SharePhil Ivey has confirmed he will be playing in the $1,000,000 buy-in Big One for One Drop event at the WPT World Championship series in December. The G.O.A.T hasn’t played in the event since 2018 but has been tearing through high stakes events over the last couple of years and will start as one of the favourites.
Switch to the Wynn Las Vegas
Phil Ivey’s confirmation is the first by an elite player. The tournament is scheduled to run from December 12 to 21, 2023 at the Wynn Las Vegas, a switch from the usual WSOP venue.
Ivey has more than $40 million in live tournament earnings, $4.4 million of which are from WPT events. He has two World Poker Tour titles and ten World Series of Poker bracelets to his name.
He played in the last Big One for One Drop in 2018 but bubbled a frustrating three spots outside of the money. Ivey also fell short at this year’s Everyone for One Drop, a $10,000 version that ran in July of this year.
Wynn Executive Director of Poker Operations Ryan Beauregard said:
“Wynn is proud to host one of the largest events in poker history, included as part of the second annual WPT Championship festival. We look forward to sharing this one-of-a-kind experience with players and fans from across the globe.”
WPT CEO Adam Pliska added:
“The Big One for One Drop is such an iconic tournament in the world of poker. We are honoured 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.”
The Big One for One Drop is a charity poker tournament that was first held in 2012. It is organised by the One Drop Foundation, which was founded by Cirque du Soleil founder Guy Laliberté to provide access to safe water in developing countries. The tournament traditionally has a buy-in of $1 million, with a portion of the proceeds going to the One Drop Foundation.
This event has attracted some of the biggest names in poker, including Daniel Negreanu, Antonio Esfandiari, and Justin Bonomo who have racked up some good scores.
The inaugural event in 2012 had 48 entrants, with Antonio Esfandiari taking home the top prize of $18.3 million. The tournament was held again in 2014, with Dan Colman winning the $15.3 million.
Elton Tsang won in 2016 for $12.2 million and the most recent Big One for One Drop was held in 2018, which Justin Bonomo won for a payday of $10 million.
Ivey's participation in the tournament is expected to generate significant interest from the poker community. The WPT has described the response to the tournament as "unprecedented," with strong interest from big names in poker all around the world.
The tournament is also expected to attract plenty of wealthy amateurs looking to test their skills against the best in the world.
