Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Big One for One Drop

The Big One for One Drop is the big thing at the 2012 WSOP.  It is a small tournament - just 48 players, but with a big buy-in: One Million Dollars!  From the entries they are taking $111,000 as a donation to the One Drop charity which provides safe drinking water to people around the world without access to it.

In the photo, there is a block of $18 million dollars in hundred dollar bills, the First Place Prize.  Second is no slouch at ten million.

Jack Effel is the WSOP Tournament Director and handled the Master of Cerimonies Duties such as introducing the players.  He seemed to try to do a Bruce Buffer imitation with the introductions but that being the case, he probably should have just hired Bruce Buffer (the voice of professional Boxing and Mixed Martial Arts) who spends a lot of time in Vegas and was here a few days ago playing some Poker.  I said' "Hello" to Bruce and he talked to me like we were old friends when I ran into him.  I am now a huge Bruce Buffer fan.

The field for this event was limited to 48 players and was filled by an eclectic mix of professional poker players and wealthy businessmen that like to play poker.  The day before the tournament started, the WSOP held a Satellite tournament with a buy-in of $25,000 with the winner getting the 48th seat in the event.  The Dane, Gus Hansen won the seat but busted out of the tournament out of the money.  I was rooting for Gus.  I liked the idea that he won the Satellite and was therefore entering the tournament without backers putting up the million dollar entry fee.  Gus is a classic case of one who has won millions on the World Poker Tour and the WSOP only to lose it all in high stakes cash games.

You can read more about this fantastic tournament with the largest payout in the history of Poker by reading Nolan Dalla's excellent account at the WSOP web site here.