With there being not long to go until the 2014 World Series of Poker $1 Million Big One for One Drop, already 23 players have been confirmed to be playing in the tournament. This news was confirmed by Caesars Interactive Entertainment on Wednesday. Of course, Caesars will be hosting the WSOP event, scheduled to take place on June 29 right through to July 1, when the winner will be announced.
Included in the lineup of players that are guaranteed to be playing in this year’s One Drop are 2012’s Big One for One Drop winner Antonio Esfandiari, Big One for One Drop organizer Guy Laliberte, plus other regulars on the super high roller live tournament circuit, including Jason Mercier, Phil Ivey, Phil Galfond, Philipp Gruissem, Paul Newey, Bill Perkins, Brian Rast, Andrew Robl, Erik Seidel, Brandon Steven, Sam Trickett, Bobby Baldwin, David Einhorn, Vivek Rajkumar, and Noah Schwartz.
Many of these players will be returning after playing the first $1 million buy-in Big One for One Drop event in 2012, when at the time it was inconceivable that players would be able to front up a million dollars to play a poker tournament.
In a statement, Esfandiari said “I can’t wait to defend my title.” The $18 million he won was by far and still is his biggest tournament score. “That event was life-changing, but so was my trip to El Salvador after it with the One Drop organization to see first hand what a difference the money raised from this event can do for those in dire need of help.” In that event, Esfandiari played against Trickett heads up and in the deciding hand got it in as a big favorite when his trip 5’s had Trickett’s overcard and flush draw crushed.
When asked by Pokernews.com how he thought the 2014 One Drop would be any different, Esfandiari said “I think there will be more mainstream media around [the event]. There was a lot around the first one, but I think that with the two-year wait people are really anxious and excited. Not to mention, the bigger prize pool is always a nice draw.”
And then when asked if there were any players already registered in the tournament that he feared the most, Esfandiari added, “I fear any good, aggressive player on my left. That’s about it. If he’s on my right, I don’t fear him one bit.” When you have a look at the players who have already bought into the event in 2014, there could be any number of fearless players sitting directly to Esfandiari’s left.
The spectacle that is the $1 Million Big One for One Drop that will be hosted for the second time in 2014 isn’t just a special tournament due to the mind blowing prize pool on offer. At its very core, the tournament was established to donate money to the One Drop foundation. In the first One Drop, each player donated $111,111 taken from their buy-ins. These donations totalled more than $6 million which was a phenomenal effort. The players involved in the 2014 World Series of Poker Big One for One Drop are further encouraged to donate 1% of their winnings to the One Drop foundation.
The donations from the 2014 One Drop poker event will be used for a number of different charitable causes, including projects in Burkina Faso, El Salvador, and Honduras. While the $1 Million Big One for One Drop tournament only lasts a few days, the impact that the donations will make will continue to last for much longer it is for a great cause.