Big One Entrance Cap Raised for 2014 Event

The cap of the $1,000,000 World Series of Poker Big One event got raised from 48 to 56 seats. The tournament is part of the 2014 WSOP schedule.

Antonio Esfandiari and Guy Laliberté

In 2012, the biggest buy-in event of all time was held as part of the WSOP schedule, the $1,000,000 Big One for One Drop. The tournament was organised to benefit the One Drop foundation, established by Cirque Du Soleil owner Guy Laliberté, with 11.11% of the total prize pool. The foundation is working on giving access to clear water to those in need around the world. Last year, organisers set a cap of 48 to maximize participation and the tournament was indeed “sold out” with some aspiring players even having been denied the opportunity to participate.

“It’s every show producer’s dream to always leave at least one person at the door, unable to buy a ticket. That’s how you know you have a really great show. It’s a fundamental principle of marketing,” Laliberté said at the time.

Taking the eventual success of the Big One event into consideration, WSOP has decided that the tournament be held in every other year. They have confirmed the news once again just recently, together with the announcement that it would be even bigger: for next year, the entrance cap got raised from 48 to 56.

Organisers expect yet another sold-out event and if it happens, the first prize can climb over a staggering $20 million. In 2012, the total prize pool of the Big One tournament was $42,666,672 and Antonio Esfandiari took home $18,346,673 for his victory. To date, this is the single biggest tournament prize any player has ever won in the history of poker.