1 Drop Poker Tournament
Plans for The Big One For ONE DROP poker event at this year’s World Series of Poker (WSOP) are advancing well as more than 20 players have already signed up for the $1 million buy-in tournament that could well surpass even the largest ever WSOP first prize.
Last year saw records tumble at the WSOP and WSOP Europe – and 2012 is certainly on course to once again rewrite the history books after 75,672 entrants from 105 nations converged on the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas as more than $192 million was awarded in prize money.
Ian Steinman is the talk of the town, as he recently made an unbelievable fold against Joe McKeehan at the WPT Rolling Thunder final table. This is the sort. Each Little One for One Drop tournament gathers an average of about 4,500 players, and raises approximately US$500,000 for One Drop. To date, about 12,000 poker players have taken part in The Little One for One Drop. As part of the 45 th Annual World Series of Poker (WSOP) in Las Vegas, The BIG ONE for ONE DROP is a $1,000,000 buy-in No-Limit Hold'em charity poker tournament limited to 56 players willing to put up the highest entry fee ever offered. Dan Bilzerian – $200 Million. Bilzerian is a huge Instagram star and claims that most of his fortune.
If between 45 and 48 players register for entry to the No-Limit Hold’em tournament, a prize pool of $40,000,005 will be created with an astounding $17,200,002 – and the specially-designed first ever platinum bracelet – going to the eventual winner of event #55 that kicks off at midday on Sunday, July 1, for three days’ play at the Rio in Sin City as part of the 43rd staging of the WSOP.
Jamie Gold’s Record-Breaking 2006 WSOP Cash Under Fire
Remember, Germany’s Pius Heinz picked up $8,715,638 for winning last year’s WSOP main event, while the largest ever top prize in the tournament was the $12 million secured by American television producer Jamie Gold back in 2006 as poker became the biggest thing on the planet.
That enormous sum is still more than five million less than what could well be on offer at The Big One For ONE DROP come July, while the charity event is likely to offer an incredible $15.5 million more than the $2.5 million collected by Atlanta’s Chris Moneymaker in 2003 when heralding a new and vibrant era in poker with his triumph.
Amazingly, Heinz’s winner’s cheque will still be less then the second prize – if at least 45 players take part in the charity tournament – of $9,480,001 that will be handed out on July 3.
Bobby Baldwin Already Signed Up
The field has been restricted to just 48 players, but already 22 have signed up – although only some can be named – to make this an official WSOP bracelet event, and that number includes ONE DROP chairman and Cirque du Soleil founder Guy Laliberté, four-time WSOP bracelet winner and MGM-Mirage Resorts chief executive officer Bobby Baldwin, Treasure Island Resort of Las Vegas owner Phil Ruffin, and Texas-based billionaire businessman and high-stakes poker fanatic Andy Beal.
The poker pros entered reads like a who’s who of the world’s greatest game, and they are Patrik Antonius, Team PokerStars Pros Daniel Negreanu, Jonathan Duhamel and Bertrand ElkY’ Grospellier, Team PartyPoker Pro Tony G, Dan Shak, Gus Hansen, Johnny Chan and Tom ‘durrrr’ Dwan.
Additionally, Sean O’Donnell – a friend of Laliberté’s – has been confirmed as the Montreal Group seat from a satellite run by Quebec’s Casinos, and he will soon be joined by another prominent businessmen, while a European satellite seat is still to be won, as are the entries from Loto-Québec and two from Caesars – with one coming via a Mega Satellite and the other through an as-yet unnamed promotion.
2011 WSOP Champ’s Prize Already Surpassed
Check out these numbers, too. With 22 names committed to the event, the prize pool already sits at an enormous $17,777,780, of which $8,888,890 will go to the winner. That’s still $173,232 more than 22-year-old Cologne student Heinz pocketed last November when taking down the WSOP main event!
Four places would be paid out for between 22 and 24 players, with fourth spot leaving the casino with $1,422,222, which is $108,125 more than the $1,314,097 Belize’s Bob Bounahra left with in seventh spot from the November Nine match-up.
If the maximum 48-player field is reached, the top nine players, or 20% of the field, will be paid, with $1,040,000 going to eighth place, which – you won’t be surprised to read – is a healthy $29,985 more than Ukrainian Anton Makiievskyi pocketed for securing eighth place from the WSOP main event.
All Big One For ONE DROP Prizes Above Million Mark
Now, just hold on a few moments while I give you final piece of cash stats. Englishman Sam Holden took ninth spot on November 8 for $782,115 and no prize from The Big One For ONE DROP falls below the million mark. That’s pretty incredible, don’t you think.
Oh, and just one more number for you. The biggest field for a Big One For ONE DROP event is 28, so we could well see that cast into history this year. Just seven more names need to be added for just the latest addition to a long line of record-breakers – and organisers are expected to announce some new entrants any day now.
But it’s not all about cash prizes, with $111,111 from each entry going to Montreal-based non-governmental organisation ONE DROP as no fees will be taken from the prize pool or charitable donation.
