(Feature image: courtesy of WPT)
Some people find their calling in the most unexpected places.
For Kara Scott, it started while getting roasted by her students during a teaching job in London.
Not exactly the dream. But a random backgammon hosting gig ended up changing the course of her career, and before long, she was deep into the poker world.
What started as a side opportunity quickly turned into a full-fledged media career in the industry.
Today, we’ll take a closer look at Kara Scott’s journey, career highlights, and even the estimated Kara Scott net worth!
| Full name: Kara Scott | |
| DOB: August 11, 1977 | |
| Birthplace: Alberta, Canada | |
| Profession: TV host, pro poker player, journalist, actress | |
| Husband: Giovanni Rizzo | |
| WSOP Cashes: 4 | |
| Net Worth & Career Earnings: $13+ million |
Disclaimer: Only Kara knows her actual net worth. We can only estimate based on publicly available sources and the usual stakes she plays.
Who Is Kara Scott? (Poker Player)
First things first, who is Kara Scott?
Let’s talk a bit about her early life and background.
The Alberta native was born on August 11, 1977, in Alberta, Canada, into what you could call a pretty unconventional setup.
Her parents had stable jobs in the city, but the urban lifestyle wasn’t really doing it for them. So they made a bold move. They sold everything, including their house, packed up the family, and hit the road in a camper.
For a while, that was home. Kara, her two siblings, and their family dog spent their early years traveling around. It sounds fun until you realize she didn’t have indoor plumbing until she was 14. Rough.
Eventually, her dad decided it was time to settle down, and Alberta was the obvious choice since he had good memories of the area.
They bought undeveloped land and turned it into a functioning farm. Think cows, chickens, homegrown crops, and produce stored in underground coolers they built themselves.
She then went on to earn two bachelor’s degrees from the University of Calgary, one in teaching and another in language.
She worked part-time cleaning athlete dorms to pay for school. During her university years, she got her first taste of poker through casual games, though she didn’t take it seriously until much later.
These days, Scott lives in Slovenia with her husband, Giovanni Rizzo.
They got engaged in 2013 and married in May 2014. No kids, but they’ve built a pretty solid setup that lets them stay active in the poker world while bouncing between countries. Not a bad arrangement!
Kara Scott Net Worth 2025
Now…
Let’s talk about Kara Scott’s net worth, keeping in mind that only she herself could provide the exact figure.
As for our analysis, a reasonable estimate is based on publicly available sources, like her ventures in poker media, television broadcasting, brand partnerships, podcasting, and consulting.
So, how much is Kara Scott worth?
Based on all that, the estimate lands at over $13 million. That’s a reasonable figure when you consider the range and consistency of her work across the poker industry for more than a decade.
Her earnings reflect the kind of career that mixes on-camera work, behind-the-scenes roles, and staying relevant in a competitive space.
Breaking Into Broadcasting
Scott’s move into broadcasting wasn’t part of some master plan.
It actually started with Muay Thai. She got into the sport during her university years in both Canada and the UK, and that interest opened the door to her first on-camera job.
After a rough stint teaching at what she called one of the toughest schools in North London, where she was literally bullied and even physically harmed by students, she made the call to shift toward media work.
Can’t really blame her for that.
Using her Muay Thai background, she landed a gig as a sports presenter on Now is the Time: Night of Combat, a martial arts show on Five.
She later became an associate producer for it too. It wasn’t a lifelong dream or anything. She just used what she knew to get her foot in the door.
That led to her next gig: hosting High Stakes Backgammon, the first-ever televised backgammon series, which aired in Canada and the UK.
Then came World Series of Backgammon, which aired across Europe on networks like Eurosport and Poker Channel EU.
Even though she barely knew how to play casino games at that point, she was offered a TV hosting job to present poker on Sky TV in 2005. She had to learn everything from scratch like, basic poker terms included.
You might also find interesting that Negreanu’s wife Amanda Leatherman also was a host for a popular PokerStars TV show “The Big Game”.
