The set for the Raise for Charity Exhibition Game
Ever since its inception, the Triton Poker Super High Roller Series has made a firm commitment to helping charitable causes. The company’s founders and players have donated many hundreds of thousands of dollars through the years, with charities across the world benefiting from this philanthropy.
Underlining the commitment, the Triton Series’ second visit to Jeju, South Korea, kicked off today with the “Raise for Change Charity Exhibition Game” — a single-table tournament in which seven of the world’s best poker players did battle, and guaranteed another $30,000 for three charities.
Half of that came from the buy-ins of the poker players. Triton Series matched the other half.
It meant that when Chris Brewer, Dan Dvoress and Christoph Vogelsang finished in first, second and third places, respectively, their chosen charities benefited to the tune of $20,000, $12,000 and $8,000.
Chris Brewer was able to earn $20,000 for a charity close to his heart
Brewer opted to give the money to the Melanoma Research Alliance, a charity dedicated to end suffering and death due to melanoma; Dvoress’ went to Evergreen, whose mission is to create a healthier future through better public spaces; Vogelsang’s success benefitted Mary’s Meals, which seeks to find a simple solution to world hunger.
Each of the tournament’s seven participants — Brewer, Vogelsang and Dvoress, as well as Dan Smith, Mario Mosboeck, Seth Davies and Tony Lin — paid $5,000 to enter, creating a prize pool of $35,000.
The top three received their buy-in back, with the remaining $20,000 pledged to charity. The winner took $10,000, second took $6,000 and third took $4,000. Triton Series then matched each of these amounts.
“We were thrilled to organise the game,” said Andy Wong, Triton Poker Series CEO. “By matching the winnings of the top three players, we hope to encourage even more players to participate and support this worthy cause.”
Triton CEO Andy Wong
Wong added: “Poker has the power to bring people together and make a positive impact and we were delighted to see this event succeed.”
As you would expect, the atmosphere was buoyant as the players took their seats, only a couple of hours before Event 1 of the Triton Series Jeju began. Triton players are good friends with one another, and the charity format allowed them to be even more relaxed than usual.
Brewer’s exceptional recent tournament hot streak extended into this event too, with a jubilant cruise to the win. “It feels good,” Brewer said, adding that he always has fun playing poker even if his own bankroll will feel no immediate benefit.
However the cause is close to his heart. “My mom had a melanoma scare this year,” Brewer said, adding that she is now having preventative infusions to ensure she remains cancer free. “I’m happy to be able to give something to a cause I care about.”
Today’s game is only the beginning of a process by which Triton will continue to ensure the money raised has maximum positive impact. Wong intends to visit the organisations to discuss their work and learn how the Triton Poker Series’ donation will be spent.
A second place for Dan Dvoress will benefit Evergreen charity in his native Canada
Triton Series is keen to make a lasting difference to local communities and is happy that three distinct charities from across the world will receive funds from this game.
In the broader context of the growing popularity of charity poker games, the Raise for Change Charity Exhibition Game presented an exciting opportunity for industry players to showcase their skills while contributing to worthwhile causes.
Triton has previously been instrumental in sending significant amounts to non-profit organisations, most notably from the Triton Million: A Helping Hand for Charity event in 2019. The £50,000 registration fee from each of 54 participants in the event went to a number of global charities selected by Triton.
Christoph Vogelsang took third and won $8,000 for Mary’s Meals
With numerous events planned for the coming year and beyond, there will be further opportunities for players to earn significant funding for charitable causes of their choosing.
Watch this space.
Let the fun commence at Triton Jeju
Photography by Joe Giron/Poker Photo Archive
