Will we see a German One Drop champion?
With seven German players currently in the list of 30 One Drop participants, Barry Carter suggests we are going to see a German win the biggest prize in poker history this year.
At the start of the year I made a number of predictions for how I saw poker taking shape in 2014, and one of them was that we would see a German One Drop champion. This week more of the runners have been announced, and I like my prediction even more.
Of the 10 runners announced this week, six were German, making a total of seven of 29 confirmed players so far (For the purposes of this discussion I am classing Igor Kurganov as German, though I am aware he has both German and Russian heritage).
Fabian 'fabstinho' Quoss, Max Altergott, Tobias 'pokernoob' Reinkemeier, Igor 'lechuckpoker' Kurganov, Christoph Vogelsang and Niklas 'ragen' Heinecker all join Philiip philgruissem' Gruissem, who was one of the first to buy in.
| 2014 One Drop Entrant List so far | ||
| Fabian 'fabstinho' Quoss | David Einhorn | Brian Rast |
| Tobias 'pokernoob' Reinkemeier | Phil Galfond | Andrew Robl |
| Jean-Robert Bellande | Bobby Baldwin | Erik Seidel |
| Niklas 'ragen' Heinecker | Antonio Esfandiari | Brandon Steven |
| Vanessa Selbst | Guy Laliberté | Sam Trickett |
| Christoph Vogelsang | Phil Ivey | Noah Schwartz |
| Anonymous Asian Businessman | Jason Mercier | Anonymous Businessman |
| Anthony Gregg | Paul Newey | Anonymous Businessman |
| Max Altergott | Bill Perkins | Anonymous Businessman |
| Igor 'lechuckpoker' Kurganov | Vivek Rajkumar | Aria Satellite Seat |
| Bellagio satellite seat | WSOP satellite seat | Philipp 'philgruissem' Gruissem |
The best in the world right now
PokerStrategy.com is a predominantly German company, at least in origin, and in the three years I have worked for them I have come to love German culture, the German work ethic and in particular have really enjoyed having a ringside seat for the meteoric rise of German poker (As you can see, most of these players are members of this site).
As a Brit I am still cheering for my countrymen at the WSOP, but after that I am always rooting for the German players.
Quite simply the Germans are the best in the world at High Roller tournaments. I'd make a case for all forms of poker too, but the Rollers are beyond any doubt. That was true in 2013 and it is still true in 2014, as Fabian Quoss, Phil Gruissem and Ole Schemion all have made waves so far this year.
Last time half the One Drop entrants were businessmen, if it is the same this time around then one would realistically expect only about 30 of the players to stand a chance of winning. I didn't expect as many German players to register when I made my prediction, and we still have potentially Martin '0piggybank' Finger and Ole 'olekonjole' Schemion among the High Rollers who could register (And plenty of other big names besides those two).
The latter I currently believe to be the best tournament player in the world right now (So much so I've bet on him to win it), despite being just 21. If Ole won it, it would be very interesting. On the one hand, a 21-year-old winning the biggest prize in poker history would be a massive story, and I believe Ole would instantly become the new Phil Ivey (I believe he currently has a similar reputation anyway).
Great players, great ambassadors?
However the one interesting, but potentially frustrating, thing about the current crop of German Super High Rollers is they shy away from the limelight. In poker terms, I respect this tremendously, it takes a lot of restraint and long-term vision to fly under the radar when fame is presenting itself to you.
But One Drop really is a spectacle, and a huge promotional tool for the game. The ridiculous buy-in and prizes turn a lot of heads, and the charity angle frames poker in a very positive light. I don't think poker could have wished for a better inaugural champion in Antonio Esfandiari, a born entertainer and great ambassador, he really took the fame One Drop brought and made the very most of it.
It would be a shame if a German champion would not do the same thing, but just like Pius Heinz who 'took the money and ran', I understand why they might.
Two players who might just turn out to be a great One Drop champions are Philip Gruissem and Igor Kurganov. Both men are using poker to do great things, as they both donate 10% of their winnings to charity and do a lot of extra work for good causes. Combine this with the charity element of One Drop and you might just get a great altruistic champion, even if they are not necessarily media darlings.
Even though I want to be right on my prediction and (more importantly) my bet, I'm inclined to think that maybe the best thing for poker overall would be if Vanessa Selbst won. She is the first female to enter the seven-figure One Drop and one of the best players in the world. Combine this with Vicky Coren's double-EPT win and 2014 would be the greatest ever year for women's poker, and an amazing story which would no doubt see a genuine interest in females taking up the game.
No matter who wins, I am once again very interested in One Drop despite thinking that I wouldn't be. No matter what happens, an interesting story is going to come out of this event, and there is a lot of potential for that to be a positive and marketable story for poker.
Do you think a German player will win One Drop? Who is your pick to win this event? Does One Drop overshadow the Main Event? Is One Drop good for poker? Let me know your thoughts in the comments box.
 Barry Carter is the editor of PokerStrategy.com and the co-author of The Mental Game of Poker 1 & 2. He has been working in the poker industry for nine years and in 2013 won the APAT Award for Best Poker Media Provider. You can learn more about his work here.
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