World Cup of Poker VI

LATEST NEWS: The online qualification phase of World Cup of Poker VI has now finished and the nine teams that will play at the live Grand Final are now dreaming of glory. The USA, Germany, Canada, Italy, Finland, Norway, Croatia, Taiwan and Chile are the countries that will do battle for the World Cup of Poker title. The live Grand Final is set for January 9-15 in The Bahamas, make sure you follow all of the action as it unfolds on the PokerStars Blog.

The PokerStars World Cup of Poker (WCP) is back, and this year we’re bringing together 54 nations from around the world for the ultimate poker battle. There’s a $290,000 prize pool on the line, but only one country can claim the glory, national pride and the $100,000 first place prize money at the live Grand Final in The Bahamas. Poker doesn’t get any bigger than this, so make sure you are there.

How to take part

This year the WCP will run differently, giving ALL players a shot at making it onto their national team. Here’s how it works:

STAGE I - Qualify for your National Team

It doesn’t matter where you are from, every PokerStars player has the chance to qualify for the live Grand Final. To be in the running, you must first qualify for a place in your country’s four player team. See the Qualify page to find out how you can become a member of your national team.

STAGE II - Regional Play-offs

Once you’ve secured a place on your national team, Stage II will see players compete against teams from neighboring countries in order to secure a place in Stage III - the live Grand Final! See the Regional Play-Offs page to find out how your team can reach the Grand Final.

Stage III - Live Final

Members of the teams that make it to the World Cup of Poker Grand Final will receive a prize package that includes travel and accommodation at the Atlantis Resort and Casino in The Bahamas. Once there, each team member will compete in a series of tournaments to determine how the World Cup of Poker Final Table will play out.

The live Final Table will be a ‘Tag Team’ event, where all team members will rotate in and out of play until one team takes overall victory. They will get to claim the national glory, $100,000 and the title of World Cup of Poker VI Champions!

Visit the Live Final page to find out more.

World Cup of Poker V

Last year, Team Germany - comprising of Georg Geissler, Malte Strothmann, Bastian Wulff, Peter Schmidt and captained by PokerStars player Jan Heitmann - were crowned World Cup of Poker Champions. Germany beat eight other teams from around the world during 16 hours of live poker, all played out in the stunning surroundings of the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure (PCA) at Atlantis in The Bahamas. They took home the $100,000 first place prize money, which equates to $20,000 per player, plus trophies and the all-important title of World Cup of Poker V Champions.

Roll of Honor

If you have any questions about the 2009 World Cup of Poker, contact wcp@pokerstars.com.