LOTO QUEBEC CROWNS THEIR BIG ONE FOR ONE DROP QUALIFIER
Montreal, May 21, 2012 - A total of 57 players entered the $25,000 buy-in Grand Tournoi de Poker Loto-Quebec (GTPLQ) for a chance to win the prestigious $1 Million seat for the WSOP Big One for One Drop where the winner will have the chance to rub elbows with the rich and famous of the poker world and  potentially win millions more.

The tournament attracted some notable Canadian poker professionals like Mike McDonald, Scott Montgomery, Steven Paul-Ambrose, Christopher McClung, and Laurence Grondin. Also in attendance to kick off the festivities were One Drop charity and Cirque du Soleil founder Mr. Guy Laliberté and Caesar’s Interactive CEO Mitch Garber as well as members of Loto-Québec, who had made a considerable investment into this important tournament.

The GTPLQ is by far tournament with the largest prize pool value ever held in Quebec and with a first prize valued at $1 Million, qualifies as one of the largest first place payouts in a poker tournament in Canada.

With a hefty $25,000 buy-in, buying a seat directly into this tournament was not something for the faint of heart and a few players were bold enough to make the investment directly. Loto-Quebec invested a lot to ensure that the event would attract a large number of players to surpass the guaranteed prize pools and offered seats up for grabs via a number of ways which included live satellites at casinos across Quebec and France, online satellites via Espacejeux, scratch tickets, and even slot machines and a total of 43 players qualified this way. Through a partnership with the JOA casino group in France, several other players won their way to Casino Lac-Leamy.

Day one played down to the top 16 finalists who were each assured a prize that included a trip to Las Vegas valued at about $5,000. As the action resumed on Sunday for Day 2, the day unfolded and players were dropping like flies until they reached the bubble.

When the final two players met for heads up, for almost 6 hours, there was no room for error. The difference between 1st and 2nd place is almost $1 Million, and sure to haunt the runner up for years to come.

In the final hand of the match Carlos Nahas beat JC Ferreira KK vs. A3 in all-in to win the Million Dollar Seat after almost six hours of intense play.

Carlos got to the GTPLQ because a friend of his Keith Hamilton won the seat at Casino Lac-Leamy through a slot machine. His friend knows little about poker so the two made a deal. Low and behold, the deal paid off to the tune of $1 Million.

About ONE DROP
ONE DROP—an initiative of Guy Laliberté, Founder of Cirque du Soleil—is a non-governmental organization established in Montreal, Canada and active worldwide. ONE DROP’s mission is to fight poverty by supporting access to water and raising each and every one’s awareness of water-related issues through its distinctive approach based on social arts and popular education. In the U.S., ONE DROP is a public charity that undertakes innovative activities in which water plays a central role as a creative force to generate positive, sustainable change worldwide. ONE DROP continues to reach out to the world to realize its dream of safe water for all, today and tomorrow. To learn more about ONE DROP, visit ONEDROP.org.

About the World Series of Poker
The World Series of Poker (WSOP) is the largest, richest and most prestigious gaming event in the world awarding millions of dollars in prize money and the prestigious gold bracelet, globally recognized as the sport’s top prize. Featuring a comprehensive slate of tournaments in every major poker variation, the WSOP is poker’s longest running tournament in the world, dating back to 1970. In 2011, the event attracted 75,672 entrants from 105 different countries to the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas and awarded over $192 million in prize money.  To learn more about the World Series of Poker, visit WSOP.com.

Story courtesy of CanadaPoker.com