At that table were Raul Mestre and Victoria Coren, who would go on to finish first a second. It was a duel not short on drama, with this hand, shown exclusively below, typical of the excitement of the event; a bluff, re-bluff, re-re-bluff that left everyone, not least commentator Jesse May, aghast with awe…
The first thing to know about the Nations Cup is that it is a team event, played by 12 teams, made up of International Federation of Poker member nations, with each Federation President tasked with recruiting a team of six (with one reserve) to travel to London later this month.
The second thing to know about the Nations Cup is that it will be played in the capsules of the EDF Energy London Eye, on the banks of the River Thames, with a backdrop of iconic sights such as The Houses of Parliament and St Pauls Cathedral.
The Third, and most important thing to know about the Nations Cup, is that it is played using Duplicate Poker.
Anyone familiar with Duplicate Bridge will understand the concept of Duplicate Poker which involves each table of players receiving the same hand as that dealt at every other table.
Duplicate poker therefore pitches players against each opponent dealt identical cards in several games played simultaneously. Players score points based on how they exploit their hand to win (or limit losses), and are then compared to opponents being dealt the same cards at other tables. It’s a perfect way to remove the vagaries of luck and instead assess how skilful a player really is.
As Duplicate Poker ambassador, and author, Jim McManus puts it:
“By draining as much luck from the game as possible, Duplicate Poker comes close to guaranteeing that the best players will win in the short run as well as the long run.”
The Nations Cup should prove how accurate that really is.
Joe Barnard of the UK Poker Federation was with them throughout their incredible London adventure and chronicles their experiences here…
All practice and warm-ups now complete, the team soaked up the atmosphere as top professional players from around the world began arriving at the Park Plaza hotel in central London for the first day of the IFP Nations’ Cup.
As a pre-event surprise for the team we laid on a traditional English afternoon tea in St. James Park, before the teams were then suited up in Team Zynga polo shirts and jackets, ready for action. Then it was over to County Hall.
Along with the 11 other sides, Team Zynga were invited in to the debating chamber to hear tournament director Thomas Kremser run through the event’s procedures, before the time to play finally arrived.
Each player was then escorted to their table in the correct capsule of the EDF Energy London Eye. This is what the trip was all about for Team Zynga – the opportunity to be a part of history.
Zynga are the first “digital nation” to be represented in an international sporting event, and team members Roger Ellis, Maggie Hailey, Brian Turnbull, Geoff Kinnune, Roei Shalev, Ricky Greer plus captain Jennefer Gallenberger, were willing pioneers of this innovative step by the IFP.
Enjoying the views across London, and the formidable opposition at the tables, Team Zynga can be proud of what they have achieved this week. After initially thinking that they had not done enough to progress into the second day of the event, a late announcement came through that in fact, all teams would be returning for Day Two and the conclusion of the Nations’ Cup in County Hall.
The poker gods continue to shine down on Team Zynga!
In the morning the 12 teams were back in action, split into two 36-hand heats. Zynga entered the first heat and, in the words of one onlooker, “totally smashed it!” With the results in Team Zynga had defied the odds, finishing second to send the all-stars of the United States, Ireland and Demark home early.
It was all down to some fantastic individual results: Zynga won the seat two contest and came second in seats four, five and six. Against professional players playing exactly the same cards… it was a truly remarkable achievement.
To add to the pressure, the six-team final was now contested over 72 hands and was streamed live around the world, allowing the now global fan base to follow the action from the virtual rail.
In a fiercely competitive final it was Team Germany who emerged victorious, ahead of Brazil in second place and France in third. In fourth place, ahead of Holland and Spain, was Team Zynga.
What Team Zynga had achieved was incredible. They’ve gone 15 rounds with the heavyweights and could hold their heads high when taking their seats at “The Table” the following day. The world’s first digital nation was a force to be reckoned with!
Seven players with just a smattering of live poker experience between them faced 128 poker professionals in the first ever IFP World Championship of Poker – “The Table”.
Deep end this may have been but a team strategy meeting was arranged, with professional players Gus Hansen (pictured), Mel Judah and Barny Boatman there to offer advice and encouragement. Then it was down to business.
In the beautiful setting of County Hall’s Rotunda, the IFP “The Table” anthem played out and President Anthony Holden proudly asked the dealers to shuffle-up and deal.
With a fast structure in place the field was reduced at a quick pace and Team Zynga lost its first two members (Brian Turnbull and Roger Ellis) within the first few levels. Zynga though were far from done.
