GSN's 'High Stakes Poker' Joins DirecTV 3D Channel

Norm Macdonald will host the seventh season of High Stakes Poker on GSN, which will include a 3DTV production exclusively on DirecTV's n3D channel.

Macdonald, the former Saturday Night Live comedian, replaces Gabe Kaplan in the show, which comes back for a seventh season on Feb. 26.

The 3DTV telecasts on DirecTV (which co-owns GSN with Sony Pictures Entertainment) will begin this spring on n3D, the programmer said. Kara Scott co-hosts for the second straight season.

Poker players who'll be seen on the show include Doyle Brunson, Johnny Chan, Jonathan Duhamel, Antonio Esfandiari, Phil Galfond, Barry Greenstein, Phil Laak, Jason Mercier and Daniel Negreanu.

The Saturday night telecasts, from the Bellagio Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, feature a minimum cash buy-in of $200,000 and a maximum buy-in of $500,000 for no-limit hold 'em poker. Said GSN: for the seventh season, the blinds were $400/$800 with a $100 ante. Straddles were frequent and often multiple. Several players were felted, so rebuys and add-ons were prevalent.