WSOP Europe / Dave Allan / 07 July 2009 / Leave a Comment

The two captains have made their first picks to play at this year World Series of Poker Europe invitational event - the Caesars Cup and the writers here at Betfair Poker have selected their own unofficial Americas squad.

Recently in Las Vegas for the WSOP 2009, Daniel Negreanu (Captain for the Americas) chose multiple bracelet winner Phil Ivey and Annette Obrestad (Captain for Team Europe) picked 2008 WSOP Main Event Winner Peter Eastgate as definite starters in their team. The event will see the best of the Americas take on the best of Europe with one place still to be decided online at Betfair Poker.

This year's WSOPE will see four events, with the Caesars Cup invitational being held on the 25th September.

Over the coming weeks more team members will be announced with one place still up for grabs on Betfair Poker for the European Team.

Below are our poker team's choices for the Americas team with our Europe picks coming shortly. Who would be in your team? Any player who does not deserve to be in this fantasy squad?

Daniel Negreanu

It is difficult to know where to start with 'Kid Poker'. He has cashed for well over eleven million dollars in tournament poker, has consistently played in the big game at Bobby's room for years, and has gone deep in some of the biggest online tournaments available.

Known for his intuitive and near mind reading style, he is a player that is always dangerous in any format of poker, able to play mixed cash games just as adeptly as high buy in hold'em tournaments. Negreanu is also a great player to watch at the table, constantly talking and using every available tool at his disposal to gain as much information as possible from his opponents. He has very few weaknesses, and is arguably one of the best all around players on the circuit at this time.

An incredibly dangerous player, and arguably an even more dangerous captain due to how well liked and respected he is within the poker community, Negreanu is definitely a player who will be feared by any of his European counterparts when they sit down to play.

Phil Ivey

The best player on the planet right now in my opinion. Fresh from winning his seventh WSOP bracelet (and a reported ten million in side bets to go with it), he has been consistently destroying basically every genre of poker consistently for the last few years. He is one of the biggest winners ever online, an achievement made all the more incredible by the fact that he has played about half the number of hands of the few other players that come near to his earnings since he started playing on the web.

It is also testimony to his skill as an all around poker player that none of his WSOP bracelets come from hold'em tournaments, and his general poker brain is obviously absolutely incredible. Phil Ivey has no real observable weaknesses. He seems to never tilt, is fearless, aggressive and can make incredibly accurate reads consistently. A very dangerous player in any game in any format.

Phil Hellmuth

Love him or loathe him, Phil 'The Poker Brat' Hellmuth has won more WSOP bracelets than anyone else in history, and his eleven bracelets make him a force to be reckoned with in any no limit hold'em tournament. Although his style of play has been widely criticized in recent years - particularly by the up and coming internet generation - his results in hold'em tournaments are truly phenomenal, and he will cause even the best opponents a huge amount of trouble.

Perhaps Hellmuth's only main weakness is the ease with which he blows up when the bad beats start rolling in, and we can be sure to see some fireworks if things do not fall his way. If the cards stay with him, it is very difficult to pick anyone who would be considered a favorite over Hellmuth, although such is the nature of poker that this is a pretty big ask over any long format.

Doyle Brunson

Along with the late, great Chip Reese, Doyle Brunson must be considered the most successful poker player of all time. He currently has ten WSOP bracelets, has been consistently been sitting in the big game pretty much from its conception, and is a true legend of poker. Despite his age, he shows little signs of slowing down, and is still able to play in the grueling WSOP events, as well as putting in marathon cash game sessions when the games are running.

Brunson has very few weaknesses, having effectively seen it all in his time playing, and will be a handful for anyone playing him. Perhaps the only aspect of his game that seems to have suffered is that he seems to have become slightly more conservative as he has got older - although he is still willing to play very large pots if you try to run him over so this probably means very little. A true legend of poker and still one of the most dangerous players in the world.

Chris Ferguson

One of the most astute and interesting players on the circuit, Ferguson has been quietly becoming one of the most successful poker players of all time. A winner of the NBC national heads up championship, as well as five time WSOP bracelet winner, Ferguson fits a very different mold to many of the poker players on the circuit. A computer scientist and mathematician with a near photographic memory, Ferguson honed his poker skills playing for play money on one of the first online poker sites before starting to take the game seriously in the mid nineties.

