It has been 33 long months since Triton Poker last assembled a group of elite poker players to play the best high-stakes poker series on the planet. But the painful waiting is now finally over.
Today at the Merit Crystal Cove Resort & Casino, in Girne, Cyprus, Triton Series made its return — and it was as if we had never been away.
The opening event of a four-tournament festival played through its first 10 levels, with 75 entries (including 31 re-entries) of $50,000 apiece. That means there is already more than $3.5 million in the prize pool, for what is the smallest buy-in event on the schedule.
Registration is still open until the start of Day 2 tomorrow, so the prize pool hasn’t stopped growing yet.
Despite the absence, there was everything we have come to know and love — the best players demonstrating their full range of skills — plus an exclusive live stream, with cards-up coverage and expert commentary.
A great number of familiar faces returned to the felt, but there were were also at least 13 players making their first appearance at a Triton event, from at least 11 countries. All are likely to stay for the full week, which culminates in a $125K short-deck event on April 6.
But to focus again on today’s action: the chip leader at this stage is one of our old timers: Hong Kong’s Elton Tsang. Tsang was bouncing along steadily for most of the day until he won a huge pot on the feature table in the final level. His benefactor was the US-based Bosnian player Ali Imsirovic, who was returning to Cyprus after winning in the Super High Roller Bowl here last time.
Elton Tsang
But after both Tsang and Imsirovic made two pair, kings and jacks, they got it all in. Tsang had an ace kicker, which beat Imsirovic’s eight.
“He ended up donating all his chips to me,” Tsang said. But even though he maintained the chip lead to the end of the day, Tsang refused to believe he had anything locked up yet. “It’s still too early,” he said, when asked if he was confident he could win it.
In a field where almost everybody is a superstar, it’s difficult to pull out other names to highlight. But all poker fans will have been delighted to see Phil Ivey show up for Day 1 action — and bag the only other million-chip stack in the room. (Starting stack was 200,000.) Ivey has one Triton title to his name, from Montenegro in 2018, so he’s about due another.
Phil Ivey
Among the Triton debutants is Russia’s Artur Martirosian, who has won on the European Poker Tour and has heaps of online accolades. Martirosian is trying to continue that form on the Triton tour and has started healthily. He sits in third. Full chip stacks for the remaining 34 players appear at the bottom of this post.
Artur Martirosan
Play resumes at 1pm tomorrow, at which point registration will close and we’ll have the final figures for this tournament. But three hours later, the $100K buy-in no limit hold’em event gets started, promising all of the same but doubled.
Welcome to the debut of the series, delving into the lightbulb moments that shone so brightly they changed the way players thought about the game en route to the higher echelons of high stakes poker.
In episode #1 of the series, Michael Soyza shares his lightbulb moments.
Soyza’s Poker Accolades
Michael Soyza rose to prominence as a No-Limit Hold’em (NLHE) tournament star by defeating a field of 605-entrants, including Rainer Kempe, heads-up, to claim the $111,520 first prize in the NLHE Accumulator side event at the Aussie Millions.
That run spurred Soyza on to tremendous tournament success, most notably picking up seven titles on the Asian Poker Tour (APT), leading the Global Poker Index (GPI) to crown him as the Asian Player of the Year for 2018.
Soyza’s focus soon shifted towards the West, where he won a side event at the European Poker Tour (EPT) in Barcelona and banked more than half a million dollars after taking down a Mid-States Poker Tour (MSPT) event in Vegas, both in 2018.
In 2019, Soyza began plying his trade on the Triton Poker Tour and had so far cashed in four events, winning more than $3m in prize money, including a personal best $1.4m for taking down a side event at the 2019 Jeju stop.
At the time of writing, Soyza has earned more than $8.3m playing live tournaments at the highest level in the business, including competing in the $1m buy-in Triton Million: A Helping Hand for Charity in 2019.
Here are Soyza’s lightbulb moments.
