The first ever Dream Team Poker open event was held at Caesars Palace over the weekend and PokerRoad was there to document the madness on PokerRoad Radio, while effectively donating two teams worth of entry fees to the prize pool. 

The two PokerRoad teams were just a small part of the 148 teams that entered the tournament, together creating a total prize pool of $222,000.  $133,200 of that pool went towards the teams, with the other $88,000 going towards the individual prizes.

Despite the relatively low buy-in of only $500 per player, numerous top pros competed in the event including Kristy Gazes, Phil Hellmuth, Tom McEvoy and Jamie Gold, whose "Team Aced" took the teams top prize of $59,000 thanks to two members of the three person team making the final table.

The PokerRoaders in the event did not fare quite so well.   None of the six - Joe Sebok, Scott Huff, Jeff Madsen, Joe Stapleton, Court Harrington nor online qualifier Zac Karim - were able to make it into the money, though Karim did come close, busting only two spots shy. 

When asked about their collective results, PokerRoad CEO Joe Sebok was reportedly heard saying "damn, I should have sent the news department" (okay, I may have made that last part up).

The winner of the event was Danny Nelson, who earned  $13,000 thanks to a negotiated chop when play became three-handed between Nelson, Gerald Percival and Philip Rousseaux.  Second place's Rousseaux actually earned the most of all the individuals thanks to the deal.

For more on how the Dream Team Poker Tournament went down, check out the the live tournaments section of the PokerRoad Forums.


Story by Mark Anderson