One Drop announces €1,000,000 buy-in Big One Invitational

The tournament will run with unlimited re-entries at the Casino de Monte Carlo in October and will only be open to recreational players. 

One Drop charity founder Guy Laliberté has announced that the Big One for One Drop tournament will be returning as a part of a five-day poker festival to be held in Monaco.

The festival will run between October 13 - 17 and according to Laliberté, professional poker players will not be allowed to compete in the flagship event, the €1,000,000 buy-in Big One for One Drop Invitational.

The first Big One in 2012 attracted a field that was pretty evenly made up of professionals and recreational players but the majority of the players in the second Big One were top poker pros.

Laliberté has stated that the exclusion of pros will likely lead to an increased number of participants as recreational players will be more inclined to play in an easier field.

Laliberté wants to get as much spotlight on his charity as possible and he believes that celebrities and businessmen can raise more interest in his cause (providing access to clean water to people in need).

€111,111 from every buy-in goes to the One Drop charity and the tournament will be rake free with unlimited re-entry opportunities.

Professional players will still be allowed to play in the eight side events (buy-ins between €10,000 and €100,000) and the high stakes cash games that will be running during the festival.

Pros can also get involved in the Big One by acting as coaches to the invited players. Players will be able to talk with their coaches between hands and during breaks and for their troubles, the coaches will receive 2,5% of the potential winnings their partner earns during the event.

You can learn more about the event on the official website and about the One Drop charity here.