It has to be one of the most original televised poker formats ever devised, and now it’s moving to EPT Barcelona for the final round of heats.

If you haven’t already witnessed the Shark Cage, it’s a sight to behold, and presumably only slightly less nerve wracking than the other sort of shark cage, dangling off the back of a boat surrounded by chum.

In each heat grown men and women are periodically confined to a large cage at the edge of the feature table stage, determined by the outcome of a well-timed or ill thought out river bluff. An eager TV camera captures every second of this humiliation. But it’s worth it, because at stake is a massive winner-takes-all first prize of $1 million.

Some of the Shark Cage players from earlier heats, including Phil Laak, Lex Veldhuis, Tony Dunst, Jennifer Harman and Jason Alexander

The line-up for each six-handed heat is made up of five professionals or celebrity players from around the world, and one qualifier, quite literally thrown into the deep end. A place at the Shark Cage final goes to the winner, filmed at EPT London later this year.

While four heats have already been filmed, this latest round will, for the first time, feature two female qualifiers. They are Slovakian law graduate, and chess grand master, Zuzana “247ftw” Borosova, and Indian charity worker Muskan “musku89” Sethi.

They’ll be joined by the other two qualifiers – karate champion and movie weapons advisor David “safari saint” Harrison, from Australia, and former insurance broker and father of four Gunter “colonian” Steinbach, from Germany.

Each had to navigate a qualifying event and an audition process, submitting a two minutes video telling their life story in two minutes, before securing their seat in Spain -each acing this last bit with both humour and enthusiasm.

Waiting for them is a poker game full of tension, trash talk, and the innovative Shark Cage format. How innovative you ask? Allow us to elaborate.

Players have just 30 seconds to act on each street to keep the action moving along. They’ll be no deals either. Each player is contractually bound not to enter any deals for the $1 million first prize. This is knife edge poker at its best.

But crucially there is the Shark Cage itself, perched on the edge of the stage like a giant, conspicuous naughty step. If a player pulls off a bluff on the river, the loser gets sent to the Shark Cage, missing an entire orbit of play. The bluffer in return gets bonus chips added to their stack should they reach the final. However, if the bluff gets called it’s the bluffer who departs to the cage to be stared at and jeered, while the bonus chips go the other way.

It requires a bit of nerve, some steel, and a dash of luck. Also, the temperament to be gawped at for a while should it all go wrong.

The identities of their opposition will be announced shortly before the contest resumes, with past players including celebrity players such as Seinfeld actor Jason Alexander, Jennifer Tilly and Shannon Elizabeth.

If you’re in Barcelona on 21st and 22nd August you can watch it all from the rail. Otherwise, make room in your diary for some pretty amazing poker TV.

Stephen Bartley is a staff writer for the PokerStars Blog.