Kara Scott is a Canadian-born poker personality, host, presenter, commentator, and player who has travelled the world through poker.
In 2019 she partnered with 888poker to launch The Heart of Poker Podcast. Among the guests she’s had on the show are Xuan Liu, Fedor Holz, Vanessa Kade, Phil Galfond, Poker Hall of Famer Mori Eskandani, and the WPT’s Vince Van Patten, to name a few.
Kara has been involved in the poker industry since the mid 2000's and pocketed her biggest single win in 2009 for a respectable $413,612 after finishing runner-up in the long running Irish Poker Open. Another notable achievement came in the 2008 WSOP Main Event when she placed 104th out of 6,844 entrants. In 1999, Kara moved from her native Canada to the United Kingdom. Once there she hosted the very first live poker internet show called “Poker Night Live.” She satiated her thirst for all things poker by writing a regular column for industry magazines whilst sharpening her poker skills.
It wasn't until 2010, when she co-hosted GSN's High Stakes Poker series, that her name became synonymous with the poker scene. That job led to her joining ESPN's coverage team for the 2011 WSOP Main Event.
Her face seen all over the world, Kara is now one of poker's most recognisable celebrities. In March 2016, Kara signed up to our Team of Ambassadors. With both poker playing and presenting skills thoroughly tested and approved.
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. 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.
- 2019: She won 3rd for $25,715 at the 888poker LIVE Barcelona €2,200 High Roller
We're lucky and proud to have Kara on our team, and hope to for many years to come.
