The Future of High Stakes: Inside the Deepstack Poker Show

Side Pot
Stories
Beus Zsoldos
Beus ZsoldosSenior Copywriter & Player Stories Editor
Reviewed by Adam Biro
Poker heart rate monitoring
Custom AI technology promises to completely revolutionize how we watch the game

Key Takeaways:

  • The upcoming Deepstack poker show will introduce AI-driven biometrics to television broadcasts.
  • A unique remote photoplethysmography (rPPG) technology will track players’ pulses directly from camera feeds.
  • This live poker heart rate monitoring aims to eliminate the slow pacing and boredom of traditional streams.
  • The show incorporates “BLUVV,” a Squid Game-style poker variant, featuring famous pros like Elton Tsang .
  • Episodes are pre-edited for a cinematic feel, featuring rich dual-screen overlays and real-time player statistics.

What Exactly Is the Deepstack Poker Show?

Poker fans have a thrilling new reason to get excited later in 2026. The brand-new Deepstack poker show is preparing to launch, and it promises to completely revolutionize how we watch the game. It will function as a dedicated episodic cash game show rather than a standard live stream.

The format incorporates “BLUVV,” an innovative new poker variant inspired by the hit television series Squid Game. Created by high stakes poker regular Elton Tsang and Managing Director Jelle Moene, the production brings a highly cinematic feel to the felt.

By pre-editing the episodes instead of airing them live, the creators can focus purely on action, drama, and player psychology. The first season is currently being filmed with three separate camera crews, ensuring no important moment is ever missed.

How Does Poker Heart Rate Monitoring Work?

The biggest on-screen innovation is poker heart rate monitoring. The production team uses a cutting-edge biometric system called remote photoplethysmography, which is commonly referred to as rPPG.

This custom AI technology was developed entirely in-house by their sister tech company, Deepvision. Instead of players wearing uncomfortable smartwatches or chest straps, regular broadcast cameras simply lock onto a player’s face.

The software then reads the subtle changes in skin color to measure a live pulse. This allows the poker heart rate monitoring system to display real-time tension directly on the broadcast screen. Viewers get an exclusive, stress-filled look at what players experience during massive bluffs.

Why Do We Need New Poker Technology?

For the last fifteen years, poker streams have largely looked exactly the same. Many viewers complain that live poker is far too slow, so they fast-forward or watch at increased speeds just to find the action.

The primary goal of the Deepstack poker show is to solve this exact problem. By adding advanced biometric data, the production team wants to make the viewing experience highly engaging for a modern audience.

“I think by lifting up the curtain and showing what’s going on behind the poker face, we’ll extinguish or remove the boredom that people right now feel when they are watching a poker show,”

– says Deepstack Managing Director Jelle Moene.

Elton Tsang echoes this sentiment, noting that viewers desperately want a fresh, modern experience. Showing genuine physical reactions to high stakes poker creates a level of drama that simple chip betting cannot achieve on its own.

What Will the Broadcast Look Like in Action?

To give audiences a sense of the upcoming changes, the creators released an exclusive sneak peek of the user interface. In one intensely stressful hand, Elton Tsang executes a massive bluff on the river holding only king-high.

Meanwhile, high-roller regular Wiktor Malinowski faces a tough decision with just second pair. As Malinowski goes deep into the tank to consider a call, the biometric technology continuously tracks his face.

Viewers can watch his pulse climb higher and higher before he eventually folds. It creates a completely different viewing dynamic that builds incredible suspense. Here is a quick look at how this new format compares to standard broadcasts:

FeatureTraditional Poker StreamsThe New Deepstack Broadcast
PacingBroadcast live, sometimes very slowPre-edited, fast-paced episodic content
Player StatsBasic hand percentages and chip stacksAdvanced poker heart rate monitoring
VisualsStandard table angles with minimal graphicsAI-powered overlays and rich dual-screen views

Will This Change High Stakes Poker Forever?

The introduction of biometric tracking could mark a major turning point for televised high stakes poker. The production team is already planning further technological updates for future seasons.

Soon, they want to track detailed timing tells and even implement live blinking detection. It’s safe to say that understanding the physical toll of bluffing for hundreds of thousands of dollars is fascinating.

If this technology proves successful, it could become the absolute new standard for the gambling entertainment industry. Fans will no longer just guess if a player is nervous – they will finally see the tension happening live on the screen.

However, you don’t need to worry about your heart rate being measured or your blinking pattern being analyzed if you play online. Read our detailed online poker room reviews , pick a favorite, and enter the code SMPBONUS to start playing – no physical tells will be given away for sure.

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About the Editor
Beus Zsoldos
Beus Zsoldos

Beus Zsoldos is SoMuchPoker's Senior Copywriter and Player Stories Editor, covering WSOP color moments, player profiles and poker personalities for the site's Stories section. She has spent more than 20 years around the game, first as a player, then as a live tournament director and localization manager for a major online poker room, before moving into full time poker writing.