Poker News

Last week, the International Federation of Poker announced six of the teams that will compete for the European Nations Cup in just over a week in Paphos, Cyprus. Since that time, three more teams among the fourteen competitors have completed their rosters for the event.

As expected, Team Ireland will be throwing some serious players into the fray come April 12 at the Annabelle Hotel in Cyprus. Heading the Irish squad is professional Eoghan O’Dea, the son of the legendary Irish poker player Donnachea O’Dea. Eoghan has made his own name in the game, making the final table of the 2011 World Series of Poker Championship Event on his way to earnings of over $2.5 million.

There are other formidable players who are lined up with O’Dea to represent the Emerald Isle. Former APPT Macau champion Dermot Blain is ready to run with Eoghan, alongside John O’Shea, Cat Taylor, Dara O’Kearney, Mick Graydon and veteran pro Padraig Parkinson. The Irish outfit should be a strong contender for the European Nations Cup title.

Not to be outdone, the United Kingdom has cast its lot with a strong team of its own. The Boatman brothers, Ross and Barny, head the list of players here alongside another successful British pro, Neil Channing. Tapping into the younger set, John Eames will be a part of the roster that is filled out by Daiva Barauskaite, Karl Mahrenholz and Ben Roberts.

Team Denmark might be one of the more “sneaky good” teams involved in the IFP’s European Nations Cup. WSOP bracelet holder Jesper Hougaard is the top name on this squad, but there is a wealth of talent alongside him. Lars Bonding, Simon Ravnsbaek, Preben Rasmussen, Jes Bondo, Sidsel Boesen and Frederik Brink Jensen fill out the Team Denmark roster.

With these three teams, nine of the fourteen squads who will participate in the IFP European Nations Cup have been determined. Still yet to name an official roster are the host country Cyprus, along with an official determination of the teams that will represent Estonia, France, Hungary and Spain.

The IFP European Nations Cup will be played using the “Match Poker” format that has been promoted by the IFP as a true test of poker skills. Much like Duplicate Bridge, Match Poker sets up every table with the exact same deck of cards. Players at each table play out the hand and points are awarded as to how well each player handles the situation(s) presented to them against those players who played the same hand as them. By doing this, the randomness of the game is eliminated and a true vision of the skill of the players is obtained.

Rather than take the time to prepare several hundred decks for action under the Match Poker format, the IFP is introducing a new wrinkle for the European Nations Cup next week. This time around, the IFP is issuing each player a smartphone, where the entirety of the tournament will be played without chips, cards or dealers. Players will receive their hole cards on and the action will take place there instead of in a physically “live” setting. The new technology will be a first for a poker tournament of any type and will allow the IFP to log and replay every hand for analysis.

The Match Poker format was previously used by the IFP in 2011 for its inaugural event. In the inaugural Nations Cup event in 2011 (which the top six finishers in this year’s European Nations Cup will qualify for later this year), the IFP hosted an event in London featuring twelve countries that drew some of the biggest names in the game. The United States, Spain, Ireland, Denmark and Australia took part in the tournament, which was eventually won by Team Germany over Team Brazil and Team France.

With only about a week to go, the IFP is ready to put on another display of poker’s innate skills with another edition of its Match Poker format. The European Nations Cup will be an excellent test of poker, as well as the national pride that goes along with winning such an exclusive competition.

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