Phil Ivey is the first player confirmed to have received the $1 million Big One for One Drop buyout. [Image: Flickr.com / World Poker Tour]
Installing the first entrance
The World Poker Tour (WPT) has confirmed that Phil Ivey is the first entrant in the $1 million Big One for One Drop buyout this winter. The tournament is scheduled to take place from December 18-20 during the WPT World Championship Festival at Wynn Las Vegas.
“The biggest thing is what high stakes means. Everyone’s game will evolve as they play in the largest buy-in event in WPT history,” said Ivey, a Poker Hall of Fame inductee and WPT ambassador.
Ivey is arguably the greatest poker player of all time and is still in his mid-40s, with approximately $40.8 million in live poker tournament money, including $4.4 million from WPT events. He has two World Poker Tour titles and ten World Series of Poker bracelets to his name. Naturally, he is famous for his prowess and countless wins in the highest stakes cash games around the world.
Ivey played in the last Big One for One Drop in 2018, and was eliminated on the second day.
Big purchases, big donations
Cirque du Soleil founder Guy Laliberté started The Big One for One Drop for the One Drop Foundation, also founded by Laliberté, which aims to provide access to safe water and sanitation to areas in need. Antonio Esfandiari won the $1 million first tournament at the 2012 WSOP and the $18.3 million first prize.
The World Series of Poker hosted subsequent Big One for One Drop tournaments in 2014, 2016 and 2018. Other One Drop events have been added over the years, including the $111,111 High Roller vs. One Drop and the $1,111 Little One vs. One Drop .
The fourth One Drop event in partnership with WPT this year
The Big One will be the fourth One Drop event in partnership with the WPT this year. There were three shows in July: the $10,500 WPT EveryOne for One Drop and the $111,000 WPT Alpha8 for One Drop, both at Wynn Las Vegas, and the ¥170 million ($128,000) WPT Alpha8 for One Drop in Jeju, South Korea. .
In the first major For One Drop initiative in five years, 6% of each sign-up will go directly to the One Drop Foundation.
And a great guarantee
The WPT World Championship, of which Big One for One Drop is a part, takes place from November 29 to December 23. Although the Big One attracts attention, the highlight of the festival is the WPT World Championship event itself. With a $10,400 buy-in, the tournament comes with an impressive $40 million guaranteed prize pool, the largest guarantee ever for a live poker tournament.
The event is scheduled to take place from December 12-21 and will include four starting flights and a televised final table. This is the second year for the revamped WPT World Championship. It was a mainstay on the tour until 2016, when it was replaced by the WPT Championship of Champions.
The World Poker Tour brought back the WPT World Championship last year, and it did so with gusto
With players clamoring for live poker following pandemic lockdowns, the World Poker Tour brought back the WPT World Championship last year, and did so with gusto. The $15 million guarantee was at the time the largest guarantee in live tournament history. There was no problem reaching this number, as the event attracted 2,960 entries for a prize pool of more than $29 million. Elliot Hawdon emerged as the victor, taking home the grand prize of $4,136,000.