ONE DROP’s aim is to battle poverty through helping provide access to clean water across the globe, while also raising every individual’s awareness – via their social arts and popular education approach – of water-related issues.
Already a public charity in the USA, ONE DROP also organises numerous activities there to promote positive and sustainable changes throughout the world to ultimately ensure that safe water is available to everyone.
Guy Laliberté Aiming for Global Awareness
With that in mind, the revised Big One For ONE DROP tournament was created by Laliberté after he approached fellow Montreal native and Caesars Interactive Entertainment chief executive officer Mitch Garber last year with a plan to marry the obvious generosity within poker to the WSOP’s expertise and experience to form a never-seen-before tournament that will also raise funds and awareness in the fight to supply clean water globally.
Laliberté – a renowned philanthropist – seized the perfect opportunity to boost that awareness last year during the November Nine when he announced the addition of several new competitors, including Triple Crown winner Grospellier and 2010 WSOP main event winner Duhamel.
Certainly, French-Canadian Duhamel – who only recently had his bracelet returned following a vicious burglary at his home last year – understands the importance of getting ONE DROP’s message out there.
Jonathan Duhamel ‘Thrilled To Participate’
The 24-year-old said he was “absolutely thrilled to participate in the biggest poker event ever organised”, but, although admitting that “one million dollars is a lot of money”, he stressed that his “participation comes naturally, being a spokesperson for ONE DROP and because of my attachment to such a great cause”.
Duhamel also emphasised that “life starts with water and, because of its uneven distribution, a person dies every 20 seconds”, so has already committed to giving “5% of my winnings from this tournament” to the charity.
He also believes that, as ONE DROP will be given $111,111 for every participant, this “definitely proves the poker community attachment” to Laliberté’s cause.
Laliberté also used the main event final table to launch a campaign created for the poker community at large, named All In for ONE DROP.
All In for ONE DROP Targets Social Media
This is where other players can get involved, even if they can’t manage the massive buy-in for the tournament in July. Really, only a handful of players and individuals can, so Laliberté has focused on social media in an attempt to encourage others to take an active part in the charity’s goals.
If inclined, players can volunteer as a poker ambassador for ONE DROP, with some already committing to donate a percentage of their yearly tournament winnings, as well as to wear the special All In for ONE DROP merchandise as they spread the word.
Without doubt, Laliberté is thrilled that other pros have given their support in such a significant manner, with the 52-year-old saying that “every gesture is important”, while also recognising that “the poker community is very generous” and that it is “not only about the one million dollar” tournament as there are many “other ways that poker players can make a difference”.
If you want to get involved – or to find out some additional information about ONE DROP – then get yourself over to the official websites of www.onedrop.org and www.wsop.com.
The Top 10 Biggest Poker Wins
This list we’ve compiled lays out the top 10 biggest poker tournament wins in order of each individual prize win. The prize pools of each tournament aren’t relative to the size of the individual winnings in poker – there are often big prize pools distributed among many players, and smaller prize pools spread among fewer players, resulting in bigger individual wins. It all depends on the amount of buy-ins and the buy-in amount. As a little bite to get you started, here are the top 10 prize pools in poker tournament history. All the top poker competitions are No Limit Texas Hold’em.
- 2006 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event – $82,512,162
- 2019 WSOP Main Event – $80,548,600
- 2018 WSOP Main Event – $74,015,600
- 2010 WSOP Main Event – $68,799,059
- 2017 WSOP Main Event – $67,877,400
- 2019 Triton Super High Roller Series – Triton Million – $65,660,000
- 2011 WSOP Main Event – $64,531,000
- 2008 WSOP Main Event – $64,333,600
- 2016 WSOP Main Event – $63,327,600
- 2014 WSOP Main Event – $63,327,800
As you can see, most of the tournaments are World Series of Poker tournaments, in the main event. WSOP is the premiere poker organisation in America, and the world over. If you want to start playing yourself, we would recommend that you have a look at our best caisno poker sites or top online poker operators pages for where to play.
10. Peter Eastgate ($9,152,486)
Hailing from wet and windy Denmark, Peter Eastgate has a good reason to stick to the poker table, and one that paid off in his near $10 million win at the 2008 WSOP Main Event. Peter was only 22, making him the youngest player at the time to take out the main event of a WSOP tournament.
Peter won with a five high straight, known as a “wheel”, beating out his opponent Russian Ivan Demidov who held a two pair. Just two years after his win, Peter stepped away from gambling all together due a disastrous run on betting on the 2010 World Cup, a decision he’s called the “most prudent in [his life]”.
9. Justin Bonomo ($10,000,000)
The Big One for One Drop is a tournament hosted at WSOP each year since 2012, where the buy-in is huge, at $1,000,000, as are the cash prizes. $111,111 of each player’s buy-in is donated to the One Drop Foundation, for water initiatives around the world.