With an unparalleled knowledge of game theory and the mathematics of the game, Ferguson can be counted on to make very few mistakes when playing, and this alone makes him one of the most dangerous players out there. Instantly recognisable in his cowboy hat and dark glasses (an outfit he claims he started wearing to give off the image of a reckless cowboy instead of a calculating mathematician to get more action), Ferguson is one of the most well liked, respected and feared players out there right now.

Justin Bonomo

Although his early career was mired by online cheating scandals, Bonomo has since done huge amounts to campaign for the integrity of the game and establish himself as one of the most dangerous players from the early online generation. Unlike many of his peers, who threw themselves solely into mastering no limit hold'em, Bonomo has established himself as not only one of the best no limit hold'em tournament players in the world, but also as a force to be reckoned with in mixed cash games and tournaments.

Fearless, extremely aggressive, and with a great intuitive poker mind, Bonomo combines both the very accurate grasp of the mechanics and winning strategies of poker that playing hundreds of thousands of online hands brings, with a huge amount of live experience. He is a player that poses a profound threat at any table he sits at, and his hyper aggressive style is difficult for all but the very best players to deal with. Justin has won a WSOP circuit event for over $200,000, had a second in a WSOP mixed hold'em event, as well as cashing for over two million dollars in his short career - testimony to both his skill and his tenacity.

David Pham

David 'The Dragon' Pham is one of the most consistent no limit hold'em players in the world right now. He seems to crop up deep in basically every major tournament running, and has cashed for over eight million dollars since setting foot in the United States. Known for his constant aggression and well timed move making, David has twice won CardPlayer's player of the year award, in 2000 and 2007.

As well as having won two WSOP bracelets, David has notched up an incredible seven WPT final tables, as well as finishing 4th in the EPT Caribbean adventure for a cool $600,000. A formidable foe at any table, David Pham is a master of consistent deep runs in events, an art which very few players every completely master. A shining example of even temperament and well timed aggression, it would not surprise me if the 'Dragon' ended up as one of the deepest finishers in this event.

Sorel Mizzi

Betfair's very own Sorel Mizzi is one of the most accomplished players from the online game. Having been one of the most feared players of his generation online, Mizzi has gone on to pad his resume with numerous big live cashes. He came third in the 2007 Irish open, a result which was good for a cool $280,000, as well as being just one card away from his first WSOP bracelet in the £5,000 buy in Pot Limit Omaha event at the WSOPE, where he finished second.

A cool and extremely dangerous player, Mizzi has won basically every major online tournament available, and in his short time playing on the live scene he has cashed for over a million dollars. A great analytical brain, combined with unending aggression and a ruthless and methodical approach to the game makes Mizzi one of the most dangerous players out there.

Tom Dwan

Arguably the most creative and brave poker player on the planet right now, Tom Dwan truly plays a style of poker that treads the very delicate line between genius and insanity. Known for some of the most daring and well executed bluffs ever made, Dwan is one of the rare breed of players that seems to become the focal point of the table each time he sits, with every player seeming to struggle with the unending aggression and pressure he exerts.

Although primarily a nosebleed stakes cash game player, Dwan has shown a capacity for great tournament ability, having cashed for over a million dollars in the short time he has been playing tournaments. A player who is truly at the peak of his ability right now, Dwan will prove a nightmare for each and every player who encounters him on the felt, and you can be sure to see some fireworks every time he sits down.

John Juanda

Winner of the 2008 World Series Of Poker Europe, Juanda is one of the most accomplished tournament players in the world. He has won four WSOP bracelets, and has total live winnings of just under ten million dollars. Juanda is known for his calm and thoughtful manner at the table, and it is rare that he seems to ever be flustered by events around him. At one point a door to door bible salesman, Juanda has progressed to become one of the most accomplished professional poker players in the world.

Juanda is not just a great tournament player. He has been playing and winning in the biggest online cash games in the world - both online and live - for many years now, and is a tough competitor in any poker format. As shown by his recent win at the WSOPE, Juanda is a player more than capable of winning the highest stakes tournaments in the world, and his consistency and diligence make him a threat in any game at any stake.

Qualify for the European Caesars Cup Team only at Betfair Poker

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