World Cup of Poker 2006 - FAQ

What is the World Cup of Poker?
The PokerStars World Cup of Poker is a round-robin tournament in which PokerStars players from designated countries face off in a series of matches. The tournament will end when one team remains. That team will be the 2006 World Cup of Poker champion.
How do you choose the World Cup of Poker Teams?
Each country will assemble a team of 5 players through TLB rankings, heads-up tournaments and special appointments. For more information, including details on how you can represent your country, please visit our WCP information page.
How much does it cost to play in my country's qualifier?
All you need to win your way onto your country's WCP team is 50 Frequent Player Points, the cost of the qualifier FPP buy-in.
What does the winner of the World Cup of Poker receive?
The final eight World Cup of Poker teams will win all-expenses-paid trips to Barcelona, Spain, where they will compete before a live audience. The WCP prize pool ($200,000) will be distributed as follows:
- First prize: $100,000
- Second prize: $50,000
- Third prize: $30,000
- Fourth prize: $20,000
All of the above payments are to the entire team, and will be distributed equally among all five team members. For instance, each member of the winning team will receive $20,000. Each player who makes it to the final will also receive a bag full of PokerStars World Cup of Poker gear and other gifts.
When is the final event?
The live final event is scheduled be held from June 19-24, 2006, but that date is subject to change. The final event will also be taped for television broadcast.
How old do I have to be to participate?
The minimum age to play in the 2006 World Cup of Poker is 18 or the legal age of maturity in your country.
Suppose I am a citizen of country A, but live in country B. Which country's team should I play for?
You can play for either country, but not both. We will be flexible in allowing a player to decide what country (state, or province) he wants to represent. But any attempted duplication of tournaments or fraud involving residency will result in the player's disqualification from the World Cup of Poker.
What will happen if a player changes his address to play for a different country, U.S. state, or Canadian province?
If the player is making the change for a legitimate reason (e.g. because he moved), that's fine. However, a player who arbitrarily changes his address (or plays in qualifiers for multiple jurisdictions) will be completely disqualified from the the World Cup of Poker and will not be permitted to play on any team. Please note that players may be required to show appropriate ID at any time during the online or live portions of the event.
What is the time period that determines the Tournament Leader Board qualifiers for the World Cup of Poker?
Tournament Leader Board (TLB) qualifiers are based on TLB rankings from January 1, 2005 - December 31, 2005.
How will the round-robin stage of the World Cup of Poker be played?
Each team plays a "team match" (four players vs. four players) against every other team in its group.

In the event of a 2-2 tie, a single playoff match is played between two players nominated by the captains.

Once the playoff matches are complete, the teams with the two best records will play a single team match to determine the winner for the group. The winner for the group advances to Barcelona.

Should there be any sort of tie for the two best records in the group, we will have a single match with one player from each team having the best record (i.e. it could be a three-player match). The two final teams represented in that tournament will have the playoff for first place.

Please note that we've made a change to the structure. We will have four-player teams competing throughout the online portion of the world round-robin. The celebrity player for each team will be added if that team advances to the finals in Barcelona. Because we have four-player teams during the round-robin phase, we may have 2-2 ties for some matches. If so, those matches will be decided by a single heads-up playoff with a captain-nominated player from each team.
I live in the United States. How does qualifying work for U.S. players?
The "USA" group consists of two national teams (USA#1 and USA#2) plus four state teams. Those six teams will play as a regular group, and one of them will attend the finals in Barcelona. Visit the World Cup of Poker Team USA page for more information.
How do I get on one of the USA teams?
Two members of each USA team will be chosen based on TLB standings for calendar year 2005. Two members of each team will be chosen by FPP satellites that are open to all American players. A fifth member will be named to each team by PokerStars.
How do I get on one of the state teams?
The initial state teams will have only three players each. This will simplify the process of getting down to the final four state teams (which is described below). The initial three players on each state team will be the 2005 TLB winner for that state, plus the winners of two FPP satellites for each state.
How are the final four state teams determined?
The 51 states (plus the District of Columbia) are broken down into 16 sub-groups (14 groups of three plus two groups of four). Each of those sub-groups play a round-robin to determine 16 sub-group winners. The 16 sub-group winners will play a single elimination ladder down to four teams. Those four teams compete against USA#1 and USA#2 to determine the winner of the "USA" group, that will attend the WCP finals in Barcelona.
Can I attempt to get on both the USA team and my specific state team?
Yes. However, the final four state teams will be established before the FPP satellites for the USA teams. If you are already on one of the final four state teams, please do not play in the FPP satellites for the USA teams. Conversely, if you qualify for the USA teams by your TLB standing, please do not play in the FPP satellites for the state teams.
I'm Canadian. How are the two province teams determined?
We have establishd two Canadian "regions". Each region will play a five-team round-robin match. The team with the best record will advance to the "Canada and Pacific" group round-robin. For more information, visit the World Cup of Poker Team Canada page.
What if, during the state or province matches, there are multiple teams with the same record?
Those teams will play a single match with one player from each team (note that this may involve more than two players). That player will be designated by the team captain. The winner of that match will determine the winner of the state mini-group or province sub-group.
What is the schedule for the World Cup matches online?

Here is the schedule:

Apr 1-2	FPP Tournament #1 (US States, Canadian Provinces)
Apr 3-4	FPP Tournament #2 (US States, Canadian Provinces)
Apr 5-13	Assemble State and Province teams
Apr 5-13	Assemble Country Teams
Apr 14-15	USA States play down to 16 teams
Apr 14-20	Canadian Provinces play down to 2 teams which advance to the "Canada and Pacific" division
Apr 16	FPP Tournament #1 (All countries except US and Canada)
Apr 17	FPP Tournament #2 (All countries except US and Canada)
Apr 17-22	USA States (16 team bracket) play down to 4 teams which advance to "USA" division
Apr 23-28	Add TLB and Celebrity to 4 State and 2 Province teams
Apr 23	FPP Tournament for USA #1, top two make the team
Apr 23	FPP Tournament #1 for Team Canada
Apr 24	FPP Tournament for USA #2, top two make the team
Apr 24	FPP Tournament #2 for Team Canada
Apr 18-21	Assemble Team USA #1 & #2, Team Canada
May 1-14	Group Round Robin play
May 15-22	Group Championship Match
June 19-24	Barcelona Live matches

If you have any questions regarding this year's World Cup of Poker, please feel free to contact us at wcp@pokerstars.com.

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