The major victory was achieved at the 12th tournament held in Montenegro, the “$150,000 No-Limit Hold'em”. In the final duels, he faced Ben Tollerene, who was his poker coach and longtime friend.
For the fans, the two American professionals provided an exciting result, and ultimately Koon emerged as the winner. He did not spare praise for Tollerene.
He even called him “the best poker player of all time”, which was a big compliment, especially considering that Phil Ivey and other stars were still playing, with only four players remaining in the game.
After the victory, an emotional Koon said: “I just had to beat the best poker player.” It's crazy. I have many memories of big wins, big losses, and big pots at this table.
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Huge Prize Pool and Big Win
This event was one of the biggest on the “Triton Montenegro” schedule. It featured 63 first-time entries and 45 re-entries, with a total prize pool reaching an impressive $16.2 million. This $3,393,656 win was the second-largest prize of Koon's career.
It also returned him to fourth place on the all-time money list, just $2.7 million behind second-place Stephen Chidwick.
Most Impressive Tournament Moments
The tension was high as only 17 players made money. Bryn Kenney, the first player to earn over $70 million, was eliminated on the bubble in a surprising hand against Koon. It was one of the most interesting moments of the tournament.
Kenney had a pair of queens and decided to raise from an early position. Koon responded with Aโฃ 4โฅ from the small blind position and had about 25 big blinds. The flop showed 7โฃ 3โฆ 6โฃ, and after a brief consideration, Koon went all-in. Kenney called, but the river card 5โฅ gave Koon a straight, thus ending the bubble phase.
Final Table โ A Clash of Stars
As always in a Triton tournament, the final table featured some of the best players in the world:
| Player | Chips | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|
| Jason Koon | 5,370,000 | 67 BB |
| Matthias Eibinger | 3,670,000 | 46 BB |
| Wayne Heung | 2,955,000 | 37 BB |
| Ben Tollerene | 2,895,000 | 36 BB |
| Eelis Parssinen | 1,720,000 | 22 BB |
| Phil Ivey | 1,480,000 | 19 BB |
| Wiktor Malinowski | 1,285,000 | 16 BB |
| Christoph Vogelsang | 1,125,000 | 14 BB |
| Isaac Haxton | 1,110,000 | 14 BB |
The first players Tollerene eliminated were Isaac Haxton and Christoph Vogelsang. Haxton and Vogelsang received $405,000 and $543,000 respectively. After Koon eliminated Wiktor Malinowski, Tollerene quickly knocked out Eelis Parssinen in sixth place.
Matthias Eibinger followed suit, hitting fives against Tollerene's kings and going all-in against an early position raise. For his big play, he received $1,195,000.
Then Koon halted Phil Ivey's run by revealing a full house with sevens. Ivey finished in fourth place.
Wayne Heung from Hong Kong took third place when his 10โฆ 9โฆ couldn't match Tollerene's Aโฃ 10โฃ.
When the last two players agreed on an ICM deal, they continued to compete for the prize and an additional $130,000. In a classic coin flip game, Koon's pocket sixes beat Tollerene's ace-nine, giving Koon the victory.
Final Results
| Place | Player | Country | Winnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| ๐ฅ 1 | Jason Koon | USA | $3,393,656 |
| ๐ฅ 2 | Ben Tollerene | USA | $3,437,344 |
| ๐ฅ 3 | Wayne Heung | Hong Kong | $1,790,000 |
| 4 | Phil Ivey | USA | $1,482,000 |
| 5 | Matthias Eibinger | Austria | $1,195,000 |
| 6 | Eelis Parssinen | Finland | $943,000 |
| 7 | Wiktor Malinowski | Poland | $721,000 |
| 8 | Christoph Vogelsang | Germany | $543,000 |
| 9 | Isaac Haxton | USA | $405,000 |