Still, the anchor picked it up fast. Eventually, she was chosen to host Sky Poker when it launched. That leap from martial arts to backgammon to poker more or less shaped her whole career.
As she got deeper into the poker world, she started writing too, contributing columns to Flush, PokerNews, CardPlayer Magazine, and Poker Player Magazine.
By 2010, she was hosting High Stakes Poker Season 6, and a year later, she joined ESPN as a sideline reporter for the WSOP Main Event.
The 888poker Era
The poker queen started her relationship with 888poker in 2016 when she was named as their latest ambassador, having previously served in a similar role for partypoker.
This partnership lasted eight years and became one of the most significant chapters of her career.
During this time, she launched “The Heart of Poker” podcast in late 2019, which quickly became one of the most respected interview shows in poker media.
The podcast used a unique format inspired by Arthur Aron’s “36 Questions to Fall in Love” psychological study, focusing on deep, thought-provoking questions rather than standard poker interviews.
Over 52 episodes, she featured notable guests including Chris Moorman, Xuan Liu, Fedor Holz, Vanessa Kade, Phil Galfond, and Maria Ho.
The show concluded in January 2024, coinciding with the end of her 888poker ambassadorship in December 2023.
Her final episode featured Lupe Soto, founder of the Women in Poker Hall of Fame, bringing her podcasting journey full circle.
Poker Career Highlights
Believe it or not, Kara didn’t have experience playing poker before she was invited to host the 2006 World Series of Backgammon in Monte Carlo.
After being exposed to the game numerous times, she easily fell in love with it and started playing. Her skills were noticed by some big names in the industry, which made her land poker hosting gigs.
And just like that, she began playing more and more on the felt. She’s particularly known for being one of the few female players to cash in back-to-back WSOP Main Events, achieving this feat in 2008 and 2009.
Now, let’s take a look at her major poker milestones:
1) Earned nearly $700,000 in live tournament cashes across her playing career.
2) Accumulated 7 WSOP cashes throughout her career, though no bracelet wins.
3) Became the second woman ever to cash in consecutive WSOP Main Events (2008, 2009).
4) Participated in televised poker shows including PokerStars’ Shark Cage alongside notable players.
5) Achieved her first $100k+ cash with a 2nd place finish at the 2009 PaddyPower Irish Open for $415,381.
6) Finished 6th place in her first official tournament at the 2007 PartyPoker.net World Women’s Open, earning $5,000.
7) Competed against top professionals including Sara Chafak, Ronnie Bardah, Ole Schemion, and Vicky Coren Mitchell.
She’s established herself as a respected player who can hold her own against the best in the business.
This poker queen also participated in some of PokerStars’ TV shows, like Shark Cage where she played against Sara Chafak, Ronnie Bardah, Ole Schemion, Mike Tindall, Griffin Benger, and Vicky Coren Mitchell.
(Check out the video above how Kara Scott dominated the table and busting out everyone from the Shark Cage tourneys.)
Top 5 Tournament Winnings
The industry mainstay didn’t just stick to the sidelines.
While she’s best known for her broadcasting work, she’s also had a solid run as a tournament player.
She’s held her own in high-stakes fields and has a few standout results under her belt, especially at a time when not many women were making deep runs in major open events.
Here are her top five tournament cashes to date:
2009 PaddyPowerPoker.com Irish Open
Kara’s career-defining moment came at the 2009 PaddyPowerPoker.com Irish Open Main Event in Dublin.
This tournament had a $4,200 buy-in and attracted a strong international field, but Scott navigated her way through the competition with skill and determination.
She built a substantial chip stack throughout the event and made it all the way to heads-up play against Sweden’s Christer Johansson.
Although she finished in second place, her $415,381 prize remains her largest tournament cash to date and established her as a serious player in the poker community.
