Phil Ivey headlining the lineup.Ī number of other high rollers and successful poker players like Adrian Mateos, Fedor Holz, Isaac Hexton, Nick Petrangelo, and Jason Koon were among those showing up for the event on time, along with the likes of Talal Shakerchi and Santosh Suvarna, representing the “businessmen” in the field.

When the $1 million buy-in Big One for One Drop was first announced, it was always going to be one of the most attractive events of the year from a poker fan’s perspective.Īs the tournament was getting ready to get started, a lot of familiar faces were among those taking their seats, with poker’s G.O.A.T. Some thirty minutes after 2 pm, the shuffle up and deal was announced and the tournament kicked off with exactly 16 players in the running, and a few more possibly arriving late, as the late registration will be open throughout the day. The event was scheduled to start at 2:00 pm sharp, but ended up running a little late, as it took a while for players to take their seats and everything to be ready for action. The atmosphere it the room was electric, as hundreds of interested rail birds, tournament staff, and media were circling the tournament area in the hopes of seeing their poker idols before cards were in the air. One event eclipsed all others, however, as 16 players made their way to the special fenced-off are of the room where the Big One for One Drop, the biggest buy-in tournament of the year, kicked off just after 2:00 pm. The remaining players in the $25k High Roller also came back to finish the job and play down to the final table, while just over 100 players returned to the tables in the WPT World Championship event. The Encore Ballroom was buzzing with action since the early morning hours today, as hundreds of players took to the felt in the $3k NLH event.

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