The $1,000,000 buy-in Big One for One Drop poker tournament has been the most anticipated/talked-about phenomenon in the poker world since the Epic Poker League first started getting off the ground in early 2011 (hopefully the Big One for One Drop turns out a little better than the EPL) and as the tournament draws nearer more and more names seem to be getting thrown around as definite, or potential, entrants.
The latest One Drop names to be added to the list are Tom Marchese and recent WSOP $50k Players Championship winner Mike “The Grinder” Mizrachi. “The Grinder” announced he would be entering the tournament following his victory in the Poker Players Championship (where he won $1.4 million) saying he would be using his winnings to enter –although it’s likely “The Grinder” will be using some heavy backing to play in the event and not all of his winnings.
According to a report by ESPN the One Drop list released by the WSOP earlier this month has lost a second name, as Banker Andy Beal has withdrawn from the tournament for unspecified reasons according to the report by ESPN columnist Gary Wise. Beal joins Tony G as the only players to be officially listed as competitors who have withdrawn from the event –Tony G withdrew over a scheduling conflict with the Lithuanian Men’s Basketball Team of which he is the primary sponsor and acting Manager.
The current list stands at around 47 players, with the cap set at 48 –a number WSOP officials still feel they will reach prior to the start of the tournament at 1:11 PM on July 1, 2012. According to WSOP officials, the number of players who have posted the full $1,000,000 buy-in stands at 36, although players can reserve a spot by ponying-up a $100,000 non-refundable deposit.
Here is a look at the list of One Drop participants as it now stands (including semi-confirmed and confirmed players):
- David Einhorn
- Anonymous – U.S. venture capitalist
- Anonymous – European hedge fund manager
- Anonymous – U.S. hedge fund manager
- John Morgan — CEO, Winmark Corporation
- Guy Laliberté
- Phil Ruffin
- Cary Katz
- Paul Newey
- Richard Yong
- Arnaud Mimran
- Frédéric Banjout
- Bob Bright
- Paul Phua
- Roger Teska
- Eugene Katchalov
- Jens Kyllönen
- Jason Mercier
- David Peat
- Vivek Rajkumar
- Andrew Robl
- Nick Schulman
- Noah Schwartz
- Sam Trickett
- Erik Seidel
- Bobby Baldwin
- Tobias Reinkemeier
- Patrik Antonius
- Gus Hansen
- Daniel Negreanu
- Johnny Chan
- Tom Dwan
- Jonathan Duhamel
- Mike Sexton
- Phil Ivey
- Antonio Esfandiari
- Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier
- Tom Marchese
- Mike Mizrachi
- Daniel Shak
- Jean-Robert Bellande
- Justin Smith
- Giovanni “Malibu” Guarascio
- Haralobos Voulgaris
- MGM Mirage satellite seat
- Caesars Entertainment seat
- Caesars Entertainment via June 30 $25,300 satellite at Rio