The Cirque du Soleil founder, Guy Laliberte, and CEO of Caesars Interactive Entertainment (CIE), Mitch Garber, changed the double helix of poker when the Big One for One Drop premiered at the 43rd Annual World Series of Poker (WSOP).
The biggest-ever poker tournament in the history of the game; a $1 million buy-in event that created a first prize of $18 million with only boxing able to match such a purse in the global reach of the sporting world. And to think this is just a game.
48 professional poker players, businessman and a few very rich men who fancied a punt, ponied up the million to create a total prize pool of $42,666,672 for distribution amongst the winning players, and $6 million in the form of a charitable donation to Laliberte’s baby The One Drop Foundation.
One of those 48-players was the golden boy of British poker; the former plumber and professional footballer Sam Trickett. It was the apex of a career that has seen Trickett go from nothing to something, back to nothing and here he was playing for the chance to win $18 million.
It was the sports betting site, Matchbook, that put Sam Trickett into the Big One for One Drop; and they were so confident in Trickett’s ability they put a camera on his tail to cover the build up, actual event and aftermath for eventual release as a documentary.
The Big One for One Drop is an interesting story, as is Trickett’s part in it. The world of gambling has just as many critics as it does supporters. It is one of the most aggressively lobbied forms of entertainment in the world. It’s been said a thousand times before, but you can only play online poker in the state of Nevada yet you can purchase automatic weapons in almost every state. The decision to blend philanthropy with gambling was genius and Laliberte and Trickett are at both ends of that spectrum; billionaire philanthropist and millionaire playboy.
The trailer for the documentary has already been released by Matchbook and Part One will be released on June 24th, where it will be made available to anyone who has a Matchbook account. The release coincides with the $111,111 One Drop High Roller Event.
The documentary will also feature the likes of Jesse May, Eddie Hearn and the former footballers Teddy Sheringham and Tony Cascarino. It’s a 50-minute documentary that will be released in several parts lasting between 10-12 minutes each.
