If I had a Million bucks, I don’t think I would use it to play in a poker game, but recently a bunch of guys got together in Las Vegas and did just that. Last year, a tournament called the Big One for One Drop was announced with a buy-in of $1 Million. I know these guys like to play casino games, but that seemed a bit excessive to me.
When I first heard of that tournament, I thought the people putting it together were nuts and would have no chance of getting 10 people to sign up, much less the 48 that did sign up. However, recently I found out why so many people were coming out for the event and it had nothing to do with the money being played for.
The Big One for One Drop was more than a poker tournament. It was devised by the guy that created Cirque De Soleil as a way to raise money for One Drop. One Drop is an organization whose purpose is to provide clean water to parts of the world that do not have it.
I know what you are thinking. Providing water doesn’t sound like much of a charity, but you need to think a bit deeper. Dirty water has health consequences on both humans and animals and also makes it very difficult to grow crops. Trying to survive in an area with bad water is like playing Russian roulette with your life. While providing healthy water sounds like something really simple, it can make a huge difference to those that do not have it.
Over 11 percent of each player’s buy-in was donated directly to One Drop and the charity received over $5 Million from these buy-ins. In addition, awareness to the charity’s objectives were raised to everyone participating in the event and the spectators in the crowd.
In the end, the Big One for One Drop became less a poker tournament and more of a vessel of aid for the lives that the charity will reach. The big names that played in the event aren’t going to miss the money or even give it a second thought a week from now, but that money will likely save countless lives.
In collaboration with: casinotop10.net
I watched this on TV. One Drop foundation