Official Player List for WSOP $1M Big One for One Drop Announced

The world’s first $1 million buy-in tournament begins tomorrow at the World Series of Poker. And we’ve finally got a look at the official list of the 48 who will be playing.

PokerListings Team Editorial Team

• Fact Checked by: PokerListings
• Last updated on: November 1, 2024 · 4 minutes to read

Nineteen amateurs, 27 professional poker players and two open satellite seats make up the sold-out 48-person field for the inaugural Big One for One Drop. It’s a list that includes poker legends, billionaires, foreign businessmen and the best young online poker professionals in the world. In addition to releasing the final player list, the WSOP has also officially set the first place prize. At $18,346,673 – it’s the biggest single prize in poker history.

New revelations on the list include British Hedge Fund manager Talal Shakerchi. www.pokerlistings.com pointed to him as the “Mystery European Hedge Fund Investor” that’s been on the list for the last few months. And Rick Salomon, whose biggest claim to fame is a starring role in Paris Hilton’s famous sex tape.

Rick Salomon was an unexpected addition to the player list. Other late entries include two-time bracelet winner Brian Rast, Phil Galfond, Andrew Robl, Philipp Gruissem, Roland de Wolfe. And former Facebook VP Chamath Palihapitiya.

www.pokerlistings.com will be providing full live coverage for the 2012 WSOP Big One for One Drop starting tomorrow at noon.

Here are the full payouts for the Big One for One Drop.

• 1st: $18,346,673
• 2nd: $10,112,001
• 3rd: $4,352,000
• 4th: $2,645,333
• 5th: $1,834,666
• 6th: $1,621,333
• 7th: $1,408,000
• 8th: $1,237,333
• 9th: $1,109,333

Final Entry List for 2012 Big One for One Drop

A handful of players who reportedly committed to the Big One are not on the official list. The most glaring omission is Jean-Robert Bellande, who announced he was playing via Twitter with much fanfare. Also missing on the list are Patrik Antonius, Gus Hansen, Josh Arieh, Roger Teska, David “Viffer” Peat and billionaire Texas banker Andy Beal. There are three septuagenarians in the field, the oldest of whom is Phil Ruffin at 76. Finland’s Jens Kyllonen is the youngest player in the field at 22.

And with roughly 11.1 percent of every buy-in going to One Drop, the charity will be taking in over $5.53 million.

Here’s the final entry list for the 2012 Big One for One Drop. Continue reading with our full player list and bios post.

1. Bobby Baldwin – Chief Design & Construction Officer, MGM Resorts International Age: 62
2. Frederic Banjout – CEO, Eden Shoes, Paris, France Age: 42
3. Bob Bright – CEO, Bright Trading, LLC, Las Vegas, NV Age: 72
4. Ilya Bulchev – Businessman, Moscow, Russia Age: 55
5. Roland De Wolfe – Professional Poker Player, London, England Age: 27
6. Tom Dwan – Professional Poker Player, Edison, NJ, USA Age: 25
7. Jonathan Duhamel – Professional Poker Player, Montreal, QC, Canada Age: 24
8. David Einhorn – U.S. Hedge Fund Manager, Rye, New York Age: 43
9. Antonio Esfandiari – Professional Poker Player, Las Vegas, NV. Age: 33
10. Phil Galfond – Professional Poker Player, Potomac, Maryland Age: 27
11. Bertrand Grospellier – Professional Poker Player, France Age: 31
12. Philipp Gruissem – Professional Poker Player, Germany Age: 25
13. Giovanni Guarascio – Businessman, Montreal, Canada Age: 55
14. Phil Ivey – Professional Poker Player, Las Vegas, NV. Age: 36
15. Eugene Katchalov – Professional Poker Player, New York, NY Age: 31
16. Cary Katz – CEO, College Loan Corporation, Las Vegas, NV. Age: 41
17. Jens Kyllönen – Professional Poker Player, Finland Age: 22
18. Guy Laliberté – Founder, Cirque de Soleil, Montreal, QC, Canada Age: 52
19. Ben Lamb – Professional Poker Player, Las Vegas, NV. Age: 27
20. Tom Marchese – Professional Poker Player, Parsippanny, NJ Age: 24
21. Jason Mercier – Professional Poker Player, Davie, FL. Age: 25
22. Michael Mizrachi – Professional Poker Player, Miami, FL. Age: 31
23. John Morgan – CEO, Winmark Corporation, Minneapolis, MN Age: 71
24. Daniel Negreanu – Professional Poker Player, Las Vegas, NV. Age: 37
25. Paul Newey –  Chairman, New Wave Ventures, Dorset, United Kingdom Age: 43
26. Chamath Palihapitiya – Venture Capitalist, Burlingame, CA. Age: 35
27. Bill Perkins – Owner, Small Ventures (Private Equity), Houston, TX. Age: 43
28. Paul Phua – Businessman, Miri, Malaysia Age: 48
29. Brian Rast – Professional Poker Player, Las Vegas, NV. Age: 30
30. Vivek Rajkumar – Professional Poker Player, Las Vegas, NV. Age: 26
31. Tobias Reinkemeier – Professional Poker Player, Brighton, Germany Age: 24
32. Andrew Robl – Professional Poker Player, Las Vegas, NV. Age: 25
33. Phil Ruffin – Owner, Treasure Island Resort, Las Vegas, NV. Age: 76
34. Rick Salomon – Film Producer, Los Angeles, CA. Age: 44
35. Nick Schulman – Professional Poker Player, Manhattan, NY. Age: 27
36. Noah Schwartz – Professional Poker Player, Miami, FL. Age: 28
37. Erik Seidel – Professional Poker Player, Las Vegas, NV. Age: 52
38. Mike Sexton – Professional Poker Player, Las Vegas, NV. Age: 64
39. Dan Shak – Founder, SHK Asset Management, Philadelphia, PA Age: 53
40. Talal Shakerchi – European Hedge Fund Manager, Surrey, England Age: 48
41. Mikhail Smirnov – Businessman/Poker Player, Moscow, Russia Age: 39
42. Justin Smith – Professional Poker Player, Los Angeles, CA. Age: 24
43. Brandon Steven – Businessman/Car Dealer Owner, Wichita, KS. Age: 38
44. Sam Trickett – Professional Poker Player, East Retford, England Age: 25
45. Haralabos Voulgaris – Professional Sports Handicapper, Winnipeg, Canada Age: 37
46. Richard Yong – Businessman, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Age: 54
47. Satellite Winner $25,300 Mega Satellite – June 30 at Rio (name) TBD Age: TBD
48. Satellite Winner MGM Resorts International June 30 VIP winner (name TBD) Age: TBD

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