888poker's Kara Scott Gets Excited for 888live Poker Festival at King's Casino Rozvadov
888poker Ambassador Kara Scott takes some time to tell PokerNews about why poker players should get excited this year for
What makes you excited about King’s Casino?
I've not been to King's Casino yet but I've heard so much about it this year. It seems like everyone in Europe has been talking about it, so I'm glad I finally get to check it out myself!
As a host for all the events, what do you have to do to prepare?
I'm lucky I work with a great team so I don't have to do the prep on my own. We have phone and online meetings to figure out exactly what we want to have completed during each event. We think up ideas for different videos we can film or special projects to do while we're there, figure out which special guests I'll interview, decide on the schedule for it all...Because of the way poker is, though, we have to stay really flexible.
We never know which players are still going to be in the tournament later, who will have snap busted and gone home and who will be available (even me!) to be on camera, so we sort out the 'big picture' plans before the event and then adjust and change things when we're actually there and can see what's needed.
What’s your favorite part about 888poker live tournaments? How is being a host different for you than being a player?
I'm happy that I get to do both, really. I love playing the tournaments and the structure seems to suit my style so I'm glad I don't have to give up my seat just so that I can host. The hosting side of things has two sides to it, from what I see.
Because of the way poker is, though, we have to stay really flexible.
The first priority is to make sure that the players who are there feel welcome, that they know who they can go to with questions and that they're having fun - whether that's taking everyone jet skiing in Spain, sailing in Malta, food tasting in Estonia or playing ping pong at a bar in London.
We give the players a chance to explore the area we're in as a group so we can get to know each other. The other side of hosting is for the people who aren't there. It's our job to show how fun the events are to the people who weren't able to come. We create video packages, I interview players, I'll step in and help with the commentary - all so the people at home can see what 888 gets up to on tour.
How will you manage the schedule of all the events? How will we follow you throughout the tournament?
We've not finalized the media side of things yet but the 888 team will be doing their usual fantastic photos and updates and I've heard that you guys at PokerNews will be there to make sure all the stories get out too.
The first priority is to make sure that the players who are there feel welcome, that they know who they can go to with questions and that they're having fun - whether that's taking everyone jet skiing in Spain, sailing in Malta, food tasting in Estonia or playing ping pong at a bar in London.
I'll be tweeting and taking photos for my Instagram and putting up recaps on my Facebook page as well. No bad beats, I promise!
Why should players and fans of the game follow this live event? What is the most memorable moment you have from the first 888Live festival last October?
From what I've seen, the folks at Kings Casino know how to have fun, so I can't wait to see what goes on for the 888live Festival. Our first festival in London was great and over the years, I've become a big fan of the Sky Bar at Aspers. Getting a nice glass of bubbly at the end of a day and trading some stories to wind down after a day of playing poker is very high on my list of things to do!
