The most expensive tournament in poker history has come to an end - The Big One for One Drop ($1,000,000 buy-in). Antonio "The Magician" Esfandiari ended up taking home the whole thing and bank-account busting $18,346,673 - the richest prize in poker history. Besides that, he received his second gold bracelet after winning the $2,000 Pot Limit Hold'em event in 2004 for $184,860.
Due to his win of[...] Read more » Antonio Esfandiari Wins One Drop and Mind-Blowing $18 Million!
Joined: Nov '11
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aye i watched this last night and antonio played really well as did sam trickett who finished in 2nd also spare a thought for phil helmuth who never got one good hand in the ft and was always struggling. what a pay day for antonio,but as jess said how much did he actually have of himself ?
Joined: Mar '12
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Wowee......................
I'm so pissed its finished already, thought there might be another session today - had to stop watching due to my g/f nagging lol, priorities huh.
annoyed i missed poker history but i'll watch the recording.
pleased for antonio - he seems like a cool guy and always has a lighthearted approach to his game but plays like a boss.
trickett - god dam that'll make up for the Macau bleeding sessions - and establishes him as one of the top top big money tournament players
it would be verry interesting to know who had what money riding on what, who had investment - if antonio only had 10% that's still 1.8mill, but sickening too.
tbh I can't see that being the case - the risk to rewards ratio doesn't make sense on that really 100k for 900% profit of 1.8milly sounds good, but if you contrast that with even 40% of the prize money for around 8milly it doesn't look so sweet (for a 400k investment).
Joined: Apr '09
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Winning $18 million is better than sex? It must be hard for me to ever find that out! Either this tourney starts to take place every year with the same buy-in or else it shouldn’t be considered to the rank of the biggest poker earnings of the year. We are used to see first prizes that round about $2 million, and one would have to win those nine times just to get get to this single event. Even the 2nd place won more than $10 million (you were right IslandJack, Sam Trickett did really well). And, about the rank, does anyone knows if the values durrrr did on Macau will be considered?
The link for live streaming was somewhere else on the site Fakiry, have to look better
Some of the businessmen gave their winnings to the foundation. But they already take 11.11% in the buy-in, so just that was about 5 millions to one drop! That's enough to make sure some people can drink water for a while I guess
Joined: Feb '10
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I dont if this is true, but i heard he sold shares before the tournment started, so he is going to be just with 10% of the prize, A little more than 1.5 million. Esfandiari is very famous but he was never in top of the richest poker pros.No doubrt this is grerat for him, and he seems to be ice guy too!
Joined: Dec '08
Location: Netherlands
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Posted by kinogomes: I dont if this is true, but i heard he sold shares before the tournment started, so he is going to be just with 10% of the prize, A little more than 1.5 million. Esfandiari is very famous but he was never in top of the richest poker pros.No doubrt this is grerat for him, and he seems to be ice guy too!
This is not true because in the pre interview he said that this was a big risk he was taking with his bankroll. Also he explained that at the start of his carreer he also made a big risk to enter a tourney of 3K with a 9K bankroll
So because he said this i know for sure he at least put 500.000 if not almost paid the whole mil
That why he says that he feels like the president ....he f ing rich now
Joined: Jan '11
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Unbelieveable! that's all I can say. I used to like watching Antonio play on High Stakes and he was always one to play the least amount of hands, but win the most. I think he's a deserving individual and boy, what a win 18 million. That's better then the big lottery!
Joined: Mar '12
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I think an important thing has been forgotten amidst the hype and enormity of the event - it's for a charity raised 5Milly to provide fresh water for people who don't have access like we do. That's the only downside imo.
Joined: Feb '10
Location: Portugal
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Posted by remco2504:
Posted by kinogomes: I dont if this is true, but i heard he sold shares before the tournment started, so he is going to be just with 10% of the prize, A little more than 1.5 million. Esfandiari is very famous but he was never in top of the richest poker pros.No doubrt this is grerat for him, and he seems to be ice guy too!
This is not true because in the pre interview he said that this was a big risk he was taking with his bankroll. Also he explained that at the start of his carreer he also made a big risk to enter a tourney of 3K with a 9K bankroll
So because he said this i know for sure he at least put 500.000 if not almost paid the whole mil
That why he says that he feels like the president ....he f ing rich now
Iam not so sure that he had 1 million to put in this kind of tournment. Looking his career we cant say he is Helmuth, or Phil, or Negreneau, he didnt won so much playing online. I think in his whole career he didnt won even 1 million playing tournments (thats what said in Victory Poker site). The times i saw him in the high stakes poker he wasnt the one wining alot (because he was more talkative in the tables and playing very tight). Putting all of this for me its poretty obvious he was stacked and have to give the shares back, that doesnt mean that he doesnt feel like a president. Anyone wining the biggest tournment of all time would feel like a president.
Joined: Dec '08
Location: Netherlands
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Posted by kinogomes:
Posted by remco2504:
Posted by kinogomes: I dont if this is true, but i heard he sold shares before the tournment started, so he is going to be just with 10% of the prize, A little more than 1.5 million. Esfandiari is very famous but he was never in top of the richest poker pros.No doubrt this is grerat for him, and he seems to be ice guy too!
