World Cup of Poker VIII Frequently Asked Questions

Event and Online Tournament Information

• What is the World Cup of Poker?
• The PokerStars World Cup of Poker (WCP) is a team event in which PokerStars players from around the world play off in a series of matches. The tournament will end when one team remains. That team will then be crowned the World Cup of Poker VIII Champions.
• How do you choose the World Cup of Poker Teams?
• Each country will assemble a team of four players through Tournament Leader Board (TLB) rankings and qualifying tournaments. Teams that reach the Live Final, which will be held in The Bahamas during the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure (PCA), will have an additional celebrity player chosen by PokerStars added to their team.
  
  For more information, including details on how you can represent your country, please visit the main WCP page.
• How much does it cost to play in my country's qualifier?
• There are four ways to qualify:
  1. Win the single table tournament for the 2010 top ten TLB players in your country
  2. Win the $11 qualifying tournament for your country
  3. Win the $1.10 qualifying tournament for your country
  4. Win the Freeroll qualifying tournament for your country
• When do the national qualifying tournaments take place?
• These will all take place on the weekend of August 20 and 21, 2011. Please note: registration will be strictly on a first-come first served basis one hour before start time. These tournaments will be limited to 20,000 players in each country. Please make sure you know the time in advance that they start for your country.
• Where can I find the tournaments online?
• They are located under ‘Events’ > ‘World Cup’.
• When do the regional qualifying tournaments take place?
• These will all take place on the weekend of August 27 and 28, 2011. Please make sure you know the time in advance that they start for your country.
• What does the winner of the World Cup of Poker receive?
• The final seven World Cup of Poker teams will win packages – including travel expenses and accommodation at Atlantis in The Bahamas - to play before a live audience, at The PCA 2012. The WCP prize pool ($290,000) at the live event will be distributed as follows:
  • 1st: $100,000 ($25,000 per person)
  • 2nd: $70,000 ($17,500 per person)
  • 3rd: $50,000 ($12,500 per person)
  • 4th: $30,000 ($7,500 per person)
  • 5th-7th: $10,000 ($2,500 per person)
  • 8th-9th*: $5,000 ($1,250 per person)
  
  * Note that although only seven teams qualify via Stage 1 and Stage 2, there will actually be nine teams competing in the live final. These two other teams will have qualified via a different route.
  
  All of the above payments are to the entire team, and will be distributed equally among the four online qualifying team members. For instance, each member of the winning team will receive $25,000.
• How do you determine a player’s position within each team?
• Each team in the World Cup of Poker contains 4 players – one TLB qualifying player, one winner of a $11 qualifying tournament, one winner of a $1.10 qualifying tournament, and one winner of a Freeroll qualifying tournament. Players are assigned a team position based on how they qualified. The team positions are as follows:
  • Striker – The TLB qualifier
  • Midfielder – The $11 qualifying tourney winner
  • Defender – The $1.10 qualifying tourney winner
  • Goalie –The winner of the Freeroll Qualifier
  • Celebrity Captain – Player appointed by PokerStars*

  * Teams are only appointed a fifth player should they reach the Live Final held in The Bahamas during PCA.

• What if a qualifying player turns down a position on their team?
• Should a TLB qualifying player turn down a position on the team, then it will be offered to the next highest finishing TLB player.
  
  Should a  player from a qualifying tournament turn down a position on the team, then it will be offered to the next highest finishing player from that qualifying tournament.
• When is the final event?
• The Live Final event is scheduled be held from January 5-15, 2012, however this date is subject to change. The Final event might be filmed and possibly shown on TV.
• How old do I have to be to participate?
• The minimum age to play in World Cup of Poker VIII is 18 or the legal age of majority in your country, whichever is higher.
• 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 he or she wants to represent, as long as they can make a legitimate claim to being part of that jurisdiction, either by citizenship or residency. Any attempted duplication of tournaments or fraud involving residency or citizenship will result in the player's disqualification from the World Cup of Poker.
• If I live in a country that does not have a WCP team, can I participate in the WCP?
• Yes! If your country does not have a WCP team, then you may attempt to qualify for the ‘Rest of World’ team.
• What if I live in a country that has a ‘dotted line’ relationship to a WCP country?
• You may compete to play on a country's WCP team if you live in another country that has a legally established relationship to the WCP country. For instance, if you live in the Isle of Man, you may compete to play on the United Kingdom national team.
• What will happen if a player changes his or her address to play for a different country?
• If the player is making the change for a legitimate reason (e.g. because they moved), that's fine. However, a player who arbitrarily changes his or her address (or plays in qualifiers for multiple jurisdictions) will be completely disqualified from 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 and/or proof of residency 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 qualifiers are based on TLB rankings from January 1, 2010 - December 31, 2010.

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