A huge amount of money changes hands at poker tournaments these days, particularly the Triton High Roller Series, where the enormous buy-ins are the raison d’etre. But the organisers here remain keenly committed too to sending money where it can do the most good, and continue this season with generous donations to a number of charities.
In keeping with all other events around the world, players pay a rake and a service charge on their tournament buy-ins on the Triton Series, which then pays staff and the numerous costs associated with laying on the event. But when all the accounting it done, Triton pledges all of its profits to charitable causes, usually resulting in a significant donation.
While figures for this event in Jeju won’t be known for some time, previous tournaments have yielded excellent returns for various non-profits. For instance in 2016, the HK$100,000 event in Manila sent a PHP 1.15 million ($25,000 approx.) donation to Project Pink Philippines, a support group for breast cancer patients and their family members. A further donation went to the Red Cross in the Philippines.
Through the 2017 season, HK$1 million went to each of Caritas Services Rehabilitation Services in Macau and Healthy Hong Kong across the bay in China’s other special administrative region.
The Caritas money went specifically to the Lar De Nossa Senhora Da Penha centre, which started life as a residential home for children abandoned on the streets of Macau, and now assists in care for handicapped children in the region. Healthy Hong Kong was founded by the actor Eric Tsang and offers free medical care.
As the Triton Series continues to break records for prize pools, the charitable donations similarly grow. One event in particular this year — full details of which will come in due course — is set to be exceed all previous totals, so watch this space.
Photography by Jamie Thomson/Poker Photo Archive.