2012 WSOP to Feature Largest Buy-in Poker Tournament in History

This past Thursday, the World Series of Poker announced the largest buy-in tournament in the history of poker.  Known as “The Big One for One Drop”, this Texas Hold’em tournament will take place on July 1st, 2012 and will have a massive $1 Million buy-in.  Out of the fee, 11.1% will be donated to the charitable organization One Drop.

The "Big One for One Drop" event will feature a $1 Million buy-in.

One Drop is a non-governmental organization established in Montreal, Canada whose purpose is to fight poverty by supporting access to water.  The charity is an initiative of Guy Laliberte, the founder of Cirque du Soleil.  “Since its creation, ONE DROP has reached out to millions of people to support access to water and raise each and every one’s awareness of water-related issues. And today, knowing that one person dies from a water-borne disease every 20 seconds, I urge everyone to do even more,” said Guy Laliberté. “We are looking forward to The BIG ONE for ONE DROP as a creative and innovative solution to fund ONE DROP projects that help fight poverty by supporting access to water worldwide.”

At present, 15 players have agreed to signup for the event.  Among those already committing to play are Bobby Baldwin, Gus Hansen, Tom “durrrr” Dwan, Daniel Negreanu, Treasure Island Resort owner Phil Ruffin, and Bobby Baldwin.  In addition, Caesars Entertainment has agreed to offer two entries.  The first will be awarded via a mega-satellite and the other will be awarded based on a future promotion.

Players will start with 3 Million in chips and will play hour long levels.  They will start with 300 big blinds and 20 percent of the field will be paid.  In addition, no tournament fees will be removed from the prize pool for this event.  If the field reaches 22 player, a WSOP Platinum bracelet will be awarded to the winner.  The event will be capped at 48 players.

ESPN plans to broadcast the event as part of their 2012 WSOP coverage.  For more on One Drop, go to ONEDROP.org.  For more on the WSOP, head to wsop.com.

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