The most expensive poker tournament of all-time just became a little bit more accessible. World Series of Poker (WSOP) officials announced Wednesday that casinos around the country will be holding satellites for The Big One for One Drop, the $1 million buy-in event to be held at this summer’s WSOP.
Fourteen casinos are already onboard, starting with the famous Bicycle Casino in Los Angeles tomorrow, April 5th. A number of players have already won seats into the 6:00pm tournament, either for free or through a $150 step satellite. Those who wish to participate but did not already win a seat can buy-in directly for $500. Up for grabs is a $25,300 seat plus airfare and accommodations to The Big One for One Drop Mega Satellite in Las Vegas on June 30th.
Similar step tournaments will be held at the other casinos around the country, with some giving players the chance to work their way up to the Mega Satellite via smaller satellites with buy-ins as low as $65. Here is the list of participating properties so far, in chronological order:
The Bicycle Casino (Los Angeles) – Thursday, April 5, 2012
Canterbury Park (Minnesota) – Sunday, May 13, 2012
Choctaw Durant (Dallas/Oklahoma) – Sunday, May 18-20, 2012
Harrah’s Chester (Philadelphia) – Saturday, May 19, 2012
Harrah’s New Orleans – Saturday, May 19, 2012
Caesars Palace (Las Vegas) – Sunday, May 20, 2012
Harrah’s St Louis – Sunday, May 20, 2012
Horseshoe Hammond (Chicago area) – Saturday, May 26, 2012
Horseshoe Southern Indiana – Sunday, May 27, 2012
Council Bluffs (Iowa/Nebraska) – Sunday, May 27, 2012
The Lodge Casino (Colorado) – Sunday, June 3, 2012
Palm Beach Kennel Club (Florida) – Saturday, June 9, 2012
Horseshoe Bossier City (Louisiana) – Sunday, June 10, 2012
Horseshoe Tunica (Mississippi) – Sunday, June 10, 2012
The $25,300 Mega Satellite will be held at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino, the site of the WSOP, on June 30th at 1:00pm. For every 40 players, one seat in The Big One for One Drop will be awarded.
Loto-Québec will host the Grand Loto-Québec Poker Tournament at the Casino du Lac-Leamy on May 19th and 20th for Canadian players (and anyone else who wants to play), with a $1 million seat at stake. Players may buy-in directly, qualify through step satellites, or win entries via scratch-off lottery tickets.
One Drop, created by Cirque du Soleil founder Guy Laliberté, is a charitable organization that seeks to “fight poverty by providing access to water and raising awareness among individuals and communities about the need for mobilization in order to make safe water accessible to all, in sufficient quantity, today and tomorrow.”
Laliberté went to Caesars Interactive Entertainment CEO Mitch Garber in 2011 with the idea of putting on an elite-level tournament at the WSOP to raise awareness and funds for One Drop. It will be a real bracelet event and will pay out to twice the number of places – 20 percent – than the other “regular” events.
As of December, 22 players have committed to play in the tournament. One-ninth of the buy-in – $111,111 – will be given to the charity with the rest going into the prize pool with no additional fees taken out. Thus, as it stands right now, the prize pool is already over $19.5 million. That number will, of course, increase with the Mega Satellite and any other possible direct buy-ins. Once the final field is set, it is expected that the first prize will break the record for largest ever for a poker tournament, set in 2006 when Jamie Gold won $12 million in the WSOP Main Event.
