In November, the first installment of Dream Team Poker kicked off from the Hard Rock Casino in Las Vegas. At the end of the day, Team Bluff, which featured Eric Morris, Matt Parvis, and Bodog poker pro Justin “ZeeJustin” Bonomo, walked away as the winners. Dream Team Poker organizers wasted no time in announcing a second running of the unique tournament. This time, the action heads to the Las Vegas Strip at Caesars Palace.
The tournament at the massive casino will occur from March 27th to 29th. The second Dream Team Poker event is expected to draw 100 teams, or a total of 300 players. The Hard Rock tournament boasted a veritable “who’s who” of the poker world, including former “Survivor: China” contestant Jean-Robert Bellande, 2006 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event winner Jamie Gold, and Full Tilt Poker sensation Kenny Tran. A bevy of Hollywood’s elite also turned out, including “ER” and “8 Mile” actor Mekhi Phifer, Roger Cross of the FOX hit television show “24,” “The Hills” reality show star Holly Montag, former National Basketball Association player Chris Mills, and “The Simpsons” Co-Creator and WSOP regular Sam Simon.
The prize pool at Caesars Palace is expected to be $150,000, a price tag per player of $550. While the Hard Rock version was invite-only, the March tournament will be open to the general public. Jim Pedulla, Director of Poker for Caesars Palace, commented in a press release distributed by Dream Team Gaming, “This new format will create more camaraderie among the players, making this an exciting event. Caesars Palace is proud to host this event in our World Series of Poker Tournament Room, which is also the site of the NBC ‘Heads-Up Championship’ and has been the location for a number of top celebrity and charitable tournaments.”
The tournament itself officially kicks off on Saturday, March 28th at Noon local time. The event will conclude for the night when 27 players remain. At Noon on Sunday, March 29th, the survivors will reconvene at Caesars to play down to a winner. Dream Team Poker differs from the traditional version of the game in that each team’s overall score is based on the finishing positions of each of its three members. Only the two top finishes count. Both individual and team prizes are up for grabs. Once the field reaches the final 27 players, teams receive two time outs. Players remaining in the tournament can discuss ongoing hands with eliminated players during the 90 second pauses and no team members will be seated at the same table until 16 players remain in order to help curb collusion.
Daniel Delshad, Chief Executive Officer of Dream Team Gaming, commented, “The first event was such an incredible accomplishment for Dream Team Gaming and proved that the concept of team poker could be exciting, fun, and profitable for all involved. We are seeing a definite call for this game from the casinos and the players. We are honored to have Caesars Palace Las Vegas host our next tournament.”
Finishing as the runners up to Team Bluff in the inaugural tournament was Team Super Tilt, which featured Josh Chait, Travis Chase, and Mark Thompson. Coming in third place at the Hard Rock were the Dirty Tacos, consisting of Hami Gabayan, David Simhaee, and Fred Nikgohar. The tournament itself was won by Jason Lilly, who defeated Chait heads-up.
Registration is now open for the March Dream Team Poker tournament. Each team who registers will receive custom jerseys to don on game day. In addition, a welcome party and winner’s ceremony will take place.
