Kara Scott Previews High Stakes Poker Season 6

Debuting on February 14th at 8:00pm ET on GSN is Season 6 of the popular cash game show “High Stakes Poker.” This time around, hostess Kara Scott will conduct interviews in the “High Stakes Poker” suite, replacing A.J. Benza. Scott sat down with Poker News Daily to preview the upcoming cycle.

Poker News Daily: Thanks for joining us. Talk a little bit about your experience filming the sixth season of “High Stakes Poker,” your first with the program.

Kara Scott: I was pretty nervous heading into it because it’s such an iconic show for poker. There are so many people who love it and my best friend even said not to ruin it. It’s all very exciting and getting to be on the set and talking to the players was just so much fun for me. It’s fun to pick their brains about strategy.

PND: What was the background to you joining the show?

Kara Scott: GSN wanted to bring someone in to work on the floor. That person wouldn’t just be asking general interview questions. Instead, they would be someone who knew poker more deeply in order to get into the heads of the players. Obviously, it’s a completely different role than what A.J. Benza did. What A.J. did was great and I certainly couldn’t replace what he did. I’m glad they brought me in, though. It was surprising, flattering, and exciting.

PND: Did the signing take you by surprise?

Kara Scott: Poker is a pretty small industry, so I knew some of the people involved. I worked on filming WSOP Europe with Poker PROductions and knew the people on the crew, but it definitely caught me off-guard.

PND: Talk about what you’re looking forward to the most when the action unfolds on GSN on Sunday, February 14th.

Kara Scott: I hope I asked the right questions because it’s all such a blur. There were three days of filming and they were long days. I can’t wait to watch it and hope I was coherent.

PND: What’s it like being the love interest of ESPN poker announcer Norman Chad?

Kara Scott: He came up to me during the WSOP Main Event last year and asked me why I never returned his calls. He was pretty funny. He’s a nice guy and has always been very kind to me.

PND: Tell us about your relationship with the Canadian Poker Tour (CPT).

Kara Scott: I’m going to be playing in some of their events. I’ve never played in Canada, so that should be a lot of fun. There are some tournaments in Vancouver and some on the east side of the country as well.

PND: Has the hectic lifestyle caught up with you yet? You have been quite busy!

Kara Scott: I’ve had so much time off lately, so I’m well rested. I’ve just been enjoying the sunshine in Southern California. I’ve been in America for a few months now and moved here back in November. I’m brand new and just got myself a car.

PND: You’re a sponsored pro of PartyPoker as well. Will we be seeing you in PartyPoker gear on the tournament trail?

Kara Scott: I have a lot of tournaments coming up in the States. PartyPoker has been great to me in terms of buy-ins and is giving me a chance to go out and play. I’m not a pro player; I’m a television hostess who gets to play a lot. This year, I get to play as though I’m a pro. I’m going to be working with coaches and figuring out how to improve my game.

PND: How did the opportunity to sign with PartyPoker come about?

Kara Scott: I’ve known the PartyPoker guys for years, since I started playing poker. I became friends with a lot of the guys who work behind the scenes at PartyPoker and they approached me, which was pretty surprising. I didn’t see it coming. They wanted me to do TV hosting and represent the brand as part of Team Party. I was blown away and it was great to be able to do. Standing alongside guys like Mike Sexton is an honor.

PND: Do you have a poker idol?

Kara Scott: I’ve been able to meet so many different players. During “High Stakes Poker,” watching people like Phil Ivey play was an amazing experience. He has to be arguably the best poker player in the world. Watching him play and talking with him about his decisions were quite intimidating.