There’s another reason to be excited about the upcoming World Poker Tour (WPT) World Championship at Wynn Las Vegas in December. Phil Ivey has officially been confirmed as the first entry into the $1,000,000 buy-in Big One for One Drop as the Poker Hall of Famer and WPT ambassador will compete against other top high-stakes pros.
Ivey, who is widely recognized as the greatest poker player of all time, will look to add to his $4.4 million in lifetime WPT earnings and $40.7 million in lifetime earnings five years after coming up short in recent One Drop offerings. Ivey finished three spots outside of the money in the last Big One for One Drop in 2018 and bubbled the EveryOne for One Drop earlier this summer.
“The Big One is what high stakes is all about,” Ivey said in a press release. “Everyone’s game elevates when they play in the biggest buy-in event in WPT history.
The Big One for One Drop will debut from Dec. 18-20 at the WPT World Championship festival at Wynn Las Vegas. According to WPT, the tournament features the lowest rake it has ever offered and 6% of each buy-in will directly benefit the One Drop Foundation “to continue their mission of ensuring sustainable access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene for communities facing extreme challenges, and one percent will be held as the house fee.”
Read About The One Drop’s Return!
The Big One is just one of many things to be excited about as the second annual WPT World Championship draws closer. The $10,400 buy-in Main Event has a record-breaking $40 million guarantee and is sure to be one of the biggest events of the year.
“After a five-year hiatus it seems the grounds have never been more fertile for the Big One, it is clear it has been missed,” said Alexandre Meunier, One Drop Foundation’s Chief Marketing and Events Officer. “Past players from the worlds of business and high stakes poker are showing strong interest as well as players who have never played a Big One before which is very encouraging. We would go as far to say that we haven’t seen such strong interest at this stage since the early editions of the history-making event.”
Ivey has been an active ambassador since signing with WPT last November. At the 2022 WPT World Championship, Ivey played a Premier Meet-Up game alongside other poker legends like Patrik Antonius and the late Doyle Brunson.
Previous Big One for One Drop Winners
| YEAR | ENTRANTS | WINNER | PRIZE (IN USD) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 48 | Antonio Esfandiari | $18,346,673 | |
| 2014 | 42 | Dan Colman | $15,306,668 | |
| 2016 | 28 | Elton Tsang | $12,248,912 | |
| 2018 | 27 | Justin Bonomo | $10,000,000 |
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