Norm McDonald New Host of High Stakes Poker, No Full Tilt Pros, Airing in 3-D

The announcement of the seventh season of High Stakes Poker, presented by PokerStars, brought a series of changes to the show. Comedian Norm McDonald has replaced Gabe Kaplan for the upcoming season, debuting February 26th at 8pm on GSN. The former “Weekend Update” host on Saturday Night Live has also appeared in the films “Dirty Work”, “Grown Ups” and was also the start of his own TV series, “Norm”. The comedian has played in several World Series of Poker events, along with taking part on Bravo’s Celebrity Poker Showdown. Kara Scott returns for a second season as co-host.

The list of players participating were also announced, and this year no members of Team Full Tilt will appear on the show. That means no Phil Ivey, Tom Dwan, Gus Hansen, Patrik Antonius or Mike Matusow. Here’s the list of poker professionals who will appear on the show:

Johnathan Duhamel
Daniel Negreanu
Barry Greenstein
Antonio Esfandiari
Phil Laak
Andrew Robl
Doyle Brunson
Johnny Chan
Phil Galfond
Jason Mercier
Vanessa Selbst
Haralabos Voulgaris
David “Viffer” Peat

Several amateur players will also try their hand at some cash game poker. Mike Baxter makes his return to the show. Six players make their High Stakes Poker debut:

Mike Baxter – Hedge fund manager
Eric Boneta – Rolex watch dealer and wholesaler
Robert Croak – Creator of SillyBandz
Bill Klein – Retired businessman/philanthropist
Julian Movsesian – Life insurance executive
Phil Ruffin – Owner of the Treasure Island hotel in Las Vegas
Bill Perkins – President of private equity and venture capitalist fund

The high-stakes cash game taped at the Bellagio for the first time features a minimum buy-in of $200,000 with a maximum of $500,000 with $400/$800 blinds and a $100 ante.

For DirecTV viewers, High Stakes Poker will provide a place to watch in 3-D on their n3D channel, powered by Panasonic.