Jason Koon Comes Out on Top at High Stakes Triton Poker Series

May 21st, 2018 | by Brian Corlisse

The Triton Poker Series Montenegro has wrapped up with some big tournament wins and some even bigger cash game pots.

Stars such as Tom Dwan (pictured) and Jason Koon were out in force at the Triton Poker Series Montenegro. (Image: Bluffmagvideos/YouTube)

With stars like Phil Ivey, Tom Dwan and Patrik Antonius anteing up inside Montenegro’s Maestral Resort & Casino, Budva, the stakes were always going to be high.

Ivey got off to a winning start on May 13 when he beat Daniel Cates in the $31,000 short deck ante only tournament.

Koon Steals the Show

With one of the world’s best banking $604,992 in the early offing, the cash game started to heat up. A €2,000/€4,000/€2,000 ($2,300/$4,700/$2,300) game soon became the focus, with Jason Koon making the headlines not once but twice.

As multimillionaire businessmen from China swapped bets with a group of poker pros, Koon found himself in a $2 million+ pot with fellow American Kane Kalas. With the board showing 5♦3♥6♠10♣A♦, Koon moved all-in for $592,400 on the river with A♥Q♣.

A quick call by Kalas with a set of tens was enough to win one of the largest pots ever seen on TV. Koon was able to make his money back a few rounds later when he got into another $2 million+ pot against Elton Tsang.

After making the nut straight on the river with 6♥5♥, Koon pushed his remaining $674,692 into the pot after Tsang checked. Staring at the 8♥A♦7♥Q♦4♣board, Tsang contemplated calling with K♦7♦before folding.

A Glittering Finish for American Pro

A few days after contesting two pots worth more than $2 million each, Koon was at it again in the $127,000 short deck ante only high roller tournament. Attracting a total of 103 buy-ins, the event saw Phil Ivey come close to winning again in Montenegro, but not quite close enough.

When everyone else had fallen by the wayside, Koon found himself heads-up with Chinese short deck expert, Xuan Tan. After the fact, Koon admitted that Tan was the superior player in the format, but a dose of good fortune in the final hand was enough for him to scoop a top prize worth just short of $3.6 million.

As both players studied the A♣K♣K♦Q♣board, Koon took the initiative and bet 1.2 million with K♠Q♦. After considering his options, Tan moved all-in with J♥10♥, leaving his opponent to make the quick call.

As the 7♦fell on the river, an exasperated Koon shook hands with Tan before taking a moment to enjoy the biggest tournament win of his career.

$127,000 Triton Poker Series Short Deck Ante Only Result

Jason Koon – $3,579,836
Xuan Tan – $2,308,384
Phil Ivey – $1,666,480
Winfred Yu – $1,172,727
Rui Cao – $802,412
Peter Jetten – $641,904
Sean Dempsey – $493,753
Paul Phua – $419,74

With the action over in Montenegro, the Triton Poker Series will move to the South Korean Island of Jeju for the next series of tournaments between July 23 and July 31.