Over the weekend, Resorts World Sentosa – currently Singapore’s sole poker operator - conducted its first Texas Holdem’ tournament, marking the first time a decent size tournament has been held on Singapore’s shores since Betfair’s solitary foray in 2006.

Eligibility for the event was restricted to RWS Silver (and above) card-holders, and was by invitation only; since marketing to the general public (whether above or below-the-line) is expressly forbidden by Singapore’s Casino Regulatory Authority, the government body that regulates casino operators. If you were lucky enough to get invited, you’d have realized that you didn’t have to pay a buy-in (FREEROLL!!!!). To make things even more appetizing, the organizers were guaranteeing a prize pool of $150,000, with $45,000 set aside for first place.