Event 55: $1,000,000 Big One for One Drop
Day 1 Started
2012 World Series of Poker
Event 55: $1,000,000 Big One for One Drop
Day: 1
Event Info
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
2012 World Series of Poker
Buy-in
$1,000,000
Prize Pool
$42,666,672
Entries
48
Level
22
Blinds
400,000 / 800,000
Ante
100,000
The $1,000,000 Big One for One Drop is Set to Make Poker History
The BIG ONE for ONE DROP $1,000,000 event, the largest buy-in tournament in poker history, has been in the works for over a year, and now the day has finally arrived where 48 players will take to the felt and battle for the $18,346,673 first-place prize, also the largest in poker history.
Out of each $1-million entry fee, $111,111 will be set aside for OneDrop, which was created by Cirque du Soleil founder Guy Laliberté and is “a charitable organization that develops integrated, innovative projects with an international scope, in which water plays a central role as a creative force in generating positive, sustainable effects for local and foreign populations and in the fight against poverty.”
With over $5 million going to a great charity, a prize pool of $42,666,672 will be up for grabs, which will be distributed to the final table of nine. The 48 players, who are comprised of an eclectic mix of poker professionals and philanthropic businessmen, will battle at six eight-handed tables, including one at the ESPN Main Stage, over the course of three days.
The other five tables in play will be in the Amazon Room Blue Section, which has undergone a dramatic transformation including new spectator seating, a flop camera plasma feed for each table for media and spectators to see community cards and “all in and calls.”
The tournament will be streamed live on WSOP.com and televised on ESPN, while the final day of the charity tournament will be broadcast live on ESPN 2 at 4:00 PM EDT and then on ESPN at 8:00 PM EDT until its conclusion. In regard to the live stream, David Tuchman will anchor and will be joined by Olivier Busquet and Justin Bonomo on Day 1, while Jason Somerville, Greg Mueller and Joe Hachem will provide commentary on Day 2.
Things will kick off as ESPN will tape a special intro featuring Cirque du Soleil drummers and the like. Meanwhile, the participants will arrive around Noon for interviews, a group photo, and to get acquainted with what is sure to become one of the summer’s most memorable spectacles.
The stage is set and the players are here, let's take a look at the 48:
| Player | Occupation | Residence |
|---|---|---|
| Bobby Baldwin | Chief Design and Construction Officer, MGM Resorts Intl. | Las Vegas, NV |
| Frederic Banjout | CEO, Eden Shoes | Paris, France |
| Bob Bright | CEO, Bright Trading, LLC | Las Vegas, NV |
| Ilya Bulchev | Businessman | Moscow, Russia |
| Roland De Wolfe | Professional Poker Player | London, England |
| Tom Dwan | Professional Poker Player | Edison, NJ |
| Jonathan Duhamel | Professional Poker Player | Montreal, QC, Canada |
| David Einhorn | U.S. Hedge Fund Manager | Rye, New York |
| Antonio Esfandiari | Professional Poker Player | Las Vegas, NV |
| Phil Galfond | Professional Poker Player | Potomac, MD |
| Bertrand Grospellier | Professional Poker Player | Paris, France |
| Philipp Gruissem | Professional Poker Player | Germany |
| Giovanni Guarascio | Businessman | Montreal, Canada |
| Phil Ivey | Professional Poker Player | Las Vegas, NV |
| Eugene Katchalov | Professional Poker Player | New York, NY |
| Cary Katz | CEO, College Loan Corporation | Las Vegas, NV |
| Jens Kyllönen | Professional Poker Player | Finland |
| Guy Laliberté | Founder, Cirque de Soleil | Montreal, QC, Canada |
| Ben Lamb | Professional Poker Player | Las Vegas, NV |
| Tom Marchese | Professional Poker Player | Parsippanny, NJ |
| Jason Mercier | Professional Poker Player | Davie, FL |
| Michael Mizrachi | Professional Poker Player | Miami, FL |
| John Morgan | CEO, Winmark Corporation | Minneapolis, MN |