In the middle stages Roei Shalev (right) was playing like a hero, making an agonising but correct read with pocket jacks. Roei also made a great laydown with ace-king.
Across the room, Geoff Kinnune and Ricky Greer were drawn in seats next to each other and were keeping afloat against the likes of Mike Sexton and Jennifer Leigh.
Maggie Hailey was sparring with Victoria Coren and took down a nice pot against her when she made a Broadway straight. Jennefer Gallenberger was in good company too – gaining the respect of her table which included recent World Series of Poker Main Event runner-up Martin Staszko.
Soon though the volatile structure – in place to reduce 135 to a final nine in just a day – began to take its toll. Roei and Maggie were the next to fall, and Jennefer joined them just a few hands short of the dinner break. But with 50 players remaining Geoff and Ricky were still in the mix and standing tall.
Television crews and international media were flooding the stage and Team Zynga had their fair share of TV spots, proving to be one of the stories of the week. Could it really be possible that one of its members could make The Table?
Sadly, no.
Geoff was eliminated with about 40 players left and all but Ricky (left), an amateur player from Longview, Texas, were now railing the conclusion of day one. Ricky was refusing to budge, keeping his chances alive with a double-up against countryman Ali Eslami.
By now, with two tables remaining, players were beginning to see themselves reaching The Table. But for Greer it would not be a fairy take ending.
Greer watched as the bulk of his chips went to Igor Trafane, who out-kicked him. Reduced to a handful of chips Greer was able to shove with pocket queens only for his opponent’s nines to make a set. Recording a truly amazing result, Greer was out.
Team Zynga took their seats in the spectator area of County Hall’s rotunda for the epic conclusion to a truly spectacular tournament.
The Table, dominating the room and rigged with cameras, took centre stage before the nine remaining players took their seats to applause, as Thomas Kremser introduced them. The atmosphere was incredible, and Team Zynga simply appreciated being a part of this historic occasion.
The chips were flying and players fell, with great play, bad beats and everything you could hope for in a final table.
Raul Mestre had dominated the table and sat with a huge chip lead. But when Trafane and Victoria Coren got it all-in with each other there was always a chance one of them might be able to tip the tables. But both players showed Ace-Queen, Coren’s in spades.
No one expected what happened next, three spades on the flop leaving Trafane as good as out of the competition.
Using this as a springboard, Coren’s fearless and uber-aggressive heads-up play helped her take a narrow lead. But losing a race with Ace-Jack against Mestre’s pocket-fives left her crippled, and a few hands later Raul’s Ace-Five caught a five on the board, enough to take the title of first official world champion of poker.
Time for one last Team Zynga farewell dinner to sign off an incredible week. Not only had the team achieved the unexpected in poker terms, the players had also become great friends, with plans already in place for a reunion next year.
It’s over and out for now, but you haven’t heard the last of Team Zynga who leave London with their heads held high…
Spain woke up to a new era yesterday, a new leader to steer like-minded people through a new climate of prosperity. We refer of course not to new Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, but of Raul Mestre, the first official IFP World Poker Champion, and new icon of Spanish poker.But in this post-modern poker age real success is measured not in the virtual world but in the public world, where live results maketh the man. Mestre’s result on Sunday does just that.
It was perhaps for those reasons that Mestre’s expression, one of relief and pride, was so obvious in the moments after he collected the The Table trophy (jokingly trying to bite through it). For a professional poker player having a “1st” in your entry in a results database is not just about a big payday, it’s about vindication, in the eyes of both your peers and, for players with the determination and drive of Mestre, for yourself.
He took on the world, and won.
The IFP Nations Cup is now just days away making it high time we started looking through the teams to ask ourselves we think is going to win.Following them are France ($15,115,300), Ireland (13,828,859, Germany (11,174,664), Australia ($10,643,731), Holland (9,598,002), Brazil ($6,087,477), Spain ($5,183,061) and then Japan ($178,468). Find details of all of their players on the IFP Facebook page.
But is money the best indicator? And what about the twelfth Nations Cup team?
Well, that would be Team Zynga.
As the first Digital Federation, Team Zynga have the least in terms of live tournaments winnings, with their amateur line-up yet to score big wins on the world poker arena. But while that may not make them one of the favourites, they have between them some $62,837,742 in Zynga poker chips.
It’s also worth remembering that the students of Imperial College won two of the three duplicate poker trials, beating various professional players in the process.
Only a fool would write off Team Zynga, and what they lack in loot they make up for in team spirit, if the comment function of Facebook is anything to go by.
We’ll find out soon enough when the Nations Cup begins on Thursday.