The 2014 World Series of Poker has been running at full throat for the last four weeks, but today is something that many players have been looking forward to. For the first time since its introduction in 2012, the $1 million “Big One for One Drop” will take to the floor of the Rio All Suites Hotel and Casino. As the players prepare to step up this afternoon at 1PM (Las Vegas time), the odds have come out from Betfair.com as to whom the betting public believes is the favorite.
The two names on the top of the list aren’t necessarily those that you would think of for such an event as the “Big One.” Currently sitting at 21/1, former Poker Players’ Championship winner Brian Rast actually has the best price of the 56 players competing in this tournament. He is joined atop the standings by another surprise, Isaac Haxton, who has odds placed on him to win the “Big One” at 23/1.
Coming off his 10th WSOP bracelet victory in the Eight Game Mixed Event, Phil Ivey is another player who is getting some attention from the punters on Betfair. Ivey, put in as a 25/1 favorite, is always a favorite of the poker community, but history states that he might not be the best choice. Of his 10 bracelet victories, none of them have come in a No Limit Hold’em tournament, as is the format of choice for the “Big One.”
Another player who should bear watching in the “Big One” seems to always be hanging around when there is a big money tournament being played. Two-time World Poker Tour Alpha8 champion Philipp Gruissem has been installed as a 27/1 choice to take down the championship and he might be a solid bet. Another player who also seems to be in the mix at a high-dollar tournament is Erik Seidel, set as a 28/1 choice.
Not getting much love from the bettors is the defending champion of the “One Drop,” Antonio Esfandiari. Currently the record holder for career earnings in poker, Esfandiari is getting 37/1 on his chances in the tournament. Just as an example, players such as the man he beat in 2012 for the championship, Sam Trickett (35/1), Vanessa Selbst (35/1), Scott Seiver (35/1), Daniel Negreanu (31/1) and Jason Mercier (30/1) are all given a better chance at winning the “One Drop” than Esfandiari.
If you’re looking for long shots in the tournament, there are some that might catch a punter’s eye. The founder of the “Big One,” Cirque du Soleil founder Guy Laliberte, is ensconced as an 85/1 shot to take down the tournament he created. Businessman John Morgan, the Chief Executive Officer of Winmark Corporation, is being touted as a 75/1 chance at taking down the “Big One” crown, while British entrepreneur Paul Newey is set with a 100/1 chance. Finally, the best of the “long shot” crowd among the players is Bobby Baldwin, the Las Vegas casino executive and 1978 WSOP Championship Event victor; Baldwin’s odds are currently set at 65/1.
The 2014 version of the “Big One for One Drop” should draw the same excitement and attention that the inaugural event did in 2012. 48 of the deepest pocketed pros and businessmen from around the world gathered on the felt in Las Vegas two years ago, ponying up the $1 million buy in. From that buy-in, $111,111 was deducted as a donation to the One Drop Foundation, whose goal is to ensure that everyone around the world has access to clean drinking water. The field could have been much larger that year as there were plenty of other professionals who were turned away from the 48-player capped field. The $42.6 million prize pool was broken up between the final nine players and saw Esfandiari top Trickett for an $18,346,673 payday.
For 2014, the field has been expanded to 56 players and first place should pay around $20 million to the victor. This means that potentially anyone – especially a professional player – who wins this year’s “Big One” could pass Esfandiari for the all-time record for career earnings (Esfandiari currently has $26,244,377 in career earnings). It promises to be an interesting next three days as the “Big One for One Drop” takes to the stage of the World Series of Poker.
