Home / Poker News November 2011 / The Poker Grapevine – Germany Wins IFP Nations Cup
The Poker Grapevine – Germany Wins IFP Nations Cup
Posted by: James Carter. - Sun, 2011-11-20 02:14
The inaugural edition of the International Poker Federation’s Nations Cup wrapped up on Friday, with the victory of the German team. The event was quite a unique one indeed. There were 12 teams participating, made up of some of the world’s best poker players. The game was duplicate poker: a spin on traditional
Texas Holdem which kills off the luck factor in the game allowing player skill to be decisive every single time.
The event lasted for two days, at the end of which, the Germans emerged as the winners. They earned 24 pts in the final round. There were quite a few ‘name’ players – some of them Team
PokerStars members - on the German side: Sandra Naoujoks, Sebastian Ruthenberg, Tobias Reinkemeier and Moritz Kranich all played.
Second place went to Brazil in rather surprising manner. The French ended up in third. The real surprise of the event was the Zynga Team though, made up of 6 Zynga community members, who managed to battle their way into 4th place, surpassing team USA, Ireland and the UK.
Duplicate poker is about dealing players similar cards and then comparing their success rates with the same hands. Since players sit in the same position and get the same starting hand, the only factor that determines their success rate is their skill.
The Nations Cup is considered to be the herald of the IPF’s World Championship, which kicks off on November 19. Many of the players who took part in the Nations Cup will play in the World Championship too, battling it out for a top prize of 250k.
In other news: actor Charlie Sheen (yes, he of the ever winning warlock tribe) takes part in a charity poker tournament in Santa Monica, which features a buy-in of $85. Other celebrities will take part too, among them Morris Chestnut and Kenny Lofton. The event’s goal is to generate funds for the Santa Monica high School baseball team.