| Daniel Negreanu | Professional Poker Player | Las Vegas, NV |
| Paul Newey | Chairman, New Wave Ventures | Dorset, United Kingdom |
| Chamath Palihapitiya | Venture Capitalist | Burlingame, CA |
| Bill Perkins | Owner, Small Ventures (Private Equity) | Houston, TX |
| Paul Phua | Asian Businessman | Miri, Malaysia |
| Brian Rast | Professional Poker Player | Las Vegas, NV |
| Vivek Rajkumar | Professional Poker Player | Las Vegas, NV |
| Tobias Reinkemeier | Professional Poker Player | Brighton, Germany |
| Andrew Robl | Professional Poker Player | Las Vegas, NV |
| Phil Ruffin | Owner, Treasure Island Resort | Las Vegas, NV |
| Rick Salomon | Film Producer | Los Angeles, CA |
| Nick Schulman | Professional Poker Player | New York, NY |
| Noah Schwartz | Professional Poker Player | Miami, FL |
| Erik Seidel | Professional Poker Player | Las Vegas, NV |
| Mike Sexton | Professional Poker Player/Commentator | Las Vegas, NV |
| Dan Shak | Commodities Trader | Las Vegas, NV |
| Talal Shakerchi | European Hedge Fund Manager | Surrey, England |
| Mikhail Smirnov | Businessman/Poker Player | Moscow, Russia |
| Justin Smith | Professional Poker Player | Los Angeles, CA |
| Brandon Steven | Businessman/Car Dealer Owner | Wichita, KS |
| Sam Trickett | Professional Poker Player | East Retford, England |
| Haralabos Voulgaris | Professional Sports Handicapper | Winnipeg, Canada (Lotto seat) |
| Richard Yong | Asian Businessman | Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia |
| Gus Hansen | $25,300 Mega Satellite – June 30 at Rio | Copenhagen, Denmark |
| Phil Hellmuth | Professional Poker Player - June 30 | Madison, WI |
The BIG ONE for ONE DROP is set to get underway at 1:11 PM PST when Laliberté gives the traditional “Shuffle Up and Deal” tableside at ESPN stage, so join us then as PokerNews brings you all the exciting action and eliminations as history is made at the 2012 World Series of Poker!
The Entrants (full)
Three million in chips to work with. Who will end the tournament with 'em all?
| Player | Chips | Progress |
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The Table Draw
Table 407
| Seat | Player |
|---|---|
| 1 | Dan Shak |
| 2 | Mikhail Smirnov |
| 3 | John Morgan |
| 4 | Bobby Baldwin |
| 5 | Phil Galfond |
| 6 | Roland De Wolfe |
| 7 | Eugene Katchalov |
| 8 | Tom Dwan |
Table 401
| Seat | Player |
|---|---|
| 1 | Bill Perkins |
| 2 | Frederic Banjout |
| 3 | Andrew Robl |
| 4 | Jens Kyllönen |
| 5 | Justin Smith |
| 6 | Brian Rast |
| 7 | Sam Trickett |
| 8 | Jonathan Duhamel |
Table 409
| Seat | Player |
|---|---|
| 1 | Seng Chen Yong |
| 2 | Jason Mercier |
| 3 | Talal Shakerchi |
| 4 | Noah Schwartz |
| 5 | Gus Hansen |
| 6 | Paul Newey |
| 7 | David Einhorn |
| 8 | Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier |
Table 411
| Seat | Player |
|---|---|
| 1 | Wei Seng Phua |
| 2 | Michael Mizrachi |
| 3 | Mike Sexton |
| 4 | Bob Bright |
| 5 | Phil Hellmuth |
| 6 | Daniel Negreanu |
| 7 | Rick Salomon |
| 8 | Chamath Palihapitiya |
Table 381
| Seat | Player |
|---|---|
| 1 | Haralabos Voulgaris |
| 2 | Ilya Bulychev |
| 3 | Philipp Gruissem |
| 4 | Cary Katz |
| 5 | Giovanni Guarascio |
| 6 | Tobias Reinkemeier |
| 7 | Phil Ruffin |
| 8 | Guy Laliberté |
Table 391
| Seat | Player |
|---|---|
| 1 | Vivek Rajkumar |
| 2 | Tom Marchese |
| 3 | Antonio Esfandiari |
| 4 | Nick Schulman |
| 5 | Ben Lamb |
| 6 | Brandon Steven |
| 7 | Phil Ivey |
| 8 | Erik Seidel |
Bobby Baldwin — Chief Design & Construction Officer, MGM Resorts Int'l
Bobby Baldwin is a 62-year-old resident of Las Vegas, Nevada, and a longtime casino industry executive. In 1978, he cemented his standing as a premier poker player by winning the $10,000 World Series of Poker World Championship . In all, Baldwin has nearly $1 million in lifetime tournament winnings and is the owner of four WSOP gold bracelets, a rare distinction among the world’s millions of poker players.
