IFMP’s first live event since the Asian Nations Cup was held in Taoyuan City, Chinese Taipei in November 2019 and we could not be more excited to bring our qualified nations together and competing for the Match Poker World Championship in North Macedonia!
We hosted a series of virtual qualifiers throughout 2021, where Asian and European national teams participated from a central venue to secure their qualification for the 2021 Nations Cup Finals.
Over 25 national teams participated in 11 individual qualifying events over 4 months. These nations will be joined by the current Nations Cup Champions, for 2019 and 2020, Team Ukraine who will be looking to defend their title for the second time after successfully doing so for the first time in the 2020 Virtual Nations Cup.
The beautiful town of Gevgelija will be our host city in Macedonia with the Apollonia Hotel being our venue.
The 2021 Nations Cup will kick off on 23rd May and run till the 27th, incorporating an exciting elimination structure playing down to a final 6 teams for the final session of play.
3 full days of play will ensure both physical and mental stamina are tested along with Match Poker skill and strategy, producing a truly deserving World Champion.
Event schedule
Teams
Venue
Welcome to Apollonia Hotel, a modern 5 star hotel located in the centre of Gevgelija.
Enjoy a luxury stay and discover a place where comfort and convenience live under the same roof. But most of all, you will enjoy the hospitality and familiarity from all the staff and executives, which makes the APOLLONIA Hotel & Casino a unique place for a restful break, entertainment and business meetings.
Apollonia Casino, which is situated in Apollonia Hotel, is the place where we offer fun and excitement to our clients for 38 years. Our unique loyalty program provides many benefits for our loyal guests who, apart from enjoying the games such as Roulette, Blackjack, Texas Hold’em Poker or the various Slot machines, enjoy in various perks we surprise them with along the way.
In the dazzling serenity of our Beauty & SPA centre, you will have exciting experiences and an exclusive opportunity to rediscover your senses and fully enjoy the pleasure of being relaxed. Equipped with an indoor pool, sauna, steam bath, Jacuzzi, thermal beds, massage rooms, beauty room, mani-pedi and hair salon, we will make sure that you are well pampered and refreshed by our professional team.
As for the gourmands, our traditional cuisine combined with the Mediterranean and international flavours will indulge your appetite and create great culinary memories.
Structure
All 14 teams to play together
Day 1
- 14 teams to play Session 1 and 2 before lunch, 50 hands each, seat draw 1.
- 14 teams to play Sessions 3, 4 and 5 after lunch, 50 hands each, seat draw 2.
Day 2
- 14 teams to play Session 1 before lunch, 100 hands, seat draw 1, bottom 4 eliminated after this session, 75% points carryover (in the dark)
- 10 teams to play Session 2 after lunch, 100 hands, seat draw 2, bottom 4 eliminated after this session (in the dark)
Day 3 – Scores Reset
- 6 teams to play Sessions 1,2 and 3 before lunch, 50 hands each, seat draw 1.
- 6 teams to play Session 4 after lunch, 50 hands, seat draw 2.
- 6 teams to play Session 5, 100 hands, seat draw 2 (in the dark)
Blinds will be 25-50 with a 10,000 chip stack throughout.
Pot-limit pre-flop and no-limit post-flop.
Fan Zone
The fan zone will show all the tables from the main area of play with cards face up, so teams are encouraged to have their managers, analysts, substitutes etc keeping an eye on it and using the information effectively – check us out on Twitch!
