Fans of Phil Ivey—and let’s face it, who isn’t one—can grab a share of his action in the exclusive $1 million buy-in WPT Big One for One Drop, with the legendary high-stakes pro selling 2% of himself at no markup.
When it goes on sale tomorrow, at 6am ET, there will almost certainly be a mad rush on Ivey’s $20k worth of action for the biggest buy-in of next month’s WPT World Championship festival in Las Vegas.
According to PokerStake, it’s the first time Ivey has ever publicly sold a piece of himself, and whoever is lucky or quick enough to bag a share will have the sweat of the year.
Ivey, a WPT ambassador, was the first name to register for the pre-Christmas biggie, which plays out during the $40 million guaranteed WPT World Championship.
The final table of the Big One for One Drop will be streamed on December 20, one day before the final table of the WPT World Championship.
Eight names in total have now been confirmed, with Mikita Badziakouski the most recent to sign up, as revealed by PokerOrg, along with Dan ‘Jungleman’ Cates, Rick Salomon, David Einhorn, Talal Shakerchi, Chris Brewer, and Nick Petrangelo.
Another big name who looks set to play is Alex Foxen, with 5% of his action on sale at a 1.05 markup.
The One Drop Foundation was set up by Cirque du Soleil founder Guy Laliberte a decade ago as a way to allow high-stakes players to give something back. Six percent of every buy-in goes to provide sustainable access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene for communities around the world.
Ivey crossed swords with Laliberte himself many times in the high-stakes online cash games of yesteryear, but the opposition he’ll face next month is, so far, a different order of tough.
First Big One for WPT
The WPT has taken up the One Drop baton this year after eight years of WSOP control.
Alexandre Meunier, Chief Marketing and Events Officer of the One Drop Foundation, stated: “We are beyond excited to be announcing the resurgence of our most iconic charity event, it is an incredible feeling to be able to have the support of WPT and Wynn to run our fifth edition of the Big One.
He added: “There is always a palpable buzz in the air during the lead-up to the one-million-dollar affair. The magnitude of the buy-in, of the prize pool, but also of the funds that are directed to the crucial cause of access to safe water makes the Big One the event of all superlatives.”
Previous iterations of the ‘Big One for One Drop’ have seen fields of 27, 28, 42 and 48 runners, with that biggest number coming in the inaugural 2012 event, won by Antonio Esfandiari for $18,346,673.
Two years later, it was Daniel Colman’s turn to shine, his victory worth $15,306,668, and then the tournament left US shores for Monte Carlo, with Elton Tsang bagging the $12,248,912 win.
The most recent Big One was at the 2018 WSOP in Vegas, where Justin Bonomo scooped the jackpot, his $10,000,000 win part of a $25 million sun-run that year.
Who will get the 'W' this year? We all know Ivey will be a great sweat for poker fans, but will he prove to be a good investment for those looking to make a buck or two? Let us know what you think on X and tell us who you’d like to buy a piece of in the $1 million Big One for One Drop.