Discovering Pre-Flop Starting Ranges
“Discovering pre-flop starting ranges was a big moment for me,” said Soyza. “Tom Dwan was the inspiration for me back in the day. Initially, when I started playing poker, my go-to was to go by feel. I didn’t have any solid pre-flop strategies or consistent ranges. I was pretty much flailing around in the dark. Despite that, you could offset this lack of skill with pure aggression back in the day. After my lightbulb moment, I learnt how ranges interacted with each other and where a decent amount of edge came from, leading to a deeper understanding of poker and an increase in my win rate.”
Discovering PioSOLVER
“I learnt about PioSOLVER during a poker seminar conducted by Fedor Holz in China in 2017,” shared Soyza. “The first time I saw a sample of PioSOLVER output, it blew my mind. It completely changed my poker perspective, and I learnt that I was a complete fish. PioSOLVER taught me the fundamentals of GTO in poker and a probabilistic mindset which is imperative to getting better at the game.”
Discovering How to Compile Data Into Concepts
“Memorising huge amounts of PioSOLVER output is difficult,” shares Soyza. “As such, learning how to identify patterns and develop general concepts around the data available was key for me to prepare for as many unknown spots as possible beforehand. You then have to learn to validate these concepts after the outcome of a hand to refine them.”
Discovering ICM and ICM Software
“ICM is a major part of tournament play and can make or break your win rate,” says Soyza. “Understanding what ICM is and how it affects the game is paramount in tournaments. Learning how to use ICM tools like HoldemResources Calculator and ICMIZER greatly improved my skill level and even helped with my overall understanding of the game.”
Now it’s your turn.
What are your lightbulb moments?
Triton Poker finally makes a return to continue its aim to bridge diverse communities together to engage the global audience through its prestigious poker tournament that is to take place live at the Merit Hotel and Casino in North Cyprus from April 2 – 7, 2022.
Known for its generous guarantees, the tournament will cover exciting events boasting star-studded attendees and amazing prize pools. Furthermore, poker enthusiasts from across the globe can once again tune in to Triton’s official YouTube and Twitch channels to enjoy world-class poker entertainment live on the felt.
As our aim has always been to bridge the gap between the poker community and the world through philanthropy, it is essential that our tournaments make a come-back to aid this process. We look forward to welcoming all our familiar and loved players who have waited patiently for this day.
Triton Poker Cyprus – Special Edition at Super High Roller Series will be held across six days, and feature the following games; NLH 6 Handed, NLH – 8 Handed, Short Deck Ante.
Triton Poker Super High Roller Series 2022, Bali – A Helping Hand for Charity from February 17th to March 1st, 2022.
Set against a backdrop of Bali’s lush scenery and rich heritage, the event is set to showcase to its audiences what the beautiful island has to offer. Known to many as Land of the Gods, Bali captivates through its pure natural beauty of colourful ceremonies, looming volcanoes and iconic terraced rice fields – a true paradise to behold.
We are thrilled to finally be back and plan to continue delivering exclusive coverage of our highly anticipated season kick-off to our growing audiences across multiple platforms and look forward to presenting the thrills and excitement our tournaments have to offer. We are always working tirelessly to continue to innovate our live poker tournaments, bring exclusive and exhilarating poker entertainment anytime, anywhere all the while channeling meaningful charitable initiatives to the less fortunate.
The 2022 season starts off with our partnership with Jacob & Co as the Exclusive Official Timekeeper for the highly anticipated line-up.
Catch our unparalleled live coverage on our official Triton Poker Twitch, YouTube, and Facebook channels and on our soon-to-be-launched app – Triton Poker Plus.Further details are available here for more information.
Triton Poker Series has partnered with Kraken, the biggest cryptocurrency exchange by Euro trading volumes. The digital premiere of the Triton Million – A Helping Hand for Charity, the biggest buy-in charity poker tournament in history, will feature Kraken as the Official Crypto Exchange partner for the 10-part series on Triton Poker’s official YouTube Channel.
Held in London during 2019, the prestigious competition still holds the record for being the most expensive poker tournament of all time.
Episodes 1 and 2 of the post-produced series will make their digital debut starting Thursday September 23rd, 2021, on the Triton Poker YouTube channel, with the duo of poker legend Daniel Negreanu and television personality Ali Nejad as the commentators.