This is not true because in the pre interview he said that this was a big risk he was taking with his bankroll. Also he explained that at the start of his carreer he also made a big risk to enter a tourney of 3K with a 9K bankroll
So because he said this i know for sure he at least put 500.000 if not almost paid the whole mil
That why he says that he feels like the president ....he f ing rich now
Iam not so sure that he had 1 million to put in this kind of tournment. Looking his career we cant say he is Helmuth, or Phil, or Negreneau, he didnt won so much playing online. I think in his whole career he didnt won even 1 million playing tournments (thats what said in Victory Poker site). The times i saw him in the high stakes poker he wasnt the one wining alot (because he was more talkative in the tables and playing very tight). Putting all of this for me its poretty obvious he was stacked and have to give the shares back, that doesnt mean that he doesnt feel like a president. Anyone wining the biggest tournment of all time would feel like a president.
He maybe sold some part of it but sertainly he put more in then 100.000 Because otherwise he would not have said what he did..what is taking a big risk with his BR So maybe some peeps have some shares but sertainly no 90%
Joined: Feb '11
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10% or 100%, his winnings area fine return on his and his backers investment. It should keep him going a little while longer abnd I suppose we need to keep an eye out for the news when he has blown the lot!!!
Joined: Nov '11
Location: Netherlands
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Posts: 105
NICE 2WIN 18 MILL,EVEN IF YOU HAVE TO SPLIT THAT 5 OR 6 WAY'S,STILL WON,3,6MIL OR 3MILLION,BUT IF YOU OWN ALREADY A LOT OFF MONEY,I ALWAYS ASK MYSELF,WILL YOU ALWAYS BE HAPPY?DO YOU ALWAYS FEEL GOOD?MENTELY OR PSHYCICAL?SURE,YOU HAVE NO MORE MONEY ISSUE'S BUT ARE YOU FOR THE REST OFF YOU'RE LIFE,EVRY DAY HAPPY? I GUESS NOT,COZ U SEE PEOPLE WHO YOU DIDNT SAW THE LAST 5 YEARS AND SUDDENLY THEY CAL YOU,OR COME TO YOURE HOUSE,AND THOSE SO CALLED "FRIENDS"WILL COMPLAIN ABOUT MONEY PROBLEMS,OR THE GIRLS HOW UGLY YOU ARE,THE GIRLS HO DIDNT EVEN SAW YOU STANDING,WANT SEX OR MORE JUST FOR THE $$$,AND FAMILY ,SO ON SO ON............ NO I THINK MONEY DOESNT MAKE YOU HAPPY,YOURE LIFE IS EASYER BUT ALSO IT CHANGED YOU RE SELFS( NO ALL ,SOME PEOPLE) WHAT I TRY TO SAY IS,U STILL AN HUMAN, WHO ALSO CAN BE ILL,BREAK BONES,DIVORCE ACCIDENT WHIT THE NEW SPORTSCAR,AND DIE WHEN THE TIME IS OVER. THATS HOW I THINK ABOUT IT.
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Posted by Indo36M: NICE 2WIN 18 MILL,EVEN IF YOU HAVE TO SPLIT THAT 5 OR 6 WAY'S,STILL WON,3,6MIL OR 3MILLION,BUT IF YOU OWN ALREADY A LOT OFF MONEY,I ALWAYS ASK MYSELF,WILL YOU ALWAYS BE HAPPY?DO YOU ALWAYS FEEL GOOD?MENTELY OR PSHYCICAL?SURE,YOU HAVE NO MORE MONEY ISSUE'S BUT ARE YOU FOR THE REST OFF YOU'RE LIFE,EVRY DAY HAPPY? I GUESS NOT,COZ U SEE PEOPLE WHO YOU DIDNT SAW THE LAST 5 YEARS AND SUDDENLY THEY CAL YOU,OR COME TO YOURE HOUSE,AND THOSE SO CALLED "FRIENDS"WILL COMPLAIN ABOUT MONEY PROBLEMS,OR THE GIRLS HOW UGLY YOU ARE,THE GIRLS HO DIDNT EVEN SAW YOU STANDING,WANT SEX OR MORE JUST FOR THE $$$,AND FAMILY ,SO ON SO ON............ NO I THINK MONEY DOESNT MAKE YOU HAPPY,YOURE LIFE IS EASYER BUT ALSO IT CHANGED YOU RE SELFS( NO ALL ,SOME PEOPLE) WHAT I TRY TO SAY IS,U STILL AN HUMAN, WHO ALSO CAN BE ILL,BREAK BONES,DIVORCE ACCIDENT WHIT THE NEW SPORTSCAR,AND DIE WHEN THE TIME IS OVER. THATS HOW I THINK ABOUT IT.
Joined: Apr '10
Location: Serbia
Age: 33 (M)
Posts: 92
YEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAH!! I AM SO HAPPY FOR HIM!!! THIS GUY IS UNDOUBTLY MY FAVORITE PLAYER, I LOVE HIM!!! MAIN REASON IS THAT HE PLAY VERY SMART AND AGGRESIVE POKER AND HE LOVE TO BLUFF HELLMUTH AND DRIVING HIM CRAZY, HE IS AMAIZING!!! P.S. Sry for shouting i am deligthed
------------ Before final table started Antonio said: There is no IF, there is WHEN I won it... Legend!!!