–2011, revived 2020–2023), 14 Seasons

Another “iconic” poker show on par with Poker After Dark. The main difference — the minimum buy-in to the game was $100,000, but players have bought in for as much as $1,000,000. In other words, the “bricks” of cash on the tables were even bigger.

This was a show where viewers watched pots worth hundreds of thousands of dollars and even over a million dollars being played. In Season 4, Guy Laliberté and David Benyamine created a pot of $1,227,900 — the largest in High Stakes Poker history — before negotiating a reduction of the pot to “only” $238,900.

High Stakes Poker aired from 2006 to 2011. In 2021, the show was relaunched and continues to air to this day. All episodes of the show are available on the PokerGO website.

The Big Game (2010–2011, revived in 2025), 3 Seasons

One of the most entertaining poker shows, sponsored by PokerStars.net. A 6-max cash game format: 5 professionals + 1 amateur player — the “loose cannon” who had qualified to participate. The “loose cannon” received a stack of $100,000 (after the relaunch in new episodes — $50K). The blinds are $200/$400 with a $100 ante. The goal is simple: play 150 hands against professionals. If the amateur finished the session in profit, they kept the winnings minus the starting stack.

Although the show didn’t have that many seasons, viewers enjoyed several hilarious moments. For example, in one episode, loose cannon David Fishman folded pocket aces preflop — and turned out to be right.

The hand starts at 18:10

And of course, we can’t forget the “All-in without looking” by Tony G vs Phil Hellmuth — and Tony G’s farewell speech to Phil Hellmuth afterward:

I think you should retire. I think you should take your coach, get a tandem bike and get the hell out of here!

What a legendary LMAO moment!

Recordings of the show are available on YouTube. Be sure to watch them — we’re sure you’ll enjoy it.

The Shark Cage (2014–2015), 1 Season

One of the most spectacular poker shows with a unique game mechanic. A series of 6-max tournaments, the winner of each advancing to the final with a $1,000,000 prize pool.

The unique mechanic was activated on the river. The player who made a river bet had to declare whether it was a bluff or a value bet. In early episodes, this was done by pressing a button under the table; later, it was simply by sliding a card forward along with the bet. If a player called and was wrong, they were sent to the cage for one round. If a player called and was right, their opponent went to the cage.

The most epic Shark Cage episode has reached 10,000,000 views. In it, Miss Finland Sara Chafak played a crazy hand against poker pro Ronnie Bardah. You absolutely have to watch this clip — it deserves every single view.

All episodes of The Shark Cage are available on YouTube.

Late Night Poker (1999–2011), 13 Seasons

A British television show that helped popularize poker in the 2000s. The show’s main feature was the use of under-the-table cameras to display players’ hole cards. Initially, the show aired for six seasons from 1999 to 2002. After several spin-offs — Late Night Poker Ace and Late Night Poker Masters — it returned in 2008.

The first season of Late Night Poker was released in 1999. Viewers were captivated by the dark, smoky studio atmosphere and the eccentric players at the table. The game was NLHE — and it’s worth remembering that before the “poker boom,” this was not the most popular poker variant.

The spin-offs Late Night Poker Ace and Late Night Poker Masters, as well as Season 7 of Late Night Poker, were sponsored by PartyPoker. Seasons 8 and 9 were sponsored by Full Tilt Poker, and Season 10 was sponsored by Coral.

Poker Night in America (2014–2020), 10 Seasons

The show features various cash games and Sit & Go’s at local casinos across the United States and is sponsored by 888poker. The most memorable moment in the show’s history was a slowroll by Shaun Deeb against Mike Matusow in Season 1. Since then, slowrolls have become a signature element of the show.

Currently, under the Poker Night in America brand, cash games are streamed non-stop on the official YouTube channel featuring Phil Hellmuth and sponsored by BetRivers.

Celebrity Poker Tour (2023–present), 12 Seasons

“The Most Chaotic Poker Tournament on YouTube” — the title of the latest CPT tournament video on YouTube and the most accurate description of this poker show.

Celebrity Poker Tour features media personalities: actors, musicians, athletes, and streamers. Some of them are playing poker for the first time and can barely tell a king from a jack. What happens at the Celebrity Poker Tour tables is nearly impossible to commentate on professionally — but it certainly stirs emotions among thousands of viewers worldwide.

The Celebrity Poker Tour includes a $50,000 invitational freeroll and a $15,000 Sit & Go freeroll. As a rule, winners of the show donate their winnings to charity.

Game of Gold (2023), 1 Season

A show whose continuation is eagerly awaited by thousands of viewers worldwide. Just when it seemed poker shows had run their course and nothing new could be invented, GGPoker produced one of the most spectacular poker shows ever — Game of Gold. 

It featured 16 participants and was filmed in Korea. Contestants thought it would be something like Squid Game. In reality, it was indeed a Battle Royale-type show, with a single winner who took home $456K.

Players battled in various formats: 4-max, heads-up, Indian poker (where you see your opponent’s card but not your own and still have to bet), and a 6-max final table.

All 14 episodes of the show are available on YouTube.

The organizers have promised to film another season — and we’re all looking forward to it.

No Gamble, No Future (2022–present), 7 Seasons

Initially, No Gamble, No Future began as a podcast hosted by Brent Hanks and Jeff Platt. The show aired on Tuesdays on PokerGO’s YouTube and Facebook channels, covering poker, sports, and gambling.

In August 2022, the first season aired featuring 6 players in a cash game. Later seasons introduced unusual twists — for example, Season 2 included the “Wheel of Pain.” Punishments included wearing funny outfits, doing push-ups or jumping jacks, and praising Phil Hellmuth as the GOAT.

In February 2023, the show featured the largest pot in U.S. televised poker history — Patrik Antonius and Eric Persson played for $1,978,000.

NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship (2005–2013, revived in 2025), 9 Seasons

NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship is an invitational tournament with a $25K buy-in. The championship was the first poker event to be televised on and produced by a major U.S. television network (NBC). It was held annually from 2005 to 2011, with the last edition taking place in 2013.

The Championship features 64 participants. The format is single-elimination playoffs. Players are divided into four brackets — Clubs, Diamonds, Hearts, and Spades. The final heads-up match is played best-of-three.

Winners of NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship

In 2025, the show was revived. It will be broadcast on Peacock and later on PokerGO.