With an entry fee of £1,050,000, £50,000 was taken from each of the 54 buy-ins and a total of £2,400,000 was raised and distributed to over 15 charities globally, including the One Drop Foundation, Raising for Effective Giving (REG), and the Malaysian Red Crescent.
The tournament previously aired on linear television across multiple channels, with NBCSports in the United States, TSN in Canada, FreeSports in the UK, Sport5 in Israel, and several other broadcasters in various regions – now made available to all viewers worldwide with access to an internet account.
This digital partnership is not only a union of two brands who are market leaders in their own field but also creates tremendous synergy since poker was one of the early use cases for cryptocurrencies.
Kraken will leverage on the appeal of Triton’s entertaining poker content to build awareness and create user affinity with the poker community through prominent logo placements throughout various key hands of the tournament.
Founded in 2011, this partnership will also coincide with Kraken’s 10th year as one of the longest-standing cryptocurrency exchanges that provide trading between multiple crypto and fiat currencies.
Held in London during 2019, the prestigious competition still holds the record for being the most expensive poker tournament of all time and will now be available for all viewers with an internet connection to enjoy.
Episodes 1 and 2 of the post-produced series will make its digital debut starting Thursday September 23rd, 2021, on the Triton Poker YouTube channel, with the duo of poker legend Daniel Negreanu and television personality Ali Nejad as your commentators.
Triton’s innovative structure pitted an array of the world’s most talented poker players such as Bryn Kenney, Daniel’ Jungleman’ Cates, and Tom’ durrrr’ Dwan against high profile businessmen (and businesswoman) such as Paul Phua, Tony G and Haralabos Voulgaris in one of the richest purses in sports and gaming history.
In the entry fee of £1,050,000, £50,000 was taken from each buy-in and distributed to over 15 charities globally, including the One Drop Foundation, Raising for Effective Giving (REG), and the Malaysian Red Crescent.
The tournament previously aired on television with NBCSports in the United States, Canada’s TSN channel, FreeSports in the UK, Sport 5 in Israel, and across several Eastern European countries.
After previously broadcasting in several regions such as Canada, Israel, and the United Kingdom, Triton has penned a TV deal with NBC Sports to showcase coverage of the biggest televised poker tournament of all time.
The 10-episode series remains one of the most innovative poker tournaments in recent memory, with 54 professionals and businessmen (and woman) creating an incredible prize pool of £54million and a 1st place prize of £19million.
In addition, £50,000 was collected from each participant totaling £2.7million, donated to various charities around the world.
Daniel ‘Kid Poker’ Negreanu and television personality, Ali Nejad, guide you through exclusive behind-the-scenes player testimony and the stunning highs and brutal lows of all the play-by-play action.
Depending on your location, here is the NBC broadcast listing schedule: Wednesdays at 5pm PT – NBC Sports Bay Area Thursdays at 9pm ET- NBC Sports Philadelphia+ Fridays at 10pm CT – NBC Sports Chicago Saturdays at 11pm ET – NBC Sports Boston Sundays at 8pm ET – NBC Sports Washington
Had I not wandered into the grand tableaux of High Stakes Poker, I might have never heard of Rui Cao, because he’s the type of poker player who prefers making a mint over standing in the flare of gunfire hoping that someone is going to catch a sight of him.
Hailing from China, Rui moved to France at the age of six. So, it’s safe to say that his challenges started early in life.
“Everything was different,” said Rui. “Learning the language was hard in the beginning. The first phrase I learned was ‘shut-up’. I remember asking my mum, “what does shut-up mean?”
I wonder if she told him to ‘shut-up?’
Even back then, Rui was a quick learner.
“When you’re a kid, you adapt and adapt fast. Everything comes naturally to you.” Said Rui.
As an academic, Rui went to a computer engineering school and transitioned to a financial school, leaving when he got his BBA. Logic was his strong point, and very early doors he learned that if he didn’t feel passionate or excelled in an activity, a lethargy would creep in, as it would later in life as a poker player.
‘I preferred the years after high school,” said Rui. “It was more fun, because, of course, you have more freedom. You can miss classes when you felt like it, and this fit into my lazy outlook on life.”
There was a reason Rui had a lackadaisical attitude towards school.
Poker.
