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2012 WSOP will Feature a $1 Million Dollar Buy-in Charitable Event

December 15, 2011

As part of 2012’s 43rd annual WSOP that will take place next summer at its usual Rio All-Suites Hotel & Casino venue, the Big One for One Drop featuring a $1 million buy-in will be added to the lineup. The tentative date for the Big One for One Drop is July 1st through 3rd, 2012, and there are already 22 players signed up, which meets the minimum requirement of participants to form an official WSOP bracelet earning event.

Interestingly enough, the creator of this baby was Cirque du Soleil founder Guy Laliberté, who approached the CEO of Caesars Interactive Entertainment, Mitch Garber, with the idea to combine the charitable character of the poker player base and mix it with the WSOP’s expertise and global outreach in order to host the world’s biggest ever live poker tournament in an effort to raise awareness on the worldly need for clean water.

Jonathan Duhamel, who is already committed to participating says, “I am absolutely thrilled to participate in the biggest poker event ever organized. One million dollars is a lot of money but my participation comes naturally, being a spokesperson for ONE DROP and because of my attachment to such a great cause. Life starts with water and because of its uneven distribution, a person dies every 20 seconds. The Big One for One Drop will raise $111,111 per participant, which will definitely prove the poker community attachment to ONE DROP. As for me, I personally commit to give 5% of my winnings from this tournament to ONE DROP.”

Minus the $111,111 of each buy-in that will go to helping a country in need of more accessible clean water, the million-dollar buy-in of each player will leave $888,889 left to the prize pool, which is now estimated at around $20 million. The maximum amount of players allowed to participate will be 48.

The NLH event will award a special edition platinum bracelet and will be televised on ESPN. An expected 20% of the field will cash out, about double of a typical tourney payout.

Confirmed players include Guy Laliberté, ONE DROP Chair and founder of Cirque du Soleil; Phil Ruffin, owner of Treasure Island Resort of Las Vegas; Bobby Baldwin, four-time gold bracelet WSOP and CEO of MGM-Mirage Resorts; Daniel Negreanu; Gus Hansen; Patrik Antonius; Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier; Andy Beal; Tom Dwan; Johnny Chan; Tony Guoga; and Duhamel, along with others.

Written by Bea · Filed Under Poker News 

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