Baldwin, who served for a time as a consultant for the Golden Nugget Casino, was named its president in 1984. He has also headed The Mirage and was named president of the Bellagio in 1998. He served under Steve Wynn as Chief Financial Officer of Mirage Resorts from 1999-2000. He now serves as President and CEO of City Center.
Biggest Cash: 1978 WSOP Main Event Championship — $210,000
Frederic Banjout — CEO, Eden Shoes
Frederic Banjout is 42-years-old and lives in France. He serves as the Chief Executive Officer of French-based shoe retailer, Eden Shoes. He is making his World Series of Poker debut in The Big One for One Drop.
Biggest Cash: No known notable cashes
Bob Bright — CEO, Bright Trading, LLC
Bob Bright is 72 years old and resides in Las Vegas, Nevada. Bright began playing cards in high school, and his passion served him well during his days serving in the Army. It is said that he earned many times his monthly salary by playing cards during that time. Additionally, Bright received perfect scores on his standardized math tests (both in high school and for the Army). He now serves as CEO for Bright Trading, LLC. Bright Trading, a Las-Vegas-based company, is recognized as one of the largest professional proprietary stock trading firms in the United States.
Biggest Cash: 3rd-place finish in 2006 WSOP $2,000 No-Limit Hold’em — $261,170
Ilya Bulychev — Businessman
Ilya Bulychev is a 34-year-old businessman and poker player from Moscow, Russia. He has earned three World Series of Poker cashes, including a 15th-place finish in the 2010 $50,000 Poker Players Championship. He is no stranger to high stakes poker tournaments. Bulychev is one of two Russian-born players in the field.
Biggest Cash: 15th-place finish in 2010 WSOP Poker Players Championship — $98,330
Roland De Wolfe — Professional Poker Player
Roland De Wolfe is a 33-year-old, London-based professional poker player. He has 17 World Series of Poker cashes and earned a bracelet in 2009’s $5,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Low Split-8 or Better event.
Biggest Cash: 3rd-place finish in WPT $25,000 No-Limit Hold’em Championship — $1,025,205
Tom Dwan — Professional Poker Player
Known as one of the toughest professional poker players in the world, Tom Dwan currently resides in Las Vegas, Nevada. At only 25 years of age, Dwan has participated in some of the highest buy-in tournaments and cash games in the world.
Most commonly known in the poker community by his online handle “durrrr,” Dwan attended Boston University before deciding to pursue poker professionally. Since then, he has played numerous live poker tournaments and cash games, including the Million Dollar Cash Game and the National Heads-Up Poker Championship. With tournament earnings exceeding $2,000,000, Dwan has proven he is one to be reckoned with at the poker table.
Biggest Cash: 2010, 2nd-place finish in WSOP $1,500 No-Limit Hold’em Event — $381,885