The Return of the Big One for One Drop
Today sees the return of the $1,000,000 Big one for One Drop tourna
ment at the Word Series of Poker. we currently have a list of top notch talent expected to play what is billed to be the biggest poker tournament prizepool of all time.
The 56 player capped tournament will have a prize pool of just under $50 Million if all the seats are taken, creating a monster first prize of $20,000,000. In comparison, the last Big One for One Drop had a first prize of $18,346,673, and was picked up by Antonio Esfandiari when he was able to beat Sam Trickett heads up. the total prize pool when everything was totalled up in 2013 was $42,666,672, with 48 players having stumped up a million dollars each.
The WSOP has announced in press releases that they have 41 players confirmed for the event, but the website page dedicated to the event only shows 40 “pictures” of the players, including three “anonymous businessmen” and 2 satellite winners. Speaking of satellite winners, last night saw play go on into the early morning in Las Vegas in the $25,000 entry satellite for The Big One.
Two seats were awarded, with the stipulation that these are “must play” tickets, with no option to pocket the cash a la Shaun Deeb last time round. This time, there were two seats up for grabs, and the final three players were Eric “E-Dog” Lindgren, Connor Drinan and WSOP Legend JC Tran. Tran was the one to walk away without a seat, but with $250K nestled in his back pocket, leaving E-Dog and Drinan having to play today short on sleep.
Lindgren has had his demons in the past, and is thought to still owe people in the poker community a large sum of money, but as with a lot that happens away from the tables in this business, that is still an unsubstantiated rumour. Lindgren has had a reasonable WSOP so far with three cashes including a $129,192 6th place in the $10,000 6-Max Event #32.
I have heard relatively little about Drinan, but he is currently sitting in the GPI Poker Rankings at 135th place. He’s had four cashes this WSOP, for a total of $17,197, but he came 11th in the last tournament for One Drop, the $111,111 One Drop high roller last year. He picked up $308,622 for that one, which is currently his second biggest cash if you don’t count the Big One satellite.
Phil Ivey has to be in the Running
There has been some pretty intense betting on who will be picking up the massive cheque and maybe the honour of going top of the all time prize money list, and I understand that bets are still being taken at Betfair and Ladbrokes if you want to get in on the action.
If you do decide to have a look, the following player guides probably won’t help you make a decision on who to bet on, but you never know.
Phil Ivey:
Phil has just come off a tenth WSOP Bracelet win in Event #50, which has won him a large sum of money in prop bets in addition to the actual prize money he won. Ivey is going to be a bookies favourite for this, as a lot of people will be trusting the “Worlds Best Poker Player” will be the one to emerge victorious once all the dust has settled. Ivey has clarified he definitely playing after teasing that he may have gone to Brazil to support Team USA in the World Cup. He tweeted this yesterday:
You couldn’t pay me enough to skip the One Drop tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/5Uf5SdQEp2
— Phil Ivey (@philivey) June 28, 2014
Daniel Negreanu:
Kid Poker may not be the fresh faced youth that a lot of people remember from the early days of his career, but he’s arguably a much tougher opponent at the table these days. 2013 was a gold standard year for Daniel, as he (according to The Hendon Mob) he had 14 cashes for a massive total of £3,072,767 in 2013 alone. His 2014 WSOP hasn’t been too bad either, as he has picked up 8 cashes, including a 2nd place in Event #13. He’ll also be a big fan favourite, so don’t expect great odds.
Ole Schemion:
The German wiz kid is a favourite to win for a lot of those poker players in the know. He excels in high-buyin events, and has made a career out of them. He is currently sitting atop of the GPI Rankings, so he’s definitely in form. He’s not been confirmed for the event, so if you take a punt of this particular German High Stakes regular, the odds had better be in your favour.
Vanessa Selbst:
The undisputed top female poker pro on the planet, to some of us she’s also in the running for the top tournament pro regardless of gender. While her very aggressive style may not be the best option against a field this tough, if she manages to accumulate some chips early, she’ll be very dangerous. She’s confirmed on the WSOP website, so seems to be a decent bet.
Guy Laliberté:
One of the creators of both the One Drop Charity and the Cirque du Soleil, Guy isn’t a professional poker player. Last time this event was staged however, he managed to pick up 5th place for $1,834,666, pleasing many on the rail. Rumour is that the multi-billionaire didn’t make a profit even after this result as he had bought action in a lot of players in order to make sure the event ran. Guy can play, but I’d suspect he’ll be out of his depth in this field of sharks, but a return to the final table isn’t out of the question.
Ike Haxton Certainly has the Skills
Ike Haxton:
One of the nicest people in poker, Ike has the skills to match his personality. A Heads up specialist, Ike also plays multi table tournaments with a level of skill that certainly make me jealous. The PokerStars Pro has a history in these large buy in events, including back-to-back final tables in the GuanDong Asia Millions festival in Macau in June 2013 for a total equivalent to $1,646,084. Ike has the skills to win this, but table draw and cards are going to be the deciding factor, as with everyone else.
Fabian Quoss:
Another of the German contingent expected to play this event, Fabian is confirmed as playing by the WSOP, so may be worthy of a bet using your hard earned currency. The 2014 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure High Roller Winner is a player worthy of respect. My only issue with his appearance in the Big One for One Drop is the fact the coverage will be missing Quoss puns a la Joe Stapleton.
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