This year, the World Series of Poker will host a $1 million buy-in tournament, the largest in history, called The Big One for One Drop. It is estimated that the tournament, which will take place from July 1 through 3, 2012, will award a $12,266,668 first-place prize. This prize was recently announced after eight more players confirmed their participation, bringing the total to 30.
Here’s a look at the latest players to confirm their participation:
- Erik Seidel
- Justin “Boosted J” Smith
- Richard Yong (Asian businessman)
- Paul Phua (Asian Businessman)
- Paul Newey (Co-founder, New Wave Ventures, LLP)
- Arnaud Mimran (French businessman)
- Cary Katz (CEO, College Loan Corporation)
- Bob Bright (CEO, Bright Trading)
“It is an exciting moment and it is wonderful to see the poker community’s generosity, where organizations, players and fans are all coming together to support One Drop,” said Guy Laliberté, the founder of Cirque Du Soleil’s who started the charity. “Whether entering the Big One for One Drop, becoming a poker ambassador, making a donation, or simply changing their water consumption habits, everyone can get involved and everyone should be concerned, because a child dies every 20 seconds from a water-related disease and that together we can beat the odds.”
For those who don’t know, One Drop is “a public charity that undertakes innovative activities in which water plays a central role as a creative force in generating positive, sustainable change worldwide. More specifically, One Drop is involved in raising awareness among individuals and communities on water-related issues to convince them of the need to mobilize for universal access to water and urges them to adopt sound habits for managing this precious resource for future generations.”
In addition to the latest confirmations, 22 players have publicly declared their participation, though some have done so anonymously. Here is a look at the other players who’ve committed to the event thus far:
- Guy Laliberté
- Bobby Baldwin
- Phil Ruffin
- Andy Beal
- Patrik Antonius
- Gus Hansen
- Daniel Negreanu
- Johnny Chan
- Tom Dwan
- Tony Guoga
- Jonathan Duhamel
- Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier
- Sean O’Donnell (Montreal private citizen group)
- Dan Shak
- Loto-Québec/Casino Montreal seat (Lottery scratch-off/live satellite)
- Anonymous – U.S. Venture Capitalist
- Anonymous – European Hedge Fund Manager
- Anonymous – U.S. Hedge Fund Manager
- Anonymous – French businessman
- Caesars Entertainment seat
- Caesars Entertainment via June 30 $25,300 satellite at Rio
- MGM Mirage Satellite seat
As you can see, a number of seats are reserved for giveaways and a Caesars Entertainment satellite. In regards to the latter, it was recently announced that the WSOP is offering players the opportunity to satellite into the event for as little as $65. Venues around the country will host live step-satellite poker tournaments that will culminate with a $25,300 buy-in finale that event will take place at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas on June 30, 2012, at 1:00 p.m. That event will guarantee a seat into The Big One for One Drop. In addition, one seat will be created for every 40 entries in the mega satellite.
The Big One for One Drop is slated to have a prize pool in excess of $26 million, with the largest amount ever awarded to be paid out to the winner. Those numbers have the potential to increase if more players enter the fray, though the field will be capped at 48 players, meaning there is still room for 18 more entrants. For those interested in playing, a $50,000 deposit is required to reserve a spot with the entire buy in due two weeks before the event begins.
For more information on the Big One for One Drop satellite, visit WSOP.com.
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