In his final year, Rui had made $100,000 playing $2/$4 – $5/$10 No-Limit Hold ’em cash games.
“It was a lot of money for sure,” said Rui. “Still, I thought of my bankroll like a score in a video game, and that pushed me to consider pursuing poker as a profession.”
Rui knew that the poker table would be his home. Still, his parents didn’t share his enthusiasm. Rui managed to convince them to allow him to study abroad after his degree, and then spend a year off to try the poker lifestyle, and he took to it like a hummingbird to nectar.
Rui set a goal of making $500,000, playing poker in that first year.
He made a million.
His parents never gave him a hard time after that.
Viva Le France
Rui got into poker through his passion for video gaming where he met a group of poker players known as ‘The Limpers.’ They became his closest confidants. In Rui’s eyes, his alliance with ‘The Limpers’ made him the poker player he is, today.
One of them, Cyril Andre, had this to say about Rui.
“Rui is a truly incredible poker player, whom I’ve learnt so much from. At the poker table, he’s an enjoyable character that gives action and splashes around but remains a killer thanks to his deep understanding of the game.
“I would say what fascinates me the most is how fast, and well, he picks up the game. When people started playing short deck, he quickly became the best player figuring out better strategies on his own.
“I remember that it was quite funny watching him crushing heads up online. People play 4 tables so that while you’re thinking and playing on one table, your opponent is playing another table, and that makes the overall game fast and more enjoyable. If you play Rui on 4 tables, you pretty much always have 4 decisions at the same time. All your tables are beeping asking you to make a decision. He drove his opponents crazy.
“Outside of poker, I love being around him. He’s kind, smart and curious about the world.”
PokerStars and Full Tilt became Rui’s cathedrals, and NLHE and Pot-Limit Omaha (PLO) cash games became his daily prayers. He was a natural, starting with a $50 deposit, and crushing every level like a tank until his sprockets struggled to overcome the hill of $25/$50 NLHE.
It seems Rui’s issues in school had followed him into poker.
“I never worked hard back then, and was just learning by playing,” said Rui. “$25/$50 NLHE was the big jump back then.”
His reaction was pure Rui.
“I remember losing a lot playing $25/$50 NLHE, one day, and so I jumped into $25/$50 PLO without any experience, and got lucky from the start. The PLO players were really much weaker back then, and my natural aggressive style was the good exploit by fortunate coincidence.”
That ‘aggressive’ style became Rui’s trademark.
“Rui plays a very aggressive style; plays fast and is super fun to watch,” said his good friend and mentor Paul Phua.
Jason Koon concurs.
“When I think of Rui as a player, the first word that comes to mind is “fearless”, said Koon. “He plays with a level of intensity that always keeps you guessing and uncomfortable.”
Ego
Back in those days, Rui was obsessed with poker, and over time, as his bank balance swelled, so did his ego.
“The good part of the ego is ambition,” said Rui. “You’re not scared, and you want to try everything. But there’s a bad part of ego; the invincible aspect, that makes you jump into you know, the wrong spots and doing the wrong stuff. And I think it’s good to have a balance of both.
“I am not sure where it comes from, but I have always been a very competitive person. It’s affected me both positively and negatively. It gave me very high confidence, and I was always looking for challenges, I basically tried to beat everyone, and you need to play the best to become one. Even when I struggled against someone, I tried harder every time and was convinced that I could do it. I think this mindset got me to get better, very fast. I traded some short term value to gain long term skill. But it also got me overconfident sometimes, and that made me underestimate some opponents or became too lazy to work on my game.”
The key thing for Rui, today, is he recognizes when his ego is trying to take over his decision-making.
“I guess experience and growing older makes people wise,” said Rui.
Transitioning to Live Poker
In 2011/12, after an incredibly successful online career, Rui moved to the live circuit and Macau.
“At first I was pretty bad because I went from multi-tabling HU PLO where there is action every second to a very slow live full ring NLHE game,” said Cao. “I was not patient enough and struggled to adjust to the pace and played way looser than I should. I remember that some VIP, in the beginning, couldn’t believe that I was a professional poker player.”
It worked out.
Today, Rui plays in the biggest games in the world.
