The United States Poker Federation (USPF), the newly created national governing body for the sport of poker in the United States, announced today the six-person team (plus one alternate) that will represent the country in the first-ever Nation’s Cup, a two-day event involving top players from 12 countries, which will take place in London November 17th and 18th, to be followed on November 19th and 20th by “The Table,” a world championship No-Limit Texas Hold’em tournament with a half-million dollar prize pool and participants from forty different countries.  Both events will serve as the kickoff for the International Poker Federation’s efforts to establish poker as a mind sport and game of skill.  
 
“We are very proud that these six accomplished players and personalities have elected to join us and represent the United States in this very unique team poker event, the first big step in getting the sport of poker recognized for what it really is, a mind sport which involves a great amount of skill and concentration,” said USPF President Peter Alson. “Our team is a very diverse, highly talented group with one aim…to show the world the value poker has to society for players of all levels and to grow the game internationally.”

The Nations Cup is an unprecedented Duplicate Poker tournament featuring 12 national teams – among them the U.K., U.S.A., Germany, Spain and Japan. Spanning two days, it will begin on the iconic London Eye, with tables situated inside the revolving pods, and will conclude with one team being crowned champion, in the equally iconic County Hall. Following the Nations Cup, the IFP World Championship, known as “The Table,”  will commence with an invited field of the world’s best players competing for a sponsored prize pool of $500,000. As of next year, the event will be open to every single poker player around the globe through the IFP’s new platform, to be launched by the end of this year.

Captaining the United States team will be Chicago native Barry Greenstein (@barrygreenstein). Known as “The Robin Hood of Poker,” for having donated large amounts of his winnings to children’s charities, Greenstein, a former software developer for Symantec, has been one of the most successful professional players on the circuit, with three World Series of Poker and two World Poker Tour titles, as well as numerous high finishes in other elite events. His methodical and precise style has earned him a reputation as one of the sport’s best large-field players.
 
Greenstein will be joined on the team by:
 
Antonio “The Magician” Esfandiari
 
(@magicalpoker) , one of the most popular high-stakes poker players in the world, known on the poker tour for his chip tricks and magic at the tables, as well as for his two WPT titles and a WSOP bracelet.
 
Brown University graduate Isaac Haxton (@ikepoker), an expert at chess and Magic the Gathering, is considered one of the best heads up No-Limit players in the world.

Ali Eslami (@AliEslami), along with Phil Laak, took on and beat the University of Alberta’s Polaris AI poker computer, and is known for his highly mathematical and theoretical approach to the game.
 
Jennifer Leigh (@jennicide), known on the poker tour as “Jennicide,” is a self-described “nerd,” with a wide background in the tech and gaming industries.
 
Yale University graduate Vanessa Selbst (@VanessaSelbst) has captured consecutive NAPT championships in 2010 and 2011.