James McManus, Columnist

How to Win $20 Million at Poker

This crazy poker tournament costs $1 million to enter. It's for a good cause.

June 27, 2014 at 10:03 AM UTC

James McManus is the author of "Positively Fifth Street" and "Cowboys Full: The Story of Poker." He has written about the game for the New York Times, Harper's, the New Yorker, Foreign Policy, Esquire and Grantland. He teaches writing and literature at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

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More than 40 people have paid $1 million apiece to play in an unusual poker tournament this weekend. Its buy-in is 100 times that of the Main Event at the World Series of Poker. Its first prize could approach $20 million. And all but a handful of players will lose every dime.

The second biennial Big One for One Drop tournament is poker's premier philanthropic event. And with its compelling mix of resourceful pro players and outlandishly wealthy amateurs, it's increasingly becoming the de facto world championship of No-Limit Hold'em.