The final two episodes of the 2014 World Series of Poker Big One for ONE DROP tournament were aired on ESPN on Tuesday night.
The tournament, which required a $1 million buy-in and consisted of 42 players, started with a prize pool of $4,666,662. As it came down to the last nine players, they were all ready to compete for the money. However, only eight players would receive a payout.
Episode 5: Bubble Bursts, All but Three are Cursed
The introduction starts by highlighting some of the players, identifying Daniel Colman as the one who is not fond of the media, and referring to Daniel Negreanu as the “golden boy” of poker.
Tom Hall quickly went all-in with pocket tens using his stack of 7.7 million chips, to which Negreanu responded by going all-in with A-Q. This resulted in a one-on-one situation between the two players. The board revealed J-A-5-4-2, leading to Hall’s elimination in tenth place on the bubble.
The remaining players at the table then proceeded to gamble with these chip stacks:
Cary Katz has 7,850,000 in Seat 1.
Rick Salomon is in Seat 2 with 24,600,000.
Christoph Vogelsang is in Seat 3 with 7,300,000.
Daniel Colman is in Seat 4 with 20,850,000.
Tobias Reinkemeier is in Seat 5 with 22,450,000.
Daniel Negreanu is in seat 6 with 29,600,000.
Paul Newey is in Seat 7 with 3,375,000.
Scott Seiver is in seat 8 with 9,975,000.
Paul Newey went all-in with his short stack and A-J. The original raiser, Negreanu, matched with K-9 and also called the additional 2.1 million chips. The board’s outcome allowed Newey’s ace-high hand to maintain, enabling him to double his stake.
Newey went all-in again, this time with pocket nines against Reinkemeier’s A-K, who was the original raiser. Reinkemeier called. The board played in favor of the nines, allowing Newey to double-up once more.
Alert for a breakout: Katz went all-in with pocket eights against Negreanu’s jacks. The best hand, held by Negreanu, won and led to Katz’s elimination in eighth place, earning him $1,306,667.
Negreanu’s build-up then commenced. Addressing the cameras, he discussed his role as a poker ambassador, focusing on integrity and longevity in the game. He expressed his belief that he will persist in his efforts to improve the lives of those around him.
Seiver made a raise with K-T while Reinkemeier simply called with his pocket aces. Eventually, Seiver went all-in on the 4-Q-2-J board, which led to a discussion of potential outcomes for Reinkemeier. After roughly 10 minutes, Negreanu finally called time and Reinkemeier decided to fold. The actions of each player left the other in shock.
Vogelsang doubled up through Salomon using A-7 on a board of A-7-7-9-5 against 8-7. This resulted in Salomon dropping to seventh place out of eight players, and catapulted Vogelsang into the chip lead.
Reinkemeier gambled his stack with A-J, and Newey responded with a K-Q. The insignificant board resulted in a double-up for Reinkemeier.
Alert for a bustout: Newey, with just over a million chips left, pushed with A-J. Both Seiver, holding T-8, and Salomon, with A-4 of hearts, called. A 2-7-K flop featuring two hearts led Salomon to bet and Seiver to fold. The arrival of the queen of hearts at the turn knocked Newey out of the game, leaving him in seventh place with winnings of $1,418,667.
With aces, Colman made a raise. Reinkemeier, holding pocket fives and 17.05 million chips, responded with an all-in reraise. Colman instantly responded, betting his tournament life, and managed to double up. This left Reinkemeier with less than two big blinds.
Beware of a bustout: On the following hand, Reinkemeier folded the button while Negreanu engaged with J-3 and Seiver with T-5 of diamonds. The flop revealed two diamonds with 9-J-T, prompting Seiver to bet. Negreanu went all-in, and Seiver responded by also going all-in. Unfortunately for Seiver, no diamond appeared, leading to his elimination in sixth place, taking home $1,680,000.
After Colman won a hand, a few comments were made about him. He is considered a “legend” in heads-up poker based on his performance and the views of his colleagues. However, one notable aspect of his profile is his refusal to engage with the media during the Big One.
Alert for a player busting out: Negreanu, holding Q-T of diamonds, raised. Vogelsang, with A-T from the button, called. Meanwhile, Reinkemeier called for an all-in without even checking his cards from the big blind. The flop showed 7-9-8, all diamonds, and Negreanu placed a bet. Vogelsang decided to fold, and Reinkemeier finally checked his cards to find J-8 of spades. The situation remained the same, leading to Reinkemeier busting out in the fifth place, taking home $2,053,334.
