Oxford welcomes Devilfish

Could the United Nations be next?

One of the oldest and most prestigious debating societies in England will welcome one of the oldest and most well-known poker players in the U.K. this weekend.

David "Devilfish" Ulliott will address the Oxford Union during a question and answer session for students Saturday at 8:30 p.m.

"As a hard working graduate of the University of Life, it's a real honor to be asked to speak at the Union where some of the great minds and talents of the last 200 years have gone before,"Ulliott said.

In fact, Devilfish is following in the footsteps of Albert Einstein, Richard Nixon, Mother Teresa, the Dalai Lama, John Hume, Ronald Reagan, Malcolm X, Leonard Nimoy and Kermit the Frog.

Ulliott's topic of discussion will be poker and his career in the game.

"Poker is a complex game that suits brilliant thinkers like me, and while I don't know most of the people who have spoken there over the years, I'm a big fan of Kermit the Frog and to take to the same stage as him is humbling," Ulliott said.

Ulliott's poker career includes winning a World Series of Poker bracelet in 1997, a World Poker Tour title in 2003 and claiming the all-time money winners top spot for players from England.

Ulliott's appearance at the Oxford Union is good timing to get students geared up for the start of the U.K. Student Poker Federation, which is launching three weeks later with the start of the Oxford Cup on June 7.

Students who buy tickets for the £20 rebuy main event of the Oxford Cup now will also gain free entry into the Devilfish debate. Tickets are available on a first come, first serve basis from the Oxford Union.

The Oxford Union Society may have been described as the "last bastion of free speech in the Western world," by former British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan, but Ulliott isn't letting his invitation to speak go to his head.

"After the debate, I'm off to speak to the BBC World Service, and I expect the United Nations will probably want me next week," Ulliott said.