In what is a major coup for the World Poker Tour, it has been announced that the Big One for One Drop’s next million-dollar entry event will be hosted at the Wynn Las Vegas as part of the WPT World Championship in December. The ‘Big One’ was previously hosted as part of the World Series of Poker, but in a stunning move, the WPT has taken the reins and will host from the end of 2023.
All Change for “Iconic Tournament”
“The $1 million buy-in is a testament to the heights this industry can reach.”
It’s the big one… literally. The Big One for One Drop not only contributes to charity but it represents a landmark moment eveyr time it is played. The million-dollar entry event makes stars of its winners, creates moments that cannot be replicated anywhere else and will this year be part of the highly anticipated World Poker Tour World Championship, which takes place at the Wynn in December.
The $1,000,000 buy-in event has a huge history. Think of Antonio Esfandiari being thrown into the air in 2012, or Sam Trickett making quad threes on the river against Brian Rast. Think of Connor Drinan and Cary Katz both having pocket aces and only one of them surviving the all-in and call.
The Big One is going to be huge this December. Moving from the WSOP to the 2023 WPT World Championship at Wynn Las Vegas, the world-renowned biennial poker event with a $1,000,0000 buy-in is sure to create new superstars and provide us with memories that as poker fans, we’ll never forget.
“The Big One for One Drop is such an iconic tournament in the world of poker,” WPT CEO Adam Pliska said upon announcing the news. “We are honored to put on this incredible event in conjunction with the One Drop Foundation and Wynn Las Vegas. The $1 million buy-in is a testament to the heights this industry can reach and the continuous evolution of the World Poker Tour.”
When Does the Big One for One Drop Take Place?
“We are beyond excited to be announcing the resurgence of our most iconic charity event.”
You can mark your diaries today, as Wynn Las Vegas and the World Poker Tiur have announced the dates already. The Big One for One Drop will take place between December 18th and 20th, forming part of the WPT World Championship festival, with 6% of every entry going to the One Drop Foundation to continue their mission of ensuring sustainable access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene for communities facing extreme challenges.
“We are beyond excited to be announcing the resurgence of our most iconic charity event,” Alexandre Meunier, One Drop Foundation’s Chief Marketing and Events Officer said. “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. 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.”
The venue for this year’s WPT World Championship is the Wynn Las Vegas, and Ryan Beauregard, Executive Director of Poker Operations at Wynn Las Vegas, is just as happy that they’ll be including this superb event as part of the schedule.
“Wynn is proud to host one of the largest events in poker history, included as part of the second annual WPT World Championship festival,” he said. “We look forward to sharing this one-of-a-kind experience with players and fans from across the globe.”
Which Former Big One Winners Will Play?
With former winners of the event in very different places now, how many of them will play? Antonio Esfandiari is very much a family man these days and with young children, may not want to risk a large portion of his adored children’s inheritance in playing such a big buy-in event. Why risk your Big One legacy?
Another former winner, 2014’s Dan Colman, has played little poker in big tournaments during post-pandemic years. He may feel no need to return to the felt either. One winner who seems more likely to take part is the 2016 winner Elton Tsang, while it’s an absolute certainty that 2018’s Justin Bonomo will take part. He knows that an outright win makes it extremely unlikely anyone catches him at the top of the All-Time Money List in the next decade.
Another exciting event to take place as part of the One Drop brand is the WPT EveryOne for One Drop. Also at Wynn Las Vegas, it begins on July 9th, with a $10,500 buy-in and a $10 million guarantee, with three Day 1s. The event will conclude on July 14 with a livestreamed final table, and if it reminds you of the WSOP Main Event, then it probably should. Same buy-in, same guarantee, and it runs almost concurrently. Now that’s what you call scheduling chutzpah.