In 2018, American Justin Bonomo took out the tournament, winning $10 million and concurrently cementing his status as one of the legends of the game, temporarily sitting at no.1 on the list of the all-time poker winnings list.
8. Martin Jacobsen ($10,000,000)
Swedish Martin Jacobsen took out the 2014 WSOP Main Event, clocking up $10 million over to his bank account, to the disbelief of the pundits. Jacobsen was not one of the favourites to win the competition, but he kept his trademark cool and won against the odds.
Jacobsen’s winning hand was a three of a kind with 10s, beating out Norwegian Felix Stephensen’s 9 pair in a Scandinavian thriller. Jacobsen has yet to match those lofty heights but is a mainstay on the Swedish and international poker scenes.
7. Hossein Ensan ($10,000,000)
Another $10 million winner, Hossein Ensan topped the 2019 WSOP Main Event, beating out the Italian Dario Sammartino’s bluff with two kings in his pocket. A german, Ensan rounds out the European contribution to our list with his biggest poker tournament win.
6. Jamie Gold ($12,000,000)
Here come the Americans. In 2006, at the WSOP Main Event, Jamie Gold struck gold, taking out the tournament with a $12,000,000 victory against fellow American Paul Wasicka. Gold’s pair of queens beat out Wasicka’s 10s to create history.
Gold was a brazen player throughout the tournament, boldly stating the strength of his hand to his competitors, often telling the truth, sometimes lying. As the history books show, the strategy paid off, as he goaded his opponents into calling into his strong hands.
5. Elton Tsang ($12,248,912,)
One of two Chinese players on our prestigious list, Elton Tsang proved his mettle at the 2016 Monte-Carlo One Drop Extravaganza, an exclusive poker tournament in conjunction with the One Drop Foundation, again directing buy-in portions to water initiatives.
Tsang was a highly respected player in the private world of super high stakes poker games, but his low recognition in the public tournaments meant that he was getting banned from participation in these games. His win in Monte-Carlo catapulted him to stardom, especially in his home city of Hong Kong.
4. Dan Colman ($15,306,668)
Another winner of the Big One for One Drop, Dan Colman took out the 2014 iteration of the One Drop Foundation charitable event, toppling the 6-time winner Daniel Negreanu for his seat at the table for the greats.
A consistent online player, Colman has made almost $30 million in his career so far, and has relocated to both Montreal and Rio De Janeiro to capitalise on his online career. Colman’s successes show the changing dynamic of poker over the years, that the fast repeated online games can be more rewarding than the old-school face-to-face games.
3. Aaron Zang ($16,775,820)
Coming in hot in our third spot, Chinese Aaron Zang won the Triton Super High Roller Series – Triton Million in 2019, overcoming the great Bryn Kenney on a 5 to 1 chip deficit at the beginning of the heads up period.
Zang’s cool near-$17 million win was surpassed by Kenney – in the same game! Before entering the heads up showdown, Zang and Kenney agreed to a division of the winnings, with a complex split of the prize money eventuating that the second place-getter would actually come out with the lion’s share of the money – the biggest in history!
2. Antonio Esfandiari ($18,346,673)
Iranian-American Antonio Esfandiari was once a professional magician before bringing his tricks to the poker table. That transition paid off in spades, and in 2012 the Magician won the Big One for One Drop, to the tune of $18.3 million.
Esfandiari has since continued his professional poker career, with his wins totalling almost $28 million. He has not achieved the greatness of his initial successes, but the one huge win is enough to etch his name into the annals of poker history,
1. Bryn Kenney ($20,563,324)
The American poker legend, Bryn Kenney, certified his status in the 2019 Triton Super High Roller Series – Triton Million, by walking away with over $20 million, the most money ever won on a single poker tournament in the history of the game.
The biggest poker win ever was actually won by a second-place getter, as Kenney and Zang’s split money deal put the title in Zang’s hand but the majority of the cash in Kenney’s. An unconventional number 1, but a number 1 all the same, and in the world of poker, money is money.
Frequently Asked Questions
Poker is a hot topic, as are most of the online gaming matters we cover over in our guide, We are often swamped with questions from our readers seeking clarification or explanation of these matters. We’ve compiled the most common questions for the biggest poker win in history below.
What is the biggest poker win ever?
The biggest poker tournament win ever goes to American Bryn Kenney, who actually came second in the 2019 Triton Super High Roller Series - Triton Million, but due to a prize split deal with Chinese Aaron Zang, walked away with $20,563,324. Click here for more details.
1 Drop Poker Tournament
Who is the number 1 poker player in the world?
The current world no.1 for winnings in 2020 is American Bryn Kenney, and if you look at the total amassed winnings, he also takes the cake. Look at our list of the top poker wins to see who comes out on top for single wins.
1 Drop Poker Tournament 2017
Who is the most successful poker player of all time?
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In a three for three, Bryn Kenney is arguably the most successful poker player of all time, when you look at the amassed winnings. But if you want to see the highest ever single wins, then click to read our top ten list.