High-stakes in Monte-Carlo

This autumn the infamous and exclusive Casino de Monte-Carlo will host the most expensive live poker tournament in history, courtesy of billionaire businessman Guy Laliberté.

The event, which will be a by-invitation-only tournament, will start on Friday 14th October 2016 and is expected to last three days. Named the Monte-Carlo One Drop Extravaganza, it features the largest buy-in of any tournament at €1 million. Previous events of this nature have been primarily for professional poker players, however, this one will be for businessmen, philanthropic and celebrity recreational players.

Another unusual angle for this tournament is that it will befit a charity, the One Drop Foundation. This international non-profit organisation was created by Cirque du Soleil founder and high-stakes poker player, Guy Laliberté. At the core of their mission is water as a transformative force to improve living conditions, as well as a focus on sustainability and provision of permanent safe water.

€111,111 from each €1 million entry will go to One Drop. Laliberté said he sees great benefit in using poker for networking and fundraising purposes. Plus, he loves the game and knows other affluent recreational players do as well. As a mecca for high-stakes gaming, the Casino de Monte-Carlo was the obvious choice for this event.