The highlight of the World Series of Poker every year is obviously the $10,000 Main Event. A few other events on the schedule have captured the interest of poker players and the poker public alike, though, including the $50,000 Poker Players Championship, the Colossus, and the Big One for One Drop. Created by Cirque du Soleil founder Guy Laliberté in cooperation with Caesars, the Big One debuted in 2012 as the largest buy-in event of all time, requiring players to pony up $1 million to play. One ninth of that buy-in was earmarked for One Drop, a charitable organization whose goal is make sure everyone in the world has access to clean, fresh water. No rake was taken from the events, so the remainder of the buy-in went directly into the prize pool.
There have only been two Big One tournaments, in 2012 and 2014. Antonio Esfandiari won the first and $18.3 million while Daniel Colman won the second and $15.3 million. It was thought that another Big One would be held this year, but it wasn’t on the schedule, perhaps because of lack of interest from enough players who could afford the million dollar buy-in. Each year since it was introduced, though, there have been smaller versions of the event so that the relationship with One Drop could continue.
This weekend, Guy Laliberté announced a new Big One for One Drop, this time not associated with the World Series, though still presented in conjunction with Caesars Interactive Entertainment: an invitation-only tournament.
The Big One for One Drop Invitational will be a part of a larger Monte Carlo One Drop Extravaganza in Monte Carlo (the country, not the Las Vegas casino) from October 13th through October 17th of this year. From the sounds of the press release, it seems like Laliberté’s goal here, besides raising money for One Drop, is to keep the professional poker players away and give wealthy businessmen and philanthropists a chance to win. Holding the even in Monte Carlo should certainly help, as it reduces the incentive for Las Vegas-based poker pros to enter.
“From the beginning, we knew that The Big One for One Drop was a unique event,” said Laliberté in the announcement. “This year, by shifting the focus to recreational players, we’re looking to bring fun and innovation to charitable giving. We believe the events in Monaco will attract high net-worth individuals from across the globe to enjoy the game, the networking opportunities and the incredible VIP experiences only available in one of the world’s most iconic settings.”
So yeah, basically he is saying that the rich non-poker pros didn’t like the Big One for One Drop because they were being picked on by the pros, so perhaps now more will want to sign up and raise money for the charity.
Similarly, Catherine B. Bachand, CEO of One Drop said, “With the Monte-Carlo One Drop Extravaganza, One Drop is building on the successful track record of our high-prestige poker events. Our new vision is to broaden the appeal by creating a tournament that is both ultra-exclusive and lots of fun. Only one participant will win the trophy, but all will come away with great memories, new and valuable contacts and the knowledge they’ve contributed to one of the most critical causes in the world.”
