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Bunker Bob is back!

As we mentioned last week, the ninth World Cup of Poker will play out this year, now with a heads-up format. Everyone has an opportunity to play for their country, an effort that would land them within the live finals on the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure.

During the primary weekend, 72 different countries fought the primary two of 4 qualifying matches. Keeping an eye on the numbers is a Herculean task. Fortunately, we have now our own in-house Hercules within the type of the aforementioned Bunker Bob, a gentlemen who cloisters himself in a double-reinforced bunker with an immense golden abacus. The person can crunch numbers better than anyone I've ever met.

We've spent the past day interpreting his notes. That is our greatest translation:

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World Cup of Poker: Week 1 update

Group 1: Canada went into the crowd as a hot favourite, with Argentina expected to pose the primary threat, but it was tiny Honduras that came good within the first qualifying match. 'LUISRO23' overcame Canadian 'alma53' to fasten up 113 points for the small Central American nation. Argentina provided either one of the beaten semi-finalists, locking up 33.72 points and depriving the opposite teams within the group of a top four spot.

The second match went to form however with an all Canadian final. Actually all but one of the crucial top 8 spots were occupied by Canadian players, forcing some of the other teams to accept money scores. It was '2xMaGiCx2' that ultimately claimed the 126.32 points. Argentina again locked up a semi-final place for a score of 35.28. Defending champions Peru are currently being affected by just 12.22 points.

Contenders: Canada (182.52 pts), Honduras (119.04 pts) & Argentina (69 pts)

Team Peru struggling to defend its World Cup title

Group 2: Things are much tighter within the second Americas group. Mexico got off to the very best start on Saturday, with 'Josman27' taking the win and 88.4 points. 'Estacion Aga' from Uruguay took 45.76 points for the runner-up spot. Brazil kept in contact with the leaders by taking the remainder spots within the top 4 for 24.64 points.
The second match saw Venezuela rise to the highest with 'Chechegami' earning 88.03 points for the win. This time Brazil took second place and Colombia snatched a semi-final finish to maintain them in contention. Mexico could only add another 11.23 points for 1 / 4 final cash, but it surely was enough to position them on top going into the second one 1/2 qualifying.

Contenders: Mexico (99.63 pts), Venezuela (92.25 pts), Brazil (70.27 pts), Uruguay (49.97 pts) & Colombia (25.97 pts)

Group 3: The primary of the ecu groups saw probably the most dominating performance of the primary half qualifying, with pre-match favourites Germany taking down both matches. Saturday saw 'gottzeus' secure 201.2 points, then compatriot 'bowling-ffo' won the Sunday match for 187.77 points.

However an enormous performance from Greece will keep interest alive next weekend. The relatively small poker nation took second place in both matches to present them a shot at qualifying for the Bahamas next weekend. Belarus may also feel they're in with a possibility after reaching the semi-finals in both matches.

Contenders: Germany (388.97 pts), Greece (204.57 pts), Belarus (125.01 pts) & Poland (94.84 pts)

Group 4: On paper this group should come all the way down to a competition between Ukraine and the UK, but on the halfway stage both face an uphill battle to qualify. The primary qualifying match was won by Croatia, with 'Patrick Dash' taking the 185.1 points on offer after victory over Bulgaria's 'MAHRK'.

Hungary then stepped as much as take match 2, with 'SlyderS1' defeating Denmark's 'Calkulating' for 164.66 points. Combined with a semi-final finish the former day, the end result was enough to look Hungary move to the highest of the crowd. This time the united kingdom and Ukraine were capable of secure spots within the semi-finals, thus giving them an opportunity to fight back next weekend.

Contenders: Hungary (220.04 pts), Croatia (210.48 pts), Bulgaria (117.68 pts), Denmark 88.36 (pts), Ukraine (77.75 pts) & the united kingdom (77.75 pts)

Group 5: The qualifying matches of group 5 were the only biggest tournaments within the first round of qualifying with well over 1,200 participants in each. The rationale? The crowd contains the mighty Russian playerbase. Within the new WCP format there's strength in numbers, but up to now the advantage is yet to inform. Within the first match 'TOMMYWOG' of eire battled singlehandedly for his country from the round of 32 onwards, eventually securing a 245 point win over Russia's 'VIPERstar.ru'.

The second match saw 'FAustuxXP' of Lithuania defeat a trio of Russian players within the last four to earn 210.24 points for his country. Israel added a quarter-final finish to their semi-final appearance the day gone by to maintain them in quest of qualification. Russia remain the favourite, but a large upset may well be at the cards.

Contenders: Ireland (248.69 pts), Russia (239.94 pts), Lithuania (223.14 pts) & Israel (112.75 pts)

Group 6: Match 1 in group 6 witnessed the one final 4 whitewash by a single nation, with Romania taking the entire semi-final spots. Ultimately 'Rapid4Ever' closed out the tourney for a 169 point gain. Serbia, Belgium and the Netherlands all needed to accept quarter-final places worth 26.1 points each.

The second qualifying match went the way in which of Belgium, as 'JacktShipper' defeated Serbia's 'Ljuti Gusar' for the 149.68 point top prize. Probably the most group's underdogs, Cyprus, picked up 44.64 points for a semi-final appearance, while Romania added 23.06 points for certainly one of their three quarter-finalists. The Netherlands began the crowd as one of the most favourites but will now struggle to qualify after failing to make the highest 32 places within the second match.

Contenders: Romania (192.06 pts), Belgium (175.78 pts), Serbia (100.5 pts) & Cyprus (46.32pts)

Group 7: Taiwan got off to a super start in group 7 with 'shaqssmm' defeating compatriot 'S.rainy' for 77.57 points. Players from Japan and the Philippines both earned 21.63 points for his or her countries by reaching the semi-finals.

In match 2, 'Ihou' of Japan took victory from New Zealand's 'edmuldrock' and 66.25 points - enough to secure a small lead going into the second one week of qualifying. The Philippines this time provided both losing semi-finalists, keeping them well in contention of qualifying.

Contenders: Japan (87.88 pts), Taiwan (80.75 pts), New Zealand (44.33 pts) & Philippines (40.18 pts)

Group 8: The overall group within the competition contains the mysterious yet dangerous Remainder of the arena (RoW) team, and so they got off to an unbelievable start with 'FreddyEagle' from Iceland securing them maximum points in match 1, earning RoW 77.5 points. Australia's 'kungfukarlos' scored 40.3 points for finishing runner-up.

The second match appears to have gone well for China, though it's going to yet still be good for the RoW team. 'raiden kan' from Macao took the win for 65.13 points, however the points could legitimately count for either China or RoW. The player was contacted to determine which team should enjoy the points. If it goes the way in which of China, then RoW can still breath easily, as 'MMx200070' from Turkmenistan has guaranteed a minimum of a 2nd place finish and 36.15 points. Australia scored a semi-final finish to stick within touch of the crowd leaders.

Contenders (provisional): RoW (113.65 pts), China (68.85 pts), Australia (59.58 pts) & Kazakhstan (30.13 pts)

A special mention should visit Albania, Afghanistan, Lebanon, Indonesia and Vietnam, all of whom are trying to find their first points within the competition. Qualification for the finals now looks unlikely for these teams, but pride can also be restored with a profit next weekend's final qualifying tournaments!

Read More... [Source: PokerStarsBlog.com :: World Cup of Poker]