Jason Koon Extends Trophy Record in Triton Poker, Lands Dream Seventh Title in Triton Super High Roller Series Cyprus Event #11: $100K NLH Main Event For $2,451,082

As the 2023 Triton Super High Roller Series Cyprus draws to a close at the luxurious Merit Hotel & Resort, Jason Koon (cover image), a 37-year-old poker powerhouse hailing from West Virginia, has once again made a mark by securing his career-seventh Triton trophy, highlighting another remarkable achievement.

Koon experienced a surge of emotions as he secured Event #11: $100K NLH Main Event in Northern Cyprus, a record not surpassed by any other participant, who have no more than four to their names. This win marked Koon’s second victory in the series and third score, as he had previously won in Event #2: $20K 7-Max NLHE and secured second place in Event #10 – $25K PLO.

Koon’s victory, achieved after a heads-up deal with Sam Greenwood (2nd for $1,923,918), awarded him $2,451,082, the Main Event trophy, and a luxurious Jacob & Co timepiece. Furthermore, Triton’s founder, Paul Phua, offered Koon another exclusive watch from his collection if he could secure the Player of the Year title—Koon has undoubtedly made every effort to make that a reality.

The American pro has yet again boosted his live tournament winnings to nearly $47.39 Million, clawing up to the fifth rank in the All-Time Money List. The victory would help Koon boost his Ivan Leow Player of the Year rankings. While final tabulations are still underway and the festival has three days remaining, Koon may have done enough to surpass Stephen Chidwick and take the lead for the inaugural Player of the Year trophy.

“I was here a little under a year ago when we lost Ivan,” Koon said, choking back tears after the tournament wrapped. “Ivan was a good friend of mine. And walking through these halls every day, I feel a little bit emotional about that. Just the title of Player of the Year, it gets me emotional. I miss the guy.”

Fifteen players out of 101 entrants (65 unique) shared the $10,100,000 prize pool, with a min-cash worth $175,000. Aleksejs Ponakovs (10th for $215,000), Nacho Barbero (11th for $215,000), Michael Addamo (12th for $190,000), Fedor Holz (13th for $190,000), Kiat Lee (14th for $175,000) and Chris Brewer (15th for $175,000), were the other notable players who fell out before the final table.

Final Table Chip Counts

1. Henrik Hecklen – 5.525 Million (55 BBs)
2. Viacheslav Buldygin – 3.65 Million (37 BBs)
3. Sam Greenwood – 3.6 Million (36 BBs)
4. Dan Smith – 2.75 Million (28 BBs)
5. Mike Watson – 2.6 Million (26 BBs)
6. Steve O’Dwyer – 2.55 Million (26 BBs)
7. Stephen Chidwick – 2.25 Million (23 BBs)
8. Jason Koon – 1.45 Million (15 BBs)
9. Sean Winter – 875,000 (9 BBs)

Final Table Recap

Commencing as the second-largest stack, the Event #6 champion Viacheslav Buldygin was the first player to be ousted from the final table. He successively lost pots against Stephen Chidwick and Sam Greenwood until Jason Koon landed the decisive blow.

Koon’s held an advantage over Buldygin’s on a board that displayed [x].

Stephen Chidwick’s fell short against Steve O’Dwyer’s . Chidwick, opening from mid-position, was countered by O’Dwyer defending his big blind. The flop revealed . After O’Dwyer checked, Chidwick opted to move all in.

O’Dwyer, holding the top pair, quickly decided to call and was rewarded. The turn and river were blanks, leading to Chidwick’s departure in eighth place.

A showdown ensued between Henrik Hecklen and Mike Watson. Watson held pocket sevens while Hecklen possessed . The arrival of a jack on the turn resulted in Watson being dismissed in seventh place.

Sean Winter pushed his short stack with against Koon’s . The board yielded nothing, and Winter was eliminated in sixth place.

Koon was on a roll, ushering Dan Smith off in fifth place. Smith’s stood no chance against Koon’s on a dry board.

Koon maintained his momentum and managed to outdo Henrik Hecklen’s with his , as an ace was dealt initially. Hecklen took his leave in fourth place.

Steve O’Dwyer managed to double-up against Koon, but Koon had the final say, as O’Dwyer eventually bowed out in third place.

Only two players remained, ranked second and third on the Player of the Year leaderboard. Koon had a considerable chip lead, holding 80 BBs to Sam Greenwood‘s 21 BBs. They instantly proposed to split the pot according to ICM and to leave 10 per cent in play.

The tournament staff facilitated the proposal, confirming the payouts of $2,367,082 to Koon and $1,923,918 to Greenwood, with $84,000 left in play.

Both players quickly reseated but were back on their feet within minutes. All the stakes were put on the line on the very first hand of the heads-up play: Koon completed the small blind with , and Greenwood moved all in with . Koon called, and a queen was dealt on the flop. The complete board ran . That marked the end of the match, earning Jason Koon the second title in the series!

After doubling up early and earning another double through PoY rival Stephen Chidwick, Koon could do no wrong, outplaying Greenwood on the very first hand of heads-up play.

Undoubtedly, the affinity between Koon as a brand ambassador and the tour is unrivalled, and arguably, there has never been a modern tournament talent that can rival the prowess of Jason Koon.

“You deal with a lot,” Koon added. “You hold in a ton of your feelings, and this was one of those ones where it wasn’t just joy. It was just, like, ‘I can’t believe this.’ This is it for me. I don’t really play other poker tournaments. These are the most important to me. I’m sure [Phil] Hellmuth would feel the same whenever he wins a bracelet. To me, these are the most important. I’m just overwhelmed with gratitude.”– said Koon after lifting his seventh Triton Poker trophy.

Final Table Results (USD)

1. Jason Koon – $2,451,082*
2. Sam Greenwood – $1,923,918*
3. Steve O’Dwyer – $1,171,000
4. Henrik Hecklen – $946,000
5. Dan Smith – $762,000
6. Sean Winter – $595,000
7. Mike Watson – $469,500
8. Stephen Chidwick – $358,500
9. Viacheslav Buldygin – $263,000

* denotes a heads-up deal

Content & Images Courtesy: Triton Poker

Images by Joe Giron/Poker Photo Archive

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