Varun Goenka

The Italian Stallions are looking for revenge in Macedonia!

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The Italians recorded their best ever Nations Cup performance in 2017 in Oxford where they finished runners up to the Irish! The trip to Macedonia is personal after the recent football result which saw the Azzurri losing to the Macedonians and missing out on qualifying for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar!

The FIGP represented national Match Poker team will be looking to take responsibility for the nation’s sporting endeavours and aiming to atleast secure a podium finish at the World Championships. A team of experienced Match Poker athletes, they secured their Nations Cup spot after a closely contested match in their last attempt!

The Italian squad for the World Championships:

Name: Isidoro Alampi

Age: 49

Bio: General Manager, President of Italian Poker Federation. Founder of Italian Poker Federation in 2006 with his passion for sport, he contributed to the spread of poker as a sport throughout Italy. Member of the Tournament Director Association, he organised the Italian WPT in 2011. His dream is to see poker officially recognised as a sport in Italy.

Name: Antonio Parlavecchio

Age: 47

Bio: I have been in the world of poker since 2007 both as a player, participating in national and international events (EPT, WSOP, etc.), and as an organiser. A sport that immediately fascinated me and allowed me to reap great satisfaction.

Name: Massimo Majolino

Age: 54

Bio: Always a lover of poker in general, I approached sports poker as soon as I got a foothold in Italy in 2006 now after having known and played it I am increasingly convinced that the future of sports poker is only Match Poker. I have done some good results online in various platforms such as Pokerstars, 888 etc. Together with my two partners, I manage the dealer staff in the tournaments that take place at Casino Malta.

Name: Giuseppe Ruggeri

Age: 47

Bio: As soon as I met sports poker I approached only out of curiosity but then curiosity became passion. Discreet live and online player, I have obtained several good results in various Mini IPT, Pokermaps, Battle of Malta tournaments. I am a dealer/floorman in the most important European events.

Name: Marco Sfameni

Age: 26

Bio: Pharmacy student still full time. In love with discovery and adventures. I love traveling and learning about new cultures. Lover of sports poker for a long time (well before I could actually play), a passion that also extends to other card games.

Name: Katia Crisafulli

Bio: The beautiful part of the team. Everyone bets that it will be the surprise of the impenetrable tournament, the poker face of the team.

Name: Mario Sfameni

Age: 52

Bio: Pharmacist with a passion for Texas Hold’em. Since 2006 he has been attending the Texas Hold’em world first as a live player ($50,000 won in his career) and then as a tournament organiser especially in Malta from 2009 to present. Vice President of F.I.G.P. and part of the IFMP family since 2013 ready to spread Match Poker across the Italian territory. He was part of the 2017 Nations Cup team which finished runners-up to the Irish.

 

Varun Goenka

10 years after becoming Champions, can Germany add a Second Star to their Jersey?

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They are proud to wear a star on their jersey as a reminder of their 2011 Nations Cup victory in London, UK at the first ever World Championships! However, they are definitely not satisfied and have been chasing that elusive second world title.

The Germans have come close, putting on impressive performances in both continental and global events, but haven’t managed to emerge victorious and be crowned World Champions for a second time as yet. They finished 3rd in the 2018 Nations Cup in Dublin, behind Ukraine and Ireland. They ended the group stages in Kyiv as the leaders, but weren’t able to convert that into a podium finish. This is a big opportunity for the German National Team to now bring home their 2nd Nations Cup, 10 years after they won the inaugural championship!

It wasn’t easy for them to qualify for the finals, missing out on qualification in Q1 to Austria by only 6.5 points but securing their spot after seeing off a tough fight from Lithuania and Norway in Q6. They are well prepared and ready for the challenge of the 2021 Nations Cup Finals!

Here is how the German squad looks for their attempt at a 2nd world title:

Name: Daniel Eylenfeldt

Age: 42

Profession: Poker Coach and Professional Poker Player

Bio: Daniel has been playing poker since 2007 with a focus on online cash games. Since the 2017 Nations Cup in Oxford, he has been continually involved with match poker. He has been coaching the German national team since 2019 and is particularly looking forward to the new points system, which is being used for the first time in North Macedonia.