Talking to Cao about his standing in the game, today, he’s proud of his achievements and how he can still hang with the ‘young guns’ in the biggest games in the world. He even cites himself as one of the most fearsome short-deck proponents in the game.
But it’s not easy.
“Staying at the highest level is very tough because everybody is studying a lot and it takes a lot of motivation and work while at the same time your edge and the hourly rate goes down. It’s also in my nature to get lazy.”
If Rui was to give one piece of advice to someone wishing to enter the poker world, what would that be?
“Discipline, for sure,” said Rui. “Even though it was good to be crazy because I learned from my many mistakes, I would have preferred more discipline. Back in the day, I had many people telling me to work more. It was a mistake not to listen to them, but back then it was easier to ignore them because the games were much softer. I learned through playing, and fortunately for me, that’s what I loved to do – play.”
And today?
“It’s funny because, in poker, happiness is linked to short term results,” said Rui. “When I win, I’m thrilled. Then, when I lose, I don’t really like poker that much, and that discontent can leak into other areas of my life. It’s all about expectations, and your viewpoint on reality. If you set your expectations higher than your current reality, then you’re going to end up miserable.”
I never did find out what Rui’s viewpoint on reality was because, in a blink of an eye, he returned to the shadows. Still, I do know from the people I have spoken to about his game that the expectations he sets are very high indeed, and it’s unusual to see him miserable.
Triton Poker has signed a TV deal with FreeSports to showcase coverage of the Triton Million: A Helping Hand For Charity, a £1m buy-in event that took place in London, 2019. FreeSports will spread the Triton Poker love to 22 million homes in the UK through their free-to-air model.
The Triton Poker Super High Roller Series may be on an imposed hiatus, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get your fix of the biggest high-stakes poker tour in the world.
The first of ten episodes will hit UK TV screens on Thursday, October 1 at 10:00 pm, and is available on several UK networks such as Freeview HD channel 64, Sky HD channel 422, Virgin HD 553, TalkTalk 64, and BT Vision channel 64. Additionally, the series will also be available on the FreeSports online player, downloadable at www.freesportsplayer.tv.
The Triton Million remains one of the most innovative and incredible poker tournaments of its time with 54 pros and business people alike creating a £54m prize money, and a £19m first prize, the biggest in the history of the game.
The Triton Million recently broadcast on Canada’s largest sports network TSN, Sport 5 in Israel, and Sport 1 across several Eastern European countries.
As poker players, amateur and pro, we’ve all spent a few orbits in the presence of greatness, but when that presence is Jason Koon, it never really leaves your orbit. Many of us spend our time doing, doing, doing – not Koon. Triton Poker’s Ambassador epitomizes how one should live one’s life, not from the act of finishing your sentences (that’s not his style), but through his sheer ‘being’.
A great man.
A fantastic poker player.
And one day.
A loving father.
And that’s where we’ll begin.
The silhouette that would become Jason Koon first hit a blood-soaked blanket, 35-years-ago, in Charleston, West Virginia. Koon had a tough childhood, beaten by a father bereft of the boyhood love that all of us crave from the XY presence in our life.
“My relationship with my father is non-existent,” said Koon. “I’ve done a lot of work around forgiveness, and I don’t hold resentment in my heart. The experience negatively fuelled me to get to where I am. Anger can be an incredible motivator.”
Koon’s father left when he was aged 8 or 9, a period of his life that he calls ‘chaotic’, but free of mental and physical abuse. His mother moved the family to Lewis County, where he grew up in a small hollow in the mountains, spending hours upon hours figuring out the theme of his life from the middle of a lake.
“We lived in a small farmhouse, the neighbours had chickens and horses, but we weren’t farmers,” said Koon. “As a kid, I used to go to the lake and fish. Despite growing up poor, I never felt freer or happier.”
Swinging and Sprinting
It wouldn’t be long before Koon exchanged the rod for a baseball bat and mitt, and he harboured hopes of playing in the minor leagues. As he grew, Koon developed a turn of speed and joined the track team. Lacking the financial funds needed for college, the track and not baseball became Koon’s likeliest route to a scholarship, and so that’s where his focus turned.
