One of the core concepts of the Global Poker League is taking a game that has always been about individuals and making it about a team of players and personalities.

Attaching those teams to a geographic region and giving poker fans in that part of the country a reason to cheer for their local team is another.

On draft day last Thursday, nobody May have done more for their local market than Hong Kong Stars manager Celina Lin. Through the four rounds of the draft, Lin was entirely focused on players from Asian markets, something she admitted was her strategy before the draft even began.

“I would like the team to feel comfortable and at home, so since I live mainly in Asia, I will look to draft players from my region who regularly play in the PokerStars Live Macau tournaments,” Lin said on draft day.

The Hong Kong Stars Roster:

1. Weiyi Zhang (China) – $257,873 career live earnings – #614 on GPI
2. Raiden Kan (Hong Kong) – $908,891 career live earnings – #284 on GPI
3. Dong Guo (China) – $555,656 career live earnings – #431 on GPI
4. Bryan Huang (Singapore) $854,703 career live earnings – #474 on GPI

“The idea of having a unified team amongst many different markets/communities brings me to believe we will have strong team morale,” said Lin, a Team PokerStars Online pro. “One of the key characteristics I was paying attention to during the draft was players with an e-gaming background, especially Hearthstone, as I feel many elements are comparable to poker.”

Lin was the only manager to not draft a single player ranked in the top 25 of the Global Poker Index. Lin was first approached by GPL founder Alex Dreyfus about running the Stars franchise and was immediately on board.

“Alex reached out to me. He was looking for the right ambassador to manage and represent the Hong Kong Stars,” said Lin. “Since I have lived in Macau/Hong Kong the past five years, I’m very familiar with the players and am well-respected in the poker community.”

It was that familiarity with the Asian players that turned heads on draft day. As Lin made her way to the stage and announced each pick, more than a few other GPL managers had to ask, “Who’s that?” That sort of risk-taking is something she apparently shares with and admires in Dreyfus.

“The idea of ‘sportifying’ poker is an exciting new take on promoting the game like never before. It puts an interesting twist on the game we already know and love,” said Lin. “The idea of playing in ‘The Cube’ on a global stage in front of thousands of people drives me to give my 100% effort into forming and representing the Hong Kong Stars.”

While she has plenty of experience as a player – she has $581,359 in career earnings and is 14th on China’s all-time money list – she will now be managing a group of players, something entirely new to her.

“As a poker player, you are used to working alone. As the GPL manager for the Hong Kong Stars, I will be working and managing other poker players, something I have never done before,” said Lin. “If I can find good, helpful, hard-working people who are team players, I think my role as the manager will be a breeze.”

While Lin didn’t have a hand in naming her team or designing the logo, she’s thrilled that it ties in some cultural aspects of Hong Kong and some of her personal poker story.

“I do have to say that the logo is very fitting, as it reminds me of my success of winning the Red Dragon main event twice in Macau,” said Lin.