The worlds of celebrities and poker have often come together in the 21st-century entertainment scene. Many remember the “golden age” of these types of programming, such as Celebrity Poker Showdown, which featured actors, comedians, and other entertainers playing poker for charitable causes. This still exists today (witness the Creator Poker Championship) and will be further exemplified by the appearance of one of the top comedians in the entertainment industry, Kevin Hart, squaring off on the felt against poker’s biggest sharks.
Kevin Hart Takes a Seat at the “Big” Table
Beginning on May 25, Season 16 of High Stakes Poker, the made-for-television (and now streaming) poker competition, will premiere on PokerGO. It is a nice warm-up for their coverage of the 2026 World Series of Poker (which begins May 26), but it also serves to bring eyeballs to a show that has been a big part of this generation’s poker history. With cash game stakes ranging from $200/$400 to $500/$1000, it is not for those who are weak at their game.
The lineup of this season’s play will include the appearance of comedian Kevin Hart, who has previously played on the High Stakes Poker stage. Hart will be joined by several players who could perhaps put more of a hurt on him (more on this in a bit). Players such as Alan Keating, Andrew Robl, Doug Polk, and Jennifer Tilly will square off against the funnyman, which should bring a blitz of commentary from the comedian.
“Kevin Hart brings an entirely different energy to the table, and combined with the stakes and personalities on this roster, it makes for one of the most entertaining seasons of High Stakes Poker we’ve ever produced,” said Brent Hanks, the Chief Executive Officer of PokerGO. After the premiere of the first four episodes of the new High Stakes Poker season on May 25, future episodes will be released on PokerGO on June 16 and June 30.
Better Bring a Brinks Truck…
Hart has not exactly found success in his previous forays on the High Stakes Poker battleground. Earlier this year, during Season 15 of the show, Hart frequently mixed it up with those arranged around the felt. He would get bluffed off the best hand by Darin Feinstein, who had missed a flush draw but bet enough to get Hart to lay down two pair. It would be another clash against a pro that would result in a huge loss for the man who was recently (and controversially) roasted on Netflix.
On the button holding pocket Kings, Hart raised the action, and Kirk Brown, who had straddled the action, called to see a flop. On the 4♣ J♣ 6♦ flop, Brown seized the betting action, but Hart would pop his $6,000 bet to $26,000. A call from Brown brought a 7♥, and Brown checked his option to Hart, who excitedly moved his remaining $195,000 to the center. Brown made the call, and the hands were turned up:
Brown (straddle): 5♣ 3♣ (flopped flush draw, turned straight)
Hart (button): pocket Kings (drawing dead with one pair)
Hart, after losing that $463,000 pot, was felted in one of the biggest hands of the Season 15 festivities.
This is the type of action that High Stakes Poker has delivered since 2006. Originally part of the Game Show Network (GSN) programming, PokerGO obtained the rights to the program and, since 2020, has made it part of its streaming channel. For those who would like to watch the upcoming Season 16 fun (and catch up on past seasons), new PokerGO subscribers can receive $30 off their first year of a PokerGO annual subscription with promo code HSP16 at sign-up. To sign up for PokerGO, which will feature plenty of the competition from the 2026 WSOP this summer, visit PokerGO.com for more details.