It’s at this time that Koon’s legendary competitiveness shone to the fore. Nobody in his family had ever gone to college, and despite not being turned on by academic success, it was a milestone he wanted, badly.
“I wanted to say I did it,” said Koon.
And he did.
Naturally strong, and athletic, Koon put everything he had into being the finest physical specimen he could be. Still, there was a sacrifice, but also awareness.
“It didn’t occur to me until after uni, how much I respected the liberation that comes with knowledge and thinking,” said Koon. “When that clicked, I started to develop my mind.”
The Hip
The opportunity to develop his mind came during a moment of tragedy. A hip injury meant that Koon couldn’t compete for the first time in his life. Fortunately, for him, his friend turned him to online poker, and the rest, as they say, is history.
“I always felt like I had some value, something bigger than what I was that moment,” said Koon. “That confidence helped me retain the drive to learn and to improve. Going through walls has always been easy for me. Because I have always had it in the back of my mind that I can do it.”
Meeting Bianca
It wasn’t merely his competitiveness and physicality that Koon found on the track – he also found the most important person in his life.
“I met Jason in 2007, my freshman year of college,” said Bianca Armstrong Koon. “I was 18, and Jason 22. We were both attending West Virginia Wesleyan on a track scholarship. My first impression of Jason was that he was a bit intimidating. He was known for getting into altercations at the local bars and could often be spotted walking around campus in a cut-off. It was obvious, Jason was a confident guy with a lot to prove, and he was also very giving.”
Poker
Only, he didn’t have a lot to give.
Koon’s hip problem and college tuition had created a $115,000 hole, but that didn’t deter him. With $7k in his bankroll and a fabled stubborn persistence, Koon quit a job that had the capability of a six-figure annual income to give himself a shot at being a pro poker player.
“I was broke and in debt, but I knew I could make it,” said Koon.
How many of us would have taken the path of least resistance; took the job, and killed our dream.
Not Koon.
“You need the courage to decide what you think is best for you,” said Koon. “You have to value yourself and not rely on the judgment of others. I knew there was a chance I could fail and that people would mock me. I was terrified of that, but not enough to accept it.”
Koon was about to create a new path of least resistance leading to $31.1m in live tournament earnings, and who knows how many millions more playing in the highest stakes cash games in the world.
With the deck beckoning, many factors led to Koon’s success, and one of them was the courage to choose to make his stamp on the world, and not settle for Stud Terkel’s ‘Monday to Friday sort of dying’.
“Many people are happy in that structure,” said Koon. “It’s not a bad thing to be in that spot if you can do it with a smile on your face and feel good about your life. It’s not for me.”
The Grind
After turning his back on convention, Koon stared at the wall that was poker and ran through it. Getting to the top, and staying there takes persistence, drive and a propensity to graft, qualities that Koon has in droves.
“I often find myself overworked, and when that happens, I become tired, and my weaknesses become exposed,” said Koon. “That’s when anger surfaces and stress builds.”
The universe didn’t hand Koon his vicissitude of fortune. He earned it through sheer blood, sweat and hard work, as witnessed by his friends.
“Fortunately for me, Jason and I rarely cross paths at the poker table because we specialise in different games,” said Phil Galfond. “I think part of the reason he has excelled at the game is that he believes if he doesn’t outwork everyone else, he won’t be able to compete at the highest levels. He’s much more naturally gifted than he gives himself credit for, but that attitude has served him very well.”
Ben Tollerene agrees.
“One thing that stands out to me about Jason as a poker player is how insanely competitive he is. He has a level of intensity and effort that is unique to him, and while I think it causes him a lot of pain, due to how often you experience losing in poker, it also makes him great.”
Koon understands the price, but it’s one he’s willing to pay because the opportunity costs of not playing now are too high.
“I want to have kids, and when that happens, everything will slow down,” said Koon. I need the discipline to stick to that idea. I have to make sure that happens. The biggest problem is always working on the balance of letting off the throttle, and working on the damage that I carry.”
Standing Next to Every Great Man
Koon is a talented man, but he’s going to need some help if he wants to be a father, and that’s where we return once more to the person Koon credits as being the most influential person in his career – no, scratch that – in his life.