Other Notable Tournament Cashes
- 104th Place 2008 39th World Series of Poker – $41,816
- 238th Place 2009 40th World Series of Poker – $32,963
- 17th Place 2013 44th World Series of Poker – $18,700
- 22nd Place 2013 bwin WPT Prague – $10,608
She has played alongside many award-winning and well-known players throughout her career.
When it comes to cash games, she’s been more selective about her play, focusing primarily on tournament poker where she’s achieved most of her recorded earnings.
Her 2013 WPT Prague performance was particularly notable, as she bagged the second-largest chip stack after Day 2 before ultimately finishing in 22nd place.
Lifestyle, Sponsorships & Side Ventures
Scott’s life outside poker is just as interesting as her career at the tables, with multiple business ventures and a lifestyle that spans several countries.
Sponsorships & Partnerships
Her most significant sponsorship deals included her five-year stint as a partypoker ambassador, which ended in early 2015, followed by her eight-year partnership with 888poker from 2016 to 2023.
These ambassador roles involved representing the brands at major events, creating content, and hosting promotional activities.
She’s also worked with various poker media outlets and TV networks, including long-term relationships with Sky Poker, ESPN, and GSN’s High Stakes Poker.
Business Ventures
Scott became involved with Tilt Events, an Italian poker event organizer, shortly after ending her partypoker ambassadorship.
Working alongside her husband Giovanni Rizzo, she took on roles as a consultant and brand ambassador, helping to plan and execute poker events like the Tilt Cup and the Venice Poker Festival revival.
She’s described this work as a return to her creative roots, drawing on her background in TV and film production.
As of 2023, she confirmed she was still actively working with Tilt Events, focusing on creating player-friendly experiences.
Personal Life
Scott is known for her down-to-earth personality and her commitment to building community within the poker world.
She’s been vocal about the importance of treating poker as both a business and a form of entertainment, rather than getting caught up in the ego aspects of the game.
Her approach to interviews and media work emphasizes authenticity and genuine connection with her subjects.
She’s also been an advocate for women in poker, using her platform to highlight female players and promote inclusivity in the game.
Her advice to aspiring players often centers on the importance of bankroll management, continuous learning, and maintaining perspective about both wins and losses.
You can watch as she talks about these principles in her podcast guesting with Jim Reid and Chris Jones on the RecPoker Community YouTube channel.
Kara Scott: Frequently Asked Questiosn
Who is Kara Scott’s husband?
She is married to Giovanni Rizzo, an Italian poker player. They got engaged in 2013 and married in May 2014.
The couple currently lives in Slovenia and has been involved together in various poker-related business ventures, including their work with Tilt Events in Italy.
Is Kara Scott a poker pro?
While she is an accomplished poker player with nearly $700,000 in live tournament earnings, she’s primarily known as a poker broadcaster and media personality.
She has stated that her main income comes from her work as a TV presenter, podcast host, and brand ambassador rather than from playing poker professionally.
Did Kara Scott play on Shark Cage?
Did Kara Scott play on Shark Cage?
Yes, Kara Scott participated in PokerStars’ Shark Cage tournament series, where she played against notable players including Sara Chafak.
She performed well in the event, demonstrating her ability to compete against top-level competition.
Kara Scott Poker Net Worth (Wrap Up)
The broadcaster didn’t follow a typical path into poker, but that’s what makes her career stand out.
She went from hosting martial arts shows to becoming one of the most familiar faces in poker media, all while putting up respectable tournament results and building an estimated net worth of over $13 million.
As of 2025, she’s still active in the industry through media and consulting work, even after wrapping up her podcast The Heart of Poker in 2024.
Her success comes down to consistency, adaptability, and knowing how to connect with people, whether it’s at the table, on camera, or behind the scenes.
Now, I’d love to know YOUR take:
- In your opinion, how much is Kara Scott worth in 2025?
- Would you want to see Kara Scott return to podcasting or live event coverage?
Let me know in the comments!
(Or keep scrolling to read other posts.)
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