Name: Jan Heitmann

Age: 45

Profession: Keynote Speaker and Trainer

 

Bio: Jan fell in love with poker quite early (1996), when it was still very underground in Germany. During his studies at university (management), he played more regularly. Once he got his diploma in September 2003, he travelled around Europe for a year, playing poker in Barcelona, Amsterdam, Vienna, London, etc., climaxing in his first WSOP in 2004 and turning professional after that. He had quite a long and successful career, spanning 15 years, including doing lots of promotional work for poker in Germany (as a commentator, trainer for celebrities and part of Team PokerStars Germany). These days poker is still a big part of his life, but in a very different way. He uses poker as a model for decision making, holding keynote talks and trainings for managers, leaders and decision makers.

Name: Alexander Kleppe

Age: 40

Profession: IT architect and project manager

Bio: Alexander loves to play poker for over 20 years, especially online cash games and tournaments, as well as the German Heads-up live championship. He works as an IT architect and project manager and has played for the German Nations Cup Team since 2019. Currently, he is organizing the first German Match Poker Championship with his organization team. Alex loves the idea of poker as a mind sport along with the international challenges with players from different nations and wants to see Match Poker advancing to the next level of recognition.

Name: Boris Münch

 

Age: 37

Profession: Bike messenger and software developer

Bio: Boris was looking to start something new and so he began to play online poker in 2017, mainly focusing on cash games. He really got caught by the game and its technical and psychological nature. What he likes the most is that there is always something new to learn. You can’t reach a point, knowing everything, just being a grandmaster with a long grey beard. It’s way too complex, in the most positive manner. The concept of Match Poker is channeling this competitive aspects. That’s why he’s a part of the wonderful Team Germany and really looking forward to play some international events.

Name: Julie Schumacher

Age: 36

Profession: Physician and mother of 2

Bio: Julie started playing poker in 2006 while living in Vienna, Austria. She played mainly live tournaments ranging from Austrian National League up to EPT. Additionally she made an apprenticeship as a card-dealer and worked at some major tournaments around Europe. She’s also part of the core-team of the HerzdamenClub, an international club for all women interested in playing poker. She became a member of the German Nation Cup Team in 2021.

Name: Kai Rieche

Age: 41

Profession: CEO

Bio: Kai started playing poker in his hometown Berlin around 20 years ago and is still playing the game. He had so many good times with this game all over the world, that in his opinion it is still the most beautiful hobby. He’s really looking forward to the world championship in North Macedonia.

Name: Mila Monroe

Age: 39

Profession: Co-Founder of the Herzdamenclub (female poker player club)+ Podcaster

Bio: Mila started playing poker as a hobby in 2007, but in 2013, after a tragic accident, that very hobby brought her back to life and helped her travel around the world in a wheelchair. On her adventures she has already played against Daniel Negreanu, Kevin Hart (actor) and Charly Carrel, for example. In 2019 she founded the HerzdamenClub along with Natalie Hof Ramos to provide a platform for women playing poker. She has been a member of the Match Poker Team since 2021.

Name: Niklas Andrews

Age: 25

Profession: Graduated psychology student

Bio: Niklas has been playing poker for about 4 years, focusing on cash games since the beginning. What he loves the most about poker is the complexity of the game. The fact that the room for improvement seems to be infinite is why he keeps falling in love with poker.

Name: Timm Albrecht

Age: 41

Profession: Business, Life and Poker Coach and Professional Poker Player

Bio: Timm has been playing poker for 14 years now, mostly online cash games but also MTTs and SnGs. He loves discussions, books, videos and quizzes about poker. Since 2019 he’s a member of the German Match Poker team and he is really happy to play at the world championships in North Macedonia.

Varun Goenka

The Swiss to make their Nations Cup debut in Macedonia!

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Making their first-ever appearance at a Nations Cup event, the Swiss national team represented by the Swiss Poker Sport Association (SPSA) is bursting with excitement to play for their country!

The SPSA has been doing a fantastic job in the growth of poker as a mind sport and game of skill in Switzerland. Regular competition and events with an active and engaged player pool has lead to the creation of a strong skilful national team. They sealed their spot for the World Cup in their second qualification match, seeing off the Estonians in second place.

No doubt they’ll be looking to bring home a podium finish but will face tough competition from the other qualified nations and perhaps even a mini battle with their neighbours Austria and Germany who will have their sights set on the Nations Cup trophy!

Here is Switzerland’s squad for the World Championships:

 

Name: Claudia Chinello

Date of Birth: 19.05.1978

Bio: Claudia Chinello, born and raised in Zurich, is a half German half Italian Swiss multipreneur and poker player. One of her businesses is the PokerAcademy, that organises poker courses, events and Business Poker Workshops for managers. Poker is not just a game for her, it’s a smart way to train your ability to observe people and to improve your negotiation skills.

