Dream Team Poker, which is gearing up to host its second ever tournament (at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas) in March, announced that it has added Katherine Kowal as the company’s Director of Business Development. The Beverly Hills-based organization debuted in November with its first event, which took place at the Hard Rock.
Kowal is a poker veteran, having previously served as the Director of Casino and Player Relations for the World Poker Tour (WPT). On her experience with her former company, which holds tournaments throughout the United States and around the world, Kowal told Poker News Daily, “Throughout the years, the need to have strong relationships with players and casinos grew as the WPT grew. Poker’s overnight success took us all by surprise and the need to garner these relationships was something I felt strongly about. I started to manage the Tour like a rock band.” Kowal signed on with the WPT at the beginning of Season II.
Dream Team Poker is overcoming some of the same hurdles that the WPT did. It seeks to solidify the viability of playing poker in teams while steering clear of collusion and other setbacks. In the survival of the fittest in poker, teams of three prevail in Dream Team Poker. Kowal commented, “It’s exciting to be part of a small group and go back to the basics.” Dream Team Poker awards prizes to the top individuals and teams when each tournament has concluded. Members of the same team are not seated at the same table until 14 to 16 players remain.
Dream Team poker generates revenue for casinos by creating an environment where players who are eliminated from a tournament stick around to root on their fellow teammates. Instead of heading to the airport or hitting the road in their cars, players who have gone “busto” may check out the craps or blackjack tables while waiting to see how their team will fare. At the same time, the throng of players competing in a brand new tournament concept is also likely to attract quite a crowd. Kowal revealed, “It invites a lot of spectators, fans, and players to stick around and enjoy their time at the casino.” Dream Team Poker officials are expecting 300 players, or 100 teams, to turn out for the Caesars event, which takes place from March 27th to March 29th.
Kowal left the WPT last July just before the start of Season VII. On her departure from the company, she told Poker News Daily, “Professionally, I couldn’t leave in the middle in a season. I wanted to take some time off and the timing was perfect. Dream Team Poker found me through a mutual friend. I didn’t have anything else lined up and loved the idea of going back to a little company where every idea is taken and thought about.”
Steve Lipscomb, the Founder, President, and CEO of the WPT, told Poker News Daily that he wishes Kowal the best at her new company: “She’s terrific and will be a gem in their crown.” In addition to poker, Kowal has also produced shows for The Learning Channel and Fox Entertainment. In total, she brings 10 years of film and television experience to the table.
Kowal has found that the general public is amendable to the concept of team poker: “Players understand the idea of sweating their friends. The moment you say ‘team poker,’ it’s well-received and understood. We didn’t have to educate anyone.” So-called “sweat threads” are a staple of many online poker forums. They are usually posted by friends as players make deep runs in major tournaments. Replies offering encouragement are common in sweat threads.
The first Dream Team Poker tournament, held at the Hard Rock, was won by Team Bluff, which consisted of Eric Morris, Matt Parvis, and Bodog poker pro Justin “ZeeJustin” Bonomo. The team grabbed $39,000 plus championship rings valued at $5,000 each. For the Caesars Palace tournament, the buy-in is $550 per person, or $1,650 per team. Registration is now open.
