Phil Ivey is the first player confirmed for the $1 million buy-in Big One for One Drop. [Image: Flickr.com / World Poker Tour]
Appropriate first entry
The World Poker Tour (WPT) has announced that Phil Ivey has been confirmed as the first participant in the $1 million buy-in Big One for One Drop this winter. The tournament will take place December 18-20 during the WPT World Championship Festival at Wynn Las Vegas.
“The Big One is what high stakes is all about. “Everyone’s game will improve when they play in the highest buy-in event in WPT history,” said Ivey, a Poker Hall of Famer and WPT Ambassador.
Ivey, arguably the greatest poker player of all time and still only in his mid-40s, has won nearly $40.8 million in live poker tournaments, including $4.4 million in WPT events. He has two World Poker Tour titles and ten World Series of Poker bracelets to his credit. And of course, he is known for his skills and countless wins in the highest stakes cash games around the world.
Ivey played at the last Big One for One Drop in 2018 and was eliminated on the second day.
Big buy-in, big donations
“Big One for One Drop” was created by Cirque du Soleil founder Guy Laliberté to benefit the One Drop Foundation, also founded by Laliberté, whose goal is to provide access to clean water and sanitation to regions in need. Antonio Esfandiari won the first million-dollar buy-in tournament at the 2012 WSOP and the $18.3 million first prize.
The World Series of Poker hosted additional Big One for One Drop tournaments in 2014, 2016 and 2018. More One Drop events were added over the years, including the $111,111 buy-in High Roller for One Drop and the $1,111 Little One for One Drop.
fourth One Drop event in collaboration with the WPT this year
The Big One will be the fourth One Drop event in partnership with the WPT this year. There were three 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 a ₩170 million ($128,000) WPT Alpha8 for One Drop in Jeju, South Korea.
In the first Big One for One Drop in five years, 6% of every buy-in will go directly to the One Drop Foundation.
And a great guarantee
The WPT World Championship, which includes the Big One for One Drop, takes place from November 29th to December 23rd. Although the Big One is a real eye-catcher, the highlight of the festival is the WPT World Championship event itself. With a buy-in of $10,400, the tournament boasts an incredible guaranteed prize pool of $40 million, the largest guaranteed prize pool of all Times for a live poker tournament.
The event will take place from December 12th to 21st 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 of the tour until 2016 and was then replaced by the WPT Tournament of Champions.
The World Poker Tour brought back the WPT World Championship last year, and with enthusiasm
As players clamored for live poker following the pandemic lockdowns, the World Poker Tour brought back the WPT World Championship last year, and with enthusiasm. The $15 million guarantee was the largest guarantee in live tournament history at the time. Reaching this mark was no problem as the event attracted 2,960 participants and generated a prize pool of over $29 million. Eliot Hudon emerged victorious, taking home the grand prize of $4,136,000.