Name: Daniela Locher

Date of Birth: 27.12.1974

Bio: Daniela’s superpower is tournaments. What she likes about poker is the combination of strategy, tactics, patience and passion. Daniela works in the IT sector as an assistant and is an organisational talent. Other hobbies are geocaching, soccer (passive), skiing and aerobics.

 

Name: Benjamin Winiger

Age: 18.06.1976

Bio: Hailing from Hombrechtikon near Zurich, Benjamin’s superpowers are that he has a good poker face, is balanced and logical. Besides poker, sports (active/passive) is also a great hobby – he also likes geocaching; always new adventures out in the woods. Professionally, he works in the financial sector.

Name: Roger Gertschen

Age: 15.05.1979

Bio: Roger has over 20 years of practical online and live experience. Since one year as a pro on the road and specialising in cash games. Is a poker coach himself and also a spiritual transformation coach.

Name: Hubert Prachoinig

Age: 07.08.1976

Bio: He came into contact with poker as a child and it has never let him go. During the last big poker boom, he became intensively involved with the game for the first time, and subsequently also internalised a lot online. What he finds fascinating about poker is that the rules are child’s play, yet the game remains challenging for life.

Name: Martin Bertschi

Bio: I was born in 1968, I am unmarried, and I played my first poker tournament back in 1997 in Las Vegas. Since then I am a part-time poker pro, a blogger and a self-employed project manager. Currently, I am also a reporter for the Swiss Poker Sports Association (SPSA.ch) on a daily basis. As a poker blogger, I advocate for a fair legalization of poker and the detachment from other games of luck like roulette, so that poker can establish itself as a social game.

Name: Dominic Joel Oertle

Date of Birth: 09.07.1998

Bio: Dominic is a student in Zurich, majoring in theoretical computer science for his Master’s and also works as a private teacher. He started playing poker about 2 years ago and plays mainly cash games.

Name: Alexander Bochmann

Date of Birth: 17.03.1980

Bio: He is probably the beardiest player on the Swiss national team. He is also the chairman of the ethics committee of the Swiss Poker Sports Association (SPSA) and a floor-man in the biggest poker club in Switzerland. As a player he can call himself world champion in amateur poker.

Name: Gaspare Leone

Date of Birth: 31.03.1974

Bio: National team coordinator and representative of the Swiss Poker Sport Association. Gas Leone is a passionate poker player with a background in finance and years of experience in events. A very engaged 48 year old, he has been a member of the SPSA since the beginning. Currently the development coordinator of the Swiss MatchPoker League. With his “Monkey Brain” it is better not to have him at the poker table as an opponent.

 

Varun Goenka

Team Singapore is Eager to Impress in Macedonia

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The Singapore national team has been an active participant in Match Poker events since the first Asian Nations Cup in 2013 where they finished in 3rd place and have been looking to better that result ever since.

Another impressive performance at the 2019 Asian Championships saw the team make the finals but miss out on a podium finish to Australia. After a forgettable performance in the 2020 World Championships, Team SG has really shown their true character, skill and fighting spirit. Determined to represent their nation with pride, the revamped national team has a new captain in the highly skilled and experienced Match Poker athlete, Lisa Tan Meiling, who has set her sights on bringing home some silverware from Macedonia!

The squad for Team Singapore’s participation at the 2021 Nations Cup Finals:

Lisa Tan Meiling (Team Captain)

The revamped Singapore team is led by a female captain who has led the team through the qualifiers. She is consistently the top performer in the last few editions of the nations cup. Renowned for being the first woman to win the Manila Megastack Main Event, Lisa aims to encourage more females to try Match Poker!

Zefirelli Noordin (Vice Captain & Assistant Team Manager)

A semi-retired investor, Zef played a pivotal role in helping Team Singapore to qualify for the Nations Cup. He also acts as the Team liaison for Singapore Poker Federation in organising and supporting the team’s needs.

 

 

 

 

Phua Tzai Wei (Team Coach)

Full-time professional player and the former captain of team Singapore. He made history earning a coveted Pokerstars Platinum Pass when he won the Manila Megastack event in 2018 and placed 19th in the WSOP online main event in 2020. He is instrumental in devising the team strategy as the team coach.

 

 

 

Darren Wee Hee Joon (Team Coach)

Possessing great insights and understanding of the game, the “Run it once” coach is widely credited for Team Singapore’s in-game tactical adjustments.

 

 

 

 

Lin Ruizi (Team Member)

Lawyer by profession, and a strategy game enthusiast. Predominantly a cash game player, he has played a key role during the Asia qualifiers.

