Team Australia Finalizes Squad for World Team Poker Tournament

In an announcement from the officials at World Team Poker on Wednesday, the final lineup for players who will represent Team Australia was revealed.

The inaugural World Team Poker tournament will take place on May 19th at the Golden Nugget in Downtown Las Vegas with some of the best poker players in the world battling for their country’s pride. Over a format that consists of Limit, No Limit and Pot Limit Hold’em as well as Omaha and Stud, five players from the confirmed list of eight countries – Team USA, Team China, Team Vietnam, Team Israel, Team England, Australia, Team Brazil, and Team Greece – will play a one-day event for worldwide bragging rights. Team Australia is the latest team that has announced its roster of seven players who will compete for the Land Down Under.

Serving as co-captains for Team Australia are two of the most talented and intimidating players in the poker world today. 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Player of the Year Jeffrey Lisandro comes to the World Team Poker event still riding high from his three bracelet run at last year’s WSOP. The three bracelets he won were all in Stud events, but the player known as “The Iceman” has considerable skills in all poker disciplines. His most recent cash came at the Aussie Millions in the $10,000 HORSE Championship, where he finished second for $64,792 U. S., according to the Hendon Mob database.

While Lisandro is known for being cool at the tables, his co-captain should bring the combativeness needed for a team event. Antanas “Tony G” Guoga has been a stalwart of the tournament poker scene worldwide since he entered the game in 2002. His table talk, over-the-top behavior, and intimidating demeanor have had some consider him to be one of the “bad boys” of the poker world. This only masks a player that is adept across the poker spectrum and who has garnered earnings of over $4 million in his career.

The team that Lisandro and Guoga have built has veteran skills mixed with newer players who represent the aggressive style of poker. Billy “The Croc” Argyros, Gary Benson,  Mel Judah, and Marsha Waggoner bring a wealth of experience to the felt in a multitude of poker backgrounds. All four veterans have tournament experience that dates back to the early 1980s and have significant highlights on their resumes. Benson was the first Australian born WSOP bracelet winner, Judah won the first of his two WSOP bracelets in 1989, Argyros has traveled the Pacific Rim winning tournaments in Australia and New Zealand, and Waggoner is a member of the Women in Poker Hall of Fame and was the first woman inducted into the Australian Poker Hall of Fame.

The three other members of the team – Grant Levy, David “Superman” Saab, and Stephen Topakas – represent the new blood of today’s poker, which puts a premium on aggressive play. Since he turned pro in 2005, Levy has won over $1.2 million primarily through play at his home casino, the Crown Casino in Melbourne. Saab has taken down two of the biggest championships on the Pacific Rim: the 2007 $5,000 Aussie Millions Heads-Up Championship and the 2008 Asian Poker Tour $2,500 No Limit Hold’em event in Manila. Topakas is a relative newcomer to poker, with a tournament history that only goes back to 2007, but he has been a terror in tournaments throughout Australia.

Well-versed in all forms of the game, a solid background in tournament poker, and just the right amount of attitude should make Team Australia a dangerous foe when the event starts on May 19th. Poker News Daily will continue to follow the news from World Team Poker headquarters and continue to update the teams as they are announced.