We’ve had players from Denmark, Germany, England, Finland, Canada, Latvia, New Zealand, Norway, Austria, Portugal, Switzerland and Spain.

The contestants qualified for the televised semi-finals for free via our online Freerolls and got the chance to show off their poker skills in front of a public audience.

The Poker Race Trophy, created in cooperation with the FIA WTCC (World Touring Car Championship) and fun.PokerRoom.com, sends the winners of the online qualifiers to one of six race events during the WTCC season.

In addition to the televised poker event (which is broadcast on Eurosport), the players are treated to a VIP race weekend at the FIA WTCC event, where they are right at the heart of the action. The winners of the six Poker Race Trophy semi-finals will then all head to Vienna on November 29th, to fight it out for a guaranteed prize pool of $500,000. And it's all for free!

Poker crosses both national and social boundaries. Whether it's a serving British army officer, a football referee from Latvia, a well-travelled Canadian engineer, a caretaker from Denmark, or trainee teachers and students – people from all walks of life, from all over the world, have joined at one table – the table with the green baize top.

One particular privilege, which only the most famous of poker players usually enjoy, offers up a real incentive for taking part in the Race Trophy.

The meetings at the race events are recorded and broadcast by Eurosport in 59 different countries. (Check out the latest instalment from Brno on 04.07. at 21:30, 08.07. at 22:00 and 24.07.2008 at 22:00 – all times BST). The feeling of being a poker pro, showing your Pocket Cards to the table cameras, and the chance to be in the poker spotlight is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for our players.

The smiling faces of our contestants during the TV interviews and during the photo sessions with the journalists, their wide eyed delight at the sumptuous buffets, and the excitement of the winners, are a clear sign that the Poker Race Trophy is a real hit.

The Poker Race Trophy could also be a stepping stone to a professional poker career. The winner of the $500,000 final table in Vienna on November 29th will be considered as a real poker pro – and might even use a little bit of their prize money for buy-ins to the biggest tourneys around.

If you fancy a luxury weekend with a TV appearance and the chance to win the $500,000 prize pool, make sure you qualify, for free, by 10.07.2008, for the next stage of the Poker Race Trophy at the WTCC event at Brands Hatch. You could also try to qualify at the other two remaining stages in Oschersleben and Monza. The qualifiers run until September 18th 2008. And how do you qualify? Simple – through the online Freerolls at fun.PokerRoom.com.