by Mario Alfonsi | Published on Apr 6, 2012 | Updated on Apr 6, 2012While the Big One for One Drop – the $1 million buy-in World Series of Poker tournament scheduled to be held this summer – may sound exciting, it’s not something most poker players can afford to get involved in. But in the interest of increasing the field size and generating even more excitement for this event, tournament organizers have scheduled a number of satellite tournaments to be held around the world in an effort to send a couple of lucky players into the most expensive poker tournament of all time.So far, 15 casinos in the United States and Canada have already committed to the satellite program, in which players can start by playing satellites costing as little as $65. These tournaments will use a “steps” system similar to the ones seen at many online poker rooms, in which players can either buy-in at the lowest levels and work their way up by winning several satellites, or can join in at a higher level.The ultimate result of all of these small satellites will be a $25,300 buy-in “mega satellite” at the Rio in Las Vegas on June 30. That tournament will guarantee at least one seat into the Big One, and could easily offer additional seats if enough players participate. There will be one seat awarded for every 40 players who enter the tournament.There are two goals for the massive tournament, which was the brainchild of Guy Laliberte, founder of One Drop. First, the tournament will raise a significant amount of money for the charity, with 11.11% of each entry going to One Drop – a group that helps provide access to water in areas where it is not always available.Tournament organizers also hope that the tournament will award the largest prize in WSOP history. According to the payout structure, at least 30 players would have to participate to beat Jamie Gold’s record $12 million Main Event haul. So far, 22 entries have already been confirmed.Traditionally, major WSOP events feed heavily from online poker as well. At the moment, there has been no word on any online satellites for the $1 million tournament, but we’ll be sure to report on any online satellites that pop up for this incredible event.
