The tentative dates for the World Championship event of World Team Poker have been announced. Poker News Daily has learned that the highly anticipated tournament will likely take place in Las Vegas from October 11th to 17th. World Team Poker officials are still negotiating with the Golden Nugget, which hosted the series’ first tournament last month. However, the Golden Nugget in Downtown Las Vegas has not been officially announced as the host venue.
The World Championship will air over the course of 10 episodes in primetime on Fox Sports Net. In July, a special teaser episode of the Golden Nugget tournament will air on the same cable station. Then, in September, the entire World Team Poker Golden Nugget event will play out. The World Championship and the tour’s kickoff event will likely run back-to-back on Fox Sports Net.
A total of 24 to 32 teams will take part in the World Championship, including two brand new squads, Canada and Russia. Team Canada promises to be a formidable one. Pros from the North American nation that could take to the felts under the Canadian banner include Team PokerStars Pro front man Daniel Negreanu, World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner Nenad Medic, former European Poker Tour (EPT) Monte Carlo Grand Final winner Glen Chorny, and Greg “FBT” Mueller.
Russia’s roster of pros could encompass the likes of WSOP bracelet winner Alexander Kravchenko, 2008 WSOP and WSOP Europe Main Event final table member Ivan Demidov, and last year’s $40,000 WSOP No Limit Hold’em commemorative event winner Vitaly Lunkin, who gained additional fame when the contest aired on ESPN.
Given the caliber of talent involved with World Team Poker, Poker News Daily asked organizer Robert Turner why the World Championship event was not held concurrently with the WSOP, while many of the game’s elite will be camped out in Las Vegas. Last year, for example, Dream Team Poker held a tournament during the WSOP that attracted 122 teams, or 366 players. Turner explained, “Next year, we may do that. For 2011, we’ll try to do our events when everyone is in town.”
Turner also revealed that two-time Olympic gold medal skier Petter Northug may join Team Norway at the World Team Poker Championship event. Northug won gold medals in the 50 km Classic and Team Sprint during the 2010 Vancouver Games and also captured a silver and a bronze. Team Norway recently added new Full Tilt Poker pro Annette “Annette_15” Obrestad to a lineup that already included Thor Hansen.
Given poker’s acceptance as a “mind sport” by the International Mind Sports Association (IMSA), poker in the Olympics may soon be a reality. Turner and company have already pitched the concept of a World Team Poker event during the 2012 Summer Games in London. In the same European city, the IMSA World Mind Sports Games will feature poker, chess, and bridge.
Team China emerged victorious from World Team Poker’s inaugural event at the Golden Nugget. Its roster included 10-time bracelet winner Johnny Chan, former WPT Championship winner David Chiu, Chau Giang, Mario Ho, Winfred Yu, Rich Zhu, and Derek Cheung. Heads-up, China bested Team Brazil, which included Juliano Maesano, Rodrigo “Zidane” Caprioli, Humberto “Kima” Kim, Raul Oliveira, Christian Kruel, Leandro “Brasa” Pimentel, and Felipe “Mojave” Ramos.
Stay tuned to Poker News Daily for the latest from World Team Poker.