In last week's "forthcoming attractions" InfoPowa reported
on the upcoming clash of top poker players from 8 nations around the
world at the third annual PokerStars.com World Cup of Poker in Barcelona,
Spain.
Ultimately, it was Team Poland that defeated Team United States to
take the top prize as the Polish team battled their American opponents
heads-up to collect the $100 000 first place payout. Team USA did
not go home empty handed - it was awarded $50 000 in total for its
second place finish, while Team Canada received $30 000 and Team Israel
split $20 000. Other teams in the competition included Brazil, England,
Ireland, and Iceland.
The World Cup of Poker was a freeroll event that began in April with
players from 39 nations around the globe battling online at PokerStars.com
for the right to represent their countries in the televised eight-team
finale. Winners were awarded flights to Barcelona to compete in the
no-buy in event.
Each national team featured five players: two Frequent Player Point
(FPP) PokerStars.com qualifiers, two top-ranking PokerStars.com players,
and one "celebrity" player chosen by the team. These included
Tom McEvoy for the U.S. and Isabelle Mercier for Canada, among others.
The live tournament format for the Barcelona final involved five qualifying
heats, with each team member playing in a single-table mini-tournament
heat where they were awarded points. After the fifth and final heat,
the top four teams went through to a four-handed knock-out to decide
the World Cup winners.
The PokerStars.com World Cup of Poker was taped for TV by production
company Sunset+Vine, and will be broadcast in six episodes on Challenge
TV (Sky Digital) and other channels throughout Europe starting in
September.