In the most productive of clichéd senses there has been everything to play for when the arena Cup of Poker entered its last, critical stage.
Made up of a round of nation vs. nation sit & gos, determined by their standings after the penultimate round, the general stages pitched everyone together in a final ditch scramble for points, and the coveted World Cup.
Captains at work
As is additionally the case in an international Cup, it was Germany taking it to the wire. Within the final heads-up bout against Canada the scores were tied at two games each. The fifth match would decide it, sort of, with Germany in a position to wrap all of it up and raise the trophy for a second time in the event that they could just beat Canada, and depend on Tajikistan not sweeping the Belgians.
Team Germany was led by their captain Jan Heitmann
But Germany stumbled on the last, leaving Russia ahead on 222 points and Tajikistan needing a win from any in their last two games.
It was a large ask for the Tajik's, who were favourites among those watching by simple virtue of being from a rustic few people could place on a map. One among their team, Shamshold Niyatbekov had already earned himself Most worthy Player status and a check for $2,500. But not even Shamshold could win them all.
Most Valuable Player: Shamshold Niyatbekov
It would come right down to their last match against Belgium, the last match of the sector Cup of Poker IX. A win would seal it. Defeat would gift it to the Russians.
The look on successive Tajik faces told the tale better than the cards could. Separately they lost to the Belgians, urged on by their lubricated captain Christophe de Meulder, and to the sheer delight of the Russian team who broke into broad grins and laughter, stark contrast to when asked to grin for his or her team shot yesterday: "We're Russian, we do not smile."
Champions: Team Russia
But they're smiling now, winners of a combined $90,000, worth $22,500 to every player.
The full results are as follows:
1st. Russia, 222 points
2nd. Germany, 218 points
3rd. Tajikistan, 217 points
4th. Belgium, 215 points
5th. Bulgaria, 215 points (officially a tie, the money was chopped and position determined by one hand of no fold'em hold'em)
6th. Canada, 201 points
7th. Japan, 195 points
8th. Brazil, 178 points
The day's play was peppered with tell-tale signs of fine natured rivalry. Team spirit, merely 24 hours old, had become weeklong lifelong friendship. Team chants filled the air. The Germans paid homage to the movie Snatch by calling themselves "Zee Germans!" While Canada routinely cried "WHO'RE you petrified of? Canada!" but with a keenness that would only be taken for irony.
Canada's captain: Adrienne Rowsome
By midnight good spirits had turned to easily spirits. Team Canada were announced as safely within the club house, ("And drinking!" added Captain Adrienne Rowsom), while Japan roared their way through their last matches. Nobuyuki Tanaka was doing the various roaring. Yesterday he lost all of his matches (and was presented with a limited edition set of cards in tribute). Today, he looked as if it would win all of them.
Nobuyuki Tanaka
But the lasting image of the sector Cup of Poker 2013 could be that of a few dozen individuals who until yesterday had not met each other, laughing their way through poker that did not wish to sparkle to entertain.
Defeated Bulgarians
It could appear like a trivial event and a hard one to follow. In fact, when in full swing the worst thing you'll be able to ask is "what is going on"? It's simply impossible to mention. But if the dust settles it's worth remembering that the money involved is hardly trivial, to not players who will return to micro-stakes games with one hell of a narrative to inform. To position it in perspective the Tajiks fly home to Dushabe with five times the typical salary of Tajikistan of their pockets.
The devastated Tajik team
It brings to an end another World Cup of Poker. Again it didn't fail, make that couldn't fail, to entertain, inspire and infuriate in equal measure. It was played in a spirit sometimes lost in major tournaments. Identical to previous years, defeated teams chose to hang out and notice how things turned out in preference to get an early night.
Team Russia celebrates
That spirit will continue to exist. Next year the sector Cup of Poker will return. The principles will still require a master's degree to understand, the players will still arrive via routes impossible to fathom. And despite promises on the contrary it's going to still finish at a God awful hour in the course of the night. And it'll be glorious.
Good night from Atlantis.
Stephen Bartley is a PokerStars Blog reporter
Read More... [Source: PokerStarsBlog.com :: World Cup of Poker]
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