PokerWorks

Alan Sillitoe wrote about the "Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner," but he could have been talking about poker as well. When you're playing cards, you're playing with people, but you're playing with your own chips, and nothing else, in poker.

In fact, not only is it unusual to team up with other players, it's illegal. It's called collusion, and in the old days, that's a no-no that could have you shot.

But now Dream Team Poker is putting on tournaments that encourages teamwork. It's a new concept, poker as a team sport, but Dream Team just announced a poker tournament in Caesar's Palace to show it off.

The poker tournament, with an affordable $500 + $50 buy-in (that's still steep for a lot of us, but hey, it's not like it's the $10,000 buy-in at the World Series of Poker's Main Event), will take place March 27-29.

This is the first Dream Team Poker event open to the public, and 100 teams totaling 300 players are expected to face off for the $150,000 prize pool.

It's a new, “team-based” structure and scoring system for tournament poker. Dream Team Poker’s patent-pending scoring system allows players to compete on an individual basis while getting scored as a team, giving each player better odds and chances to win money as they compete for individual and team prizes.

That means the long, lonely walk after you bust out may not be as long, and it certainly won't be as lonely, as players will have incentives to stay at the tournament. Casinos seems to be excited about this concept, since players won't just curse and take off after they bust.

“The tournament’s innovative team concept will bring a new dimension to tournament play,” said Jim Pedulla, Director of Poker for Caesars Palace, in a press release. “This new format will create more camaraderie among the players making this an exciting event."

Each team will receive custom team jerseys, special hotel rates and admission to the welcome party and winner's ceremony. The tournament has a scoring system and prizes for both teams and individuals.

The team concept is a new one, but Dream Team didn't exactly come up with the idea on its own. PokerStars hosted the fifth World Cup of Poker a month ago, and former world champion Greg Raymer captained the U.S. team, with Daniel Negreanu leading the Canadian team and similar stars heading up other countries. Germany, led by Jan Heitmann, won the cup this year.

In November, Dream Team Poker kicked-off its inaugural invitational event, and the winners took home $39,000 and Dream Team Poker championship rings, each valued at more than $5,000.

Founded in 2007, Dream Team Poker is licensing its tournament structure to many of the nation’s largest casinos.

To register for the Dream Team Poker event and find more information, go to www.dreamteampoker.com.