Bianca.
“When she came into my life she started calling me out on things I didn’t know I was doing wrong. She would say that’s not socially acceptable, cussing, spouting negative energy. She kept me in check, and was so supportive, always making sure I have everything I need.”
Bianca’s value etched in his tournament results. When they met, Koon was known as a fair to middling tournament player with $2.5m in earnings. Today, he is one of the greatest, with more than $31.1m.
The Koon’s friendship blossomed into romance in 2015, when the pair met in Napa with Jason buying Bianca a case of wine, asking her to keep on to it for their’ future anniversaries.’
“He moved into my apartment the next week,” said Bianca. “You get to know someone very quickly living in a 400 sq ft apartment. I learned about Jason’s childhood trauma and how he handled hardship.
“You could see the struggle of someone who worked so hard to succeed at poker; fitness challenges, perfecting nutrition, being a great partner, but couldn’t shake the inner turmoil from his childhood when dealing with his emotions.
“After many long talks, the walls started to come down for Jason. Maybe for the first time, he felt safe. He became less defensive and more aware of how he was reacting to situations.”
Team Koon
While Bianca may be the captain of Team Koon, she is by no means the only member. Koon has surrounded himself with some of the smartest minds on and off the table, and he still pinches himself, today, when he looks around at his compadres.
“I never thought I would get to the level I did in poker,” said Koon. “When I started, I didn’t have the right group around me. Luckily, I found mutual value with the best people and players, developing strong relationships, and over a decade, we’ve all gotten better. Poker is the thing that we all love and dive into, and some of my buddies are the best poker players in the world and much more gifted than me. They’ve put me on their back and pushed me to the level I am at now. It’s surreal.
So how did it happen?
Fate?
Magic?
The Poker Gods?
You’ll find the answer in service.
Service
“I want to create comfort and safety for everyone I care the most about,” said Koon. “I want to impact their lives, so it’s a net positive for everyone, not just financially, not just emotionally. I want to grab the people who have looked after me, and I want us all to move forward together. To be of deep value to the people I am closest with and be in line with what’s best and fulfilling for me.”
Koon’s desire to take care of those who have shown up for him is not a feeling confined to his mind. It shows in his actions and is witnessed by those he loves.
“I would describe him as a man, as a great friend who truly cares about bringing up those around him, truly cares about others around him having success and having a good life,” said Koon’s good friend, Seth Davies. “You’ll hear or sometimes see people who have a lot of jealousy even with their friends even with people they like, but he doesn’t have that at all he truly wants everyone around him to have success and be happy, and he’s not jealous of that.”
“It’s essentially impossible to speak about Jason’s character without sounding like a Hallmark card,” said Phil Galfond. “Beyond the friendly and positive guy everyone sees, he consistently goes out of his way to put other people before himself. He has done 5-10 times as many favours for me as I have for him. I can’t keep up. He’s as caring, supportive and thoughtful a friend as you could hope for.”
“When I think about Jason as a friend: loyal and genuine are the two words that come to mind,” said Ben Tollerene. “He’s always there for his friends in a way that is sincere and lets you know he truly cares about you. He also can bring people together to create memorable, shared experiences. I’ve always appreciated that about him.”
And from the person who’s known him the longest?
“I think Jason’s a completely different person than when I met him in college’ said Bianca. “He has nothing to prove at this point. He prefers to stay out of the public eye: the less flash, the better these days. And I love that! He still radiates intensity, especially when he’s in work mode. He’s also dramatic, and that leads to lots of laughs.
“I admire him for his work ethic and stamina to play the games he plays. He’s great at optimising his entire life. From morning routines to sleep cycles. He has zero leaks and has little time for people that aren’t moving in the same direction.”
He is also an impressive figure when he busts out those old cut-offs.
So what does the future hold for Koon?
“Something shitty happened to me as a kid,” said Koon. “My dad fucked me over in so many ways. So I want to be the full time all in dad. There is a balance that happens in life. Maybe, I would be this lazy, unmotivated spoiled brat if my father had treated me better. Who knows, but what I do know, is I will be a great dad as a result of this.”
