Dream Team Poker to Hold Third Tournament During WSOP
Dream Team Poker is back! Fresh off its second tournament ever held, which occurred at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas two months ago, Dream Team Poker has announced that its third event will kick off on July 12th from the Rio during the World Series of Poker (WSOP) and crown a champion the next day. The event pits three-man teams against each other, with the top teams and individuals taking home prize money. This time around, Dream Team Poker’s event will come with a $560 per person buy-in, or $1,680 per team. The first 300 teams that pre-register will hit the felts at the Rio with personalized jerseys.
The last time out, Dream Team Poker drew quite a crowd. The tournament at Caesars Palace sold out and featured 148 teams, or 444 players. In the end, Team ACED, which was headlined by 2006 WSOP Main Event Champion Jamie Gold, earned $59,000 for the win. Team ACED also included Ashley Nataupsky and Houston Waldie; Gold has since left the Merge Gaming Network site. Danny Nelson stormed through the field to take down the tournament’s individual title and corresponding $23,000 in prize money. He battled against Team Claddaghs member Philip Rousseaux heads-up. After 45 minutes, both players limped to see the flop fall 4-8-K. Nelson check-raised Rousseaux, who promptly shoved. Nelson called, flipping over K-9 for top pair; Rousseaux showed J-8 for middle pair. The turn came a six and the river came a seven, sealing the victory.
The very first Dream Team Poker event was held at the Hard Rock back in November and was not open to the general public. In the end, Team Bluff (pictured at left), which included PocketFiver Justin ZeeJustin Bonomo, Eric Morris, and Matt Parvis, took home the inaugural title. Now, the action heads to the Rio, where team gaming will play out during the tail end of the WSOP Main Event, which is scheduled to play down to its final table on July 15th before being paused until November.
Daniel Delshad, CEO of Dream Team Gaming, commented in a press release, “The WSOP and the Rio have really shown their commitment to players in continuing to innovate and try new concepts. Bringing our brand to the Rio during the WSOP and onto the most hollowed ground in the sport is a powerful way to introduce Dream Team Poker to the world.” Prior to the kick-off of the event, Dream Team Poker officials can be found in a booth at the Rio answering questions about team gaming and explaining its rules.
Poker pros that turned out for the Caesars Palace event included 2007 WSOP Main Event Champion Jerry Yang, 1983 WSOP Main Event Champion Tom McEvoy, 10-time bracelet holder Johnny Chan, and inaugural November Nine members Dennis Phillips, David “Chino” Rheem, and Kelly Kim. The trio finished third, seventh, and eighth, respectively, in the world’s most prestigious poker tournament last year. Phil Hellmuth, Mike Matusow (pictured at right), and L.A. Lakers owner Jerry Buss made up “Team Favorites,” while Tiffany Michelle, Maria Ho, and Lacey Jones comprised “Team Yo Mama.”
Each player receives a starting chip stack of $10,000 with blinds beginning at $50-$100. Blind levels last 40 minutes each and antes kick in during Level 3. If you’re wondering how tournament officials prevent against collusion and other shenanigans, members of the same team are not permitted to sit at the same table until 14 to 16 players remain. In addition, players compete for individual prizes for the top finishers. Each team’s score is calculated by adding the two top finishers’ places together, with the team holding the lowest combined total being declared the winner. Every team that reaches the final 27 receives two time outs, during which a player can discuss a hand in progress with a team member that has been eliminated. Dream Team Poker has received a resoundingly positive response thus far.
Jeffrey Pollack, Commissioner of the WSOP, added, “After seeing the terrific response to the recent Dream Team Poker tournaments in Las Vegas, we thought a team-based event would be a fun addition to the end of the WSOP. The Dream Team Poker event is one of the many new elements added in 2009 that will help make this summer a memorable one for all WSOP players and fans.” The 2009 WSOP begins on May 27th with the annual $500 Casino Employees tournament. The next day marks the start of the $40,000 buy-in No Limit Hold’em event commemorating the 40th running of the WSOP.
We’ll look forward to reporting on all of the festivities at the Rio starting next week!