Norm Macdonald begins his first season as host of High Stakes Poker, following longtime host Gabe Kaplan. Macdonald is a passionate poker player who has competed in The World Series of Poker and in celebrity poker tournaments, playing for charity on behalf of Paul Newman’s Hole in the Wall Gang camp for children with cancer. Macdonald boasts a long career in comedy—and a serious reputation as a poker player. Born in Quebec, Canada, Macdonald began his career in stand-up comedy before landing writing jobs on “The Dennis Miller Show” and “Roseanne.” Attracting the attention of “Saturday Night Live” creator-producer Lorne Michaels, Macdonald joined the SNL cast in 1993, and shot to fame as the anchor of the fake-news segment, Weekend Update. His other television series include “Norm” and “A Minute with Stan Hooper,” and he has appeared in feature films with Chevy Chase (“Dirty Work”), Dave Chappelle (“Screwed”) and his good friend Adam Sandler (“Grown Ups”).

Macdonald is joining a GSN talent roster that includes Drew Carey, Wendy Williams, Bill Engvall, Jerry Springer, Sherri Shepherd, and Carrie Ann Inaba.

This season will bring together a mix of top professionals and wealthy amateur players, each eager to take the others’ money in a high-stakes no-limit hold ’em cash game. The game features two-time World Series of Poker Main Event Champions—Doyle Brunson, making his seventh HSP appearance, and Johnny Chan, who is making only his second HSP appearance—along with the reigning World Champion, 23-year-old Jonathan Duhamel, who won $8.9 million for his World Series of Poker Main Event victory in November 2010.

Fan favorites Daniel Negreanu, Antonio Esfandiari, and Barry Greenstein all participated, as they have done for each of the previous six seasons. Other familiar names from past seasons include David PeatAndrew Robl (Season 6), Phil Laak (Seasons 2-6), Jason MercierHaralabos VoulgarisPhil Galfond (Seasons 4 & 6), and amateur Mike Baxter (Seasons 4-5).

Season 7 of High Stakes Poker is as much about the newcomers—both professional and amateur—who will be making their HSP debut as it is about the returning veterans. Professional player Vanessa Selbst, who had a tremendous year on the tournament circuit in 2010, is only the third woman ever to appear on the show. A total of six new amateurs will also participate: Robert Croak, the creator of SillyBandz; Bill Klein, a retired businessman and philanthropist; billionaire entrepreneur Phil Ruffin, who owns the Treasure Island Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, as well as many other successful ventures; Julian Movsesian, a life insurance executive whose company specializes in serving high-end clients; Bill Perkins, president of a private equity and venture capital firm; and Erik Boneta, a watch dealer and wholesaler who specializes in Rolex watches.

The full player line-up for the Season 7 of High Stakes Poker is:

Mike Baxter

Eric Boneta

Doyle Brunson

Johnny Chan

Robert Croak

Jon Duhamel

Antonio Esfandiari

Phil Galfond

Bill Klein

Phil Laak

Jason Mercier

Julian Movsesian

Daniel Negreanu

David Peat

Bill Perkins

Andrew Robl

Phil Ruffin

Vanessa Selbst

Bob Voulgaris

 Kara Scott begins her second season as co-host of HIGH STAKES POKER. Scott, an expert poker player and poker journalist, was the only woman to finish in the money in both the 2008 and 2009 World Series of Poker Main Events, and only the second woman in history to do so in back-to-back years. She also finished second in the 2009 Irish Open in Dublin.

 Featuring a minimum cash buy-in of $200,000 and a maximum buy-in of $500,000, HIGH STAKES POKER is the premiere cash game in the history of television. 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.