Kara Scott is a well-known name and face both at the poker table and in front the camera. She has been playing and presenting poker since the mid-2000's. In 2008, she won her first recognised title for a respectable £26,000 and hosted her first poker gig on the award-winning show, “Poker Night Live”.
Originally from Canada, Kara moved to the UK in 1999 where she resided until 2009 when she relocated to California. Now living back in Europe, 888poker is delighted to welcome Kara as its latest ambassador to the Team.
More than Just a Pretty Face
Over the years, Kara has put up an extremely impressive career that has included both journalism, poker playing, and as a TV personality. She started out as the host of the first televised backgammon series called, “High Stakes Backgammon” in Canada. She quickly moved onto “Poker Night Live,” the UK's first live internet show broadcast between 2005 and 2007.
Having acquired a taste for the game of poker as well as the media, Kara wrote a regular column for an industry magazine and had articles published in other reputable poker media outlets. And, in 2008 she played in the 39th World Series of Poker in Vegas, placing an astonishing 104th out of 6,844 runners. Not bad for a girl from northern Alberta.
Becoming the Face of Poker
Kara's career really took off as a poker host and TV personality in 2010 when she joined GSN's High Stakes Poker series, then in its 6th season. She co-hosted the show with the inimitable Gabe Kaplan and his deadpan humour effortlessly balanced her bright and straight-talking style.
She would conduct direct interviews with the players actually in between plays, eliciting the hows and whys of their sometimes over-the-top moves. As a poker player herself, she was able to ask the right questions to get the best responses and make sure that the audience understood what was happening too.
By 2011, she had truly made her mark in the industry as she joined ESPN’s coverage of the 2011 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event. It was a proud moment. She did such a magnificent job that she practically became an integral part of the WSOP commentating family, alongside Lon McEachern and Norman Chad.
Let's Talk Poker Skills
Although, Kara calls herself a ‘poker enthusiast’ rather than a professional poker player, she has demonstrated strong poker skills on several occasions at high-profile poker events.
In response to critics, Kara said:
"I know a lot of people don't think I can play and there are always going to be people who say I can't. But I have made the final of a female championship, I won a Sports Star Challenge, I went deep in the World Series of Poker Main Event and now I've come second in the Irish Open."
You cannot argue with the numbers. Her results to date place her in the top 100 players on Canada's All-Time Money List.
At the 2008 WSOP $10,000 Main Event, Kara finished in the top 2%, going home with $41,816. She is the only woman to have cashed in both the 2008 and 2009 World Series of Poker Main Events. And, she is also the second woman ever to cash in consecutive WSOP Main Events.
Other top wins include the following:
- 2008: In the PP Sports Stars Challenge, which was by invitation only, she won top honours.
- 2009: Kara won 2nd place at the 2009 Irish Open, taking home €312,600.
- 2013: She took 16th place for $26,937 in the €7,500 Main Event in Paris.
Making Poker Fun
Kara is a powerful advocate for women in poker and is keen to encourage more to compete. This desire coupled with a passion for promoting the recreational side of poker makes her a perfect fit for 888poker's team of ambassadors.
In fact, her sense of fun was on full display in 2007 when she lost a proposition bet to fellow Canadian radio personality, journalist, and actor, Chris Tessaro. The loss resulted in her having to do her commentary from a major poker event dressed in a bunny suit!
Now moving on to a bigger and brighter collaboration, Kara has expressed a lot of excitement about teaming up with 888poker:
“I’ve long been impressed with 888poker’s focus on providing great player experiences. I’m a big believer in just how much FUN poker can be and adore being involved with the recreational side of the game, as well as the more serious side.
“Joining the 888poker team is a fantastic milestone for my career and I feel honoured to be representing such a key player in the poker industry. I’m also really excited to be a part of their impressive team of ambassadors! I am looking forward to a bright and successful future with 888poker.”
We're looking forward to having her as a major part of the 888poker family, too!
