2015 WSOP Big One for One Drop

Monday June 29,2015 : ONE DROP HIGH ROLLER KICKS OFF AT WORLD SERIES OF POKER.
 
135 players ante up $111,111 apiece to compete with the best.
 
Major names in international poker took their seats Sunday to compete in the second-ever edition of the World Series of Poker High Roller for One Drop.
 
Designed to complement the charity-oriented Big One for One Drop which is held every second year, the High Roller is not for the faint-hearted with a buy-in of $111,111 and the prospect of the world's best players among the opposition.
 
This year the entry list was, at 135, smaller than the last run in 2013, when 166 players registered.
 
Nevertherless, the field includes names like David Einhorn, Phil Hellmuth, Antonio Esfandiari, Erik Seidel, Phil Galfond, Sam Trickett, Jonathan Duhamel and Jason Somerville, promising plenty of action.
 
Prominent among the entrants is Phil Ivey, who only arrived in Las Vegas Saturday after some torrid cash game action elsewhere in the world and on the internet. Ivey will be hoping to close the 4-bracelet gap between his 10 pieces of WSOP jewellery and record holder Phil Hellmuth's 14.
 
Last time out, this High Roller derby was won by Tony Gregg, who earned his first WSOP bracelet in spectacular style with a $4.83 million first prize.
 
With the lower entry list and hence smaller prize pool this year's winner is unlikely to reach that figure, but the reward will still be substantial from a prize pool worth $14.25 million…and there's the satisfaction that the 5 percent cut for a charitable cause will help those not as fortunate somewhere in the world.