By Neal Farran | July 11, 2007

We all know poker is not a team game, but sometimes playing for more than just yourself can be a lot of fun.Such is the spirit of camaraderie in the PokerStars World Cup of Poker, which begins its qualifying rounds this week at PokerStars.Past winners include Costa Rica (2004 and 2005) and Poland (2006).

The World Cup of Poker is a 57 team, 44 country competition, aimed at determining which nation is the best at poker.The teams, comprised of four players, are placed in eight divisions.After a series of tournaments, a winning team will emerge from each division.One more player will be added to each remaining team, and they will all be flown to Barcelona to compete live for over $250,000 in prize money.

After the “Team Score” round in Barcelona, the final four will square-off in a four-handed, tag-team tournament to decide the winner.These four teams will all make the money: $100,000, $60,000, $40,000, and $20,000, based on finish.

Most countries will have the same qualifying methods to determine who makes each team.Each country will have two freeroll tournaments on PokerStars.com, from which two team members will emerge (the nine final table members will play in an 18-person tournament and the top two from that will qualify).The other two spots will be filled by the top two 2006 Tournament Leader Board finishers for each country.The fifth player, added before the live sessions in Barcelona, will be chosen by PokerStars.

Because the United States, Germany, and Canada have multiple teams, they will have additional qualifying rounds.

All qualifier details and schedules can be found at PokerStars.com.

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