Alert for a significant play: Salomon went all-in with his 12.9 million chips, holding pocket eights, which Colman called with an A-T. The board showed T-3-T-7-Q, resulting in Salomon’s elimination at the fourth place with a prize of $2.8 million.
The last three players aligned in the following manner:
Daniel Negreanu – 52,000,000
Daniel Colman – 49,250,000
Christoph Vogelsang – 24,750,000
Episode 6 (Final): Tale of Two Daniels a.k.a. Good Versus Bad
The action was initiated by Negreanu extending his lead, however, Colman seized a large pot and took control.
The criticism towards Colman started with the repeated mention within five minutes that Colman was unwilling to engage with the media. However, he did discuss the tournament’s charitable aspect with ESPN.
A clip revealed Colman discussing the potential to generate over $5 million from this event to supply clean water globally. However, as soon as Norman Chad took over the commentary, he brought up that Colman harbors “mixed feelings” about accepting money from individuals in poker.
As the poker game progressed, Vogelsang went all-in with K-J, betting his remaining 8.9 million chips. Negreanu, the initial raiser, responded with a call, holding K-T. The board revealed Q-A-8-5-5, which led to a split pot. However, Vogelsang subsequently lost a pot worth close to 10.5 million chips to Colman, leaving him with a precariously low stack.
Alert of elimination: Vogelsang took a gamble with his chips, holding an Ace-4 of spades, and was called by initial raiser Colman who had a King-Queen. Negreanu also joined in, with pocket fives. The 2-6-8-6-4 board led to checks from both Daniels and Negreanu, with Negreanu ultimately winning the pot. Vogelsang was knocked out in third place, earning $4,480,001 for his efforts.
The heads-up play started with Colman possessing 68.55 million chips, compared to Negreanu’s 57.45 million.
Negreanu’s focus continued to be on the importance of dedicating time to interact with fans and use the platform provided by poker to assist others. He expressed that he sees himself as a role model for younger and novice poker players.
Negreanu managed to almost even the stacks back on the table, and then engaged in a showdown with Colman’s Q-J with his K-T. The board revealed J-A-A-9-Q, giving Negreanu a straight. Despite this, Colman made a bet with two pair on the river. After Negreanu raised, the pot reached 35.4 million, and Colman accurately read Negreanu’s hand and folded. As a result, Negreanu took the lead with 73.45 million chips.
The commentary then shifted back to Colman’s refusal to interact with the media. Footage was then shown from poker’s “media-savvy pros” discussing the issue, expressing the view that granting interviews to the media is not only polite but also a chance to promote the merits of poker. Phil Hellmuth, Antonio Esfandiari, Maria Ho, and Jay Farber praised the advantages of maintaining a good relationship with the media.
Norman Chad contributed to the segment, stating that not speaking to the media “isn’t the end of the world,” but likened him to Howard Hughes. On the other hand, Lon McEachern added some perspective to the discussion by pointing out that Colman is just 23 years old and is still trying to understand his identity and beliefs.
The two competitors at the table cheerfully bantered as they repeatedly traded the lead. However, a significant pot built up, with Colman holding A-4 and Negreanu holding K-Q. The board read 4-8-J-A-4, providing Colman with a full house. He managed to secure a massive pot of 60.4 million chips after persuading Negreanu to call.
Colman limped in with a Jack and ten of clubs, at which point Negreanu raised the stakes with an Ace and six. Colman chose to call. The flop showed a six, Jack and nine, leading Colman to place a bet. Negreanu responded with a check-call. With the appearance of an eight on the turn, Colman made the same move. However, this time, Negreanu decided to fold.
Alert for a bustout: Negreanu limped in with an A-4 while Colman raised the stakes with a K-Q. Negreanu went all-in, to which Colman quickly responded. The flop revealed J-A-4, giving Negreanu two pairs, but also giving Colman a straight draw. A ten on the turn completed Colman’s straight. The river card was a seven. Negreanu ended up in second place, winning $8,288,001.
McEachern observed Colman’s “masterful” performance in the heads-up battle, which led to his victory as the 2014 Big One for ONE DROP champion. Chad couldn’t resist making a final remark about Colman’s mixed feelings towards poker.
Despite everything, Colman did eventually converse with Kara Scott after the tournament concluded. He expressed, “I believe it’s quite remarkable what we managed to gather for charity. The funds are going towards a very valuable cause- to supply water to regions of the world that lack this essential resource.”
Colman’s ONE DROP victory earned him $15,306,668.
