The World Series of Poker recently organized one of the most interesting of events to-date. Poker pros, CEOs and several other poker enthusiasts with a whole lot of dollar bills to spare competed for a chance to play in the $1 million buy-in event. The buy-in, which is primarily a No-Limit Texas Hold’em event will take place over a period of three days, and has already confirmed its players and finished one day of play.
The event began with a 48-player field, and started on Sunday at the Rio All Suite Hotel and Casino at Las Vegas. The prize, a whopping $18 million and a champion bracelet, will be awarded to the one who outlasts all.
Mitch Garber, Chief Executive of Caesars Interactive Entertainment believes the fun is not just in the game but also in the crazy buy-in cost and the truckload of cash hanging in the balance. Garber said,
I think the drama here is the size of the stakes and the eclectic mix of characters sitting at the table. You have everything — billionaires, a Facebook millionaire, venture capitalists and business people.
If you are wondering what this new $1 million event is all about; the $1 million event is called the Big One for One Drop. OneDrop.org will receive 11.1 percent of the total buy-in collected, an amount that is rumored to stand around $5 million. The charity is known for its ‘pro-water’ agendas.
In this 48-player game, nine players will share more than $42 million in prizes. The game went live on the Internet on Sunday and Monday, while day-3 of the game will be telecasted on ESPN2. Live streaming will broadcast the game over six tables with eight seats. However, a 15-minute lag between real-time and virtual telecast means that the hands are played before they go on air.
Some of the participants eyeing the big prize are poker pros Michael Mizrachi, Daniel Negreanu, Phil Ivey, Jonathan Duhamel, and Gus Hansen. Hansen is a well-known Danish poker pro, while the rest are all-American poker heroes.
Other top poker players who are participating in the event include Brian Rast and Frederic Banjout who is the CEO of Eden Shoes.
Garber was very excited about the event and aid, “It’s hard to find a better mix,” and believed with absolute certainty that all those who reach the final table will be recognizable on TV.
