Jason Koon Defeats "Greatest Of All Time" to Win 11th Triton Title
Table Of Contents
Jason Koon's legend continues to grow.
Earlier this week, he told PokerNews about "playing with intention", and the Triton Poker and PokerStars ambassador has put words into action.
He claimed a record-extending 11th Triton Super High Roller Series title in Montenegro, the same venue where he earned his first Triton trophy.
"I just had to beat the greatest poker player of all time," Koon said after a heads-up victory in the $150K NLH event over his longtime friend and mentor Ben Tollerene.
The two agreed to an ICM chop before playing on, with Koon taking home $3.39 million, the second-largest score of his career, and Tollerene banking $3.43 million.
Triton Montenegro $150,000 NLHE Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Payout (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jason Koon | United States | $3,393,656* |
| 2 | Ben Tollerene | United States | $3,437,344* |
| 3 | Wayne Heung | Hong Kong | $1,790,000 |
| 4 | Phil Ivey | United States | $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 | United States | $405,000 |
Winner's Reaction
For Koon, the title meant more than the money.
"When I first saw what elite poker looked like, it was through Ben.
"I got heads-up with my best pal and mentor," he said. "Twelve years ago, when I first saw what elite poker looked like, it was through Ben.
"And honestly, I never thought I'd be the one standing here with 11 titles."
Final Table Recap
The final nine was stacked with heavyweights, but by the midpoint, it was clear the title would come down to Koon and Tollerene.
Tollerene struck first, eliminating Isaac Haxton and Christoph Vogelsang in back-to-back hands.
Koon responded by knocking out Wiktor Malinowski, with Finnish PLO specialist Eelis Parssinen's kings cracked to fall in sixth.
Matthias Eibinger's run ended in fifth after a cooler against Tollerene's pocket kings, before Koon finished off Phil Ivey with pocket sevens that improved to a full house.
Wayne Heung impressed with a career-best $1.79 million for third. His exit cleared the way for the long-anticipated Koon-Tollerene heads-up battle, a clash between two players intensely familiar with one another.
Though the two share deep mutual respect and years of friendship, the final battle was fierce. "It's paradoxical," Koon said. "You love the guy, but you play as hard as you can. That's how we respect each other."
And when the dust settled, Koon stood alone, again.
"I've worked my ass off for over a decade," Koon said. "Here we are, 11 wins later, winning one of the biggest ones of my career."
