World Team Poker Rosters Announced

Without a doubt, Phil Hellmuth truly is Team USA’s Number Two.

A little while back we told you about a new televised poker event in the works called World Team Poker, which is pretty much exactly what it sounds like: international teams playing each other in poker. Well, the event is now a small step closer to making the jump from idea on paper to real poker tournament with the announcement of the rosters of several teams that will compete in the inaugural WTP event at the Golden Nugget next month.

Team USA sports what has to be one the toughest rosters of any team in the event, at least on paper. The team is headed up by living legend Doyle Brunson, with 11-time WSOP bracelet winner and former children’s book author Phil Hellmuth serving as his right-hand man. Howard Lederer, Annie Duke, Allen Cunningham, Chris Ferguson, Jennifer Harman, Mike Matusow and Erik Seidel round out the roster.

While the other teams all have a few standout players, the only team that comes close to the Americans in terms of sheer championship quality is Team Vietnam. Headed up by Men “The Master” Nguyen, the team’s roster includes Scotty Nguyen, David “The Dragon” Pham, John Phan, Kenny Tran, Karina Jett, Tim Phan and Van Nguyen.

The team concept isn’t necessarily a new one for poker, but the international angle defnitely sets World Team Poker apart from all the other made-for-TV competitions out there. Whether or not the event’s PR material claim that “people will wear a Phil Hellmuth or Johnny Chan jersey as proudly as they do a Kobe Bryant or David Beckham jersey” will ever come true, however, is another matter altogether.

Check out more info on all team rosters and learn more about how you can watch the event for free, check out World Team Poker.