 

 

 

 

Keith Joel Seah Jia Qiang (Team Member)

The entrepreneur is a respected name in the local poker community ever since his breakthrough placing 2nd at APT Championships Philippines 2017 Main Event. He is also part of the qualifying squad and is returning to get the job done!

 

 

 

 

Phyllis Chua (Team Member)

A recreational poker player that fell in love with the game in 2015. She has been playing cash games for years and is recently transiting into tournaments. Her passion for the game is evident through the amount of time she invests daily in studying and playing the game.

 

 

 

 

Norbert Koh (Team Member)

A regular face at the final tables of Asian Tournaments (before the Pandemic). Only last year, he captured the imagination of the local poker community with his fantastic run in the WSOP main event, eventually finishing 27th elevating him in the top 10 on Singapore’s all-time money list.

Feng Zhao (Team Member)

Another top 10 on the Singapore’s all-time money list, Feng Zhao is one of the most decorated players in Singapore. He is an undisputed online phenomenon, and amassed even more in online MTTs.

Feng Zhao and Norbert are currently ranked Number 1 and 2 respectively in the Global Poker Index (Singapore) and will certainly be the players to watch in their first Nations Cup.

Ivan Tan (Team Manager)

Currently retired, Ivan is widely regarded as a pioneer and one of the best poker players in Singapore since bursting onto the scene in 2007 finishing runner-up in an APPT Macau Main Events.

 

 

Lim Min Soon (Team Consultant)

A veteran of the Match Poker competition, his poker highlight is the elusive triple crown of the highly popular Singapore Poker Championship series.

 

 

 

 

 

Varun Goenka

First Nation to Qualify for the Nations Cup, Will Austria also be the Last Nation Standing?

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The Austrian PokerSport Association hosted the first-ever qualifying event for Match Poker, in Vienna in December 2012 which saw European nations competing to participate in the 2013 European Nations Cup held in Paphos, Cyprus!

Their most recent participation was in the 2017 Nations Cup held in Oxford, UK which saw them finish in 8th place. Now 5 years later they are back and eager to put on a much more impressive performance in Macedonia.

The Austrian team were commanding and impressive in their qualifying match, taking it right down to the wire and defeating Germany for the top spot! No doubt their neighbours Switzerland and Germany will be looking for revenge in Macedonia.

Here is the Austrian National Match Poker Team’s Squad for the 2021 Nations Cup Finals:

Name: Herbert Bieber

Age: 70

Profession: Retired

About: I have been playing poker for more than 20 years and I love this game. My favourite discipline is live MTT and I have played in several countries (Austria, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Germany, England). I highly appreciate poker theory, love to analyse quizzes and invest a lot of time to increase my poker skills.

Name: Hedy Bieber

Age: 69

Profession: Retired after more than three decades in the public affairs business. Playing poker for about 8 years.

Name: Rainer Sumaric

Age: 52

Profession: Sales Director

About: Over 15 years ago, a customer asked me if I liked to play poker. I had no idea and went along to a club night. Since then, I like the game very much (most of the time) and I love the variety at a live game. Besides Texas Holdem, I really enjoy playing dealer’s choice. I appreciate very much in my current club that workshops are also offered, because by learning and playing you get better and that’s what I try to do with every game.

Name: Andreas Schwaiger

Age: 56

Profession: Employee – City of Vienna

About: A German TV show with American poker pros attracted my poker interest. After watching a few shows I setup an account to play online. Some initial success inspired me to practice step by step, failures motivated me to go on and to practice even harder. Meanwhile I’ve played poker for 15 years, especially live tournaments.

Name: Fabian Gritsch

Age: 28

Profession: Federal Employee

About: I have been playing poker for roughly 8 Years. Playing mostly live MTTs, but also a fair bit of online. I take the game pretty seriously and see it as a nice income on the side.

Name: Hartwig Hofer

Age: 36

Profession: Poker player

About: I started playing poker 15 years ago straight after watching James Bond Casino Royal. I play mostly online cash games heads-up and some MTTs on the side.

 

Name: Sebastian Klebert

Age: 36

Profession: Network Development Operations Manager

About: A dear friend brought me along to a game fifteen years ago and that was the beginning of a wonderful friendship with the game of poker.

I’ve been heading one of Austria’s oldest poker clubs, Pokerclub Showdown, for more than a decade now and really enjoy the different variants of the game, constantly having to solve new problems and challenges but most of all the wonderful community.