Guy Laliberte

Guy Laliberté was born on September 2, 1959, in Quebec City, Canada. He dropped out of school early and supported himself by playing the accordion, fire-eating, and walking on stilts while traveling through Europe. In 1984, he co-founded Cirque du Soleil with Gilles Ste-Croix, developing it into a globally renowned entertainment empire. In 2015, he sold 90% of his shares, and on February 17, 2020, he sold the remaining 10%.

Laliberté has been playing high-stakes poker as a recreational player since 2006. His first major tournament result came in April 2007 at the World Poker Tour (WPT) Season V Bellagio Main Event, where he finished fourth for $696,220. He also appeared on GSN's High Stakes Poker Season 4 and NBC's Poker After Dark Season 4, playing against top pros like Tom Dwan and Phil Hellmuth. his total live tournament earnings are approximately $2,535,768. He played under the screen name "Ahtata" on Full Tilt Poker.

Laliberté launched the "One Drop" initiative in 2007 to promote global clean water projects. As part of this initiative, he partnered with the WSOP to create the "Big One for One Drop" in 2012, a $1,000,000 buy-in event—the highest buy-in and most impactful charity tournament in poker history. Laliberté himself played in the inaugural event and finished fifth, earning $1,834,666. The event has been held multiple times since, raising tens of millions of dollars for clean water projects.

Laliberté's poker style is described as recreational yet aggressive, often employing a loose-aggressive approach and leveraging his financial edge to apply pressure. His play is as creative and unpredictable as a Cirque du Soleil performance. Beyond poker, he traveled to the International Space Station aboard a Russian Soyuz spacecraft in 2009, becoming the seventh space tourist. The poker community often refers to him as "the circus boss" and "the space player," symbolizing his multifaceted life.