Jason Koon Wins Ninth Triton Title to Close Out Record-Breaking London Series

The final four events brought the Triton Poker Series to a conclusion in dramatic fashion as Danny Tang, Phil Ivey, Wai Kin Yong and Jason Koon won events. For Koon, it was a record-extending ninth win as the West Virginian bagged a second win of the London festival. The Triton Poker Series has almost been the American’s personal playground, and in winning the top prize of $828,000, he overtook Daniel Negreanu on the all-time money list.

Danny Tang Wins Fourth Triton Title

A busy final No Limit Hold’em event of the Triton Poker Series in London saw Danny Tang win his fourth Triton title in superb form, netting a whopping $1.6 million top prize as he beat Brazilian Bruno Volkmann to the title heads-up. With just 17 players making the money, players such as Steve O’Dwyer and Nick Petrangelo snuck into profit for a min-cash return of $100,000, before others fell before the final table, such as Cary Katz (13^th for $114,500) and Timothy Adams, who could only add $130,400 for a 10^th place finish to his incredible Main Event victory.

When the final table began, there were two homegrown players hoping to win for the home crowd in England’s capital, but they were both disappointed. Elior Sion (9^th for $159,000) and Lewis Spencer (8^th for $213,000) busted in short order, and they were followed from the felt by all-time money list top ten player Mikita Badziakouski in seventh for $283,000.

After Sean Winter’s exit in sixth place for $370,200, Jason Koon was the last surviving American. Koon, who won a record-breaking eighth Triton title earlier in the series, was unable to build on earlier momentum, however, and slid out of contention in a disappointing fourth place for $582,000 when his A♦8♦ was dominated by Tang’s A♠K♠.

Into the podium places, Austrian player and Pokercode co-founder Matthias Eibinger won $703,000 when his short stack of seven big blinds went into the middle with A♣K♥. Eibinger’s shove was called by Bruno Volkmann, whose Q♥6♥ rivered a straight to win the day and send play heads-up. Danny Tang had a better than 3:1 chip lead, and on a board showing 7♦3♠3♣4♠2♥, Volkmann bluff-shoved with just 5♣2♦ but thos blockers to the straight mattered not, because Tang had it with A♥5♦ and he called to become champion.

“All of the support means a lot you know,” Tang told presenter Ali Nejad after victory. “I really enjoy this part of it. Brazil that side, Asia this side. I’m just blessed to have these good friends. We can all improve together. I’ve maybe improved a bit; playing with these guys every day you’re going to improve.”

With four Triton victories and a heap of momentum, perhaps Tang is the man closest to Jason Koon’s own pursuit of glory as the months and years approach, because one thing is for sure, with attendances like this, the Triton Poker Series is going to dominate the high roller scene for years to come around the world.

Brewer Has Close Call in Short Deck Debut

The first of two Short Deck poker tournaments to end this year’s Triton Poker Series London saw Malaysian player Wai Kin Yong slay the opposition, winning $350,000 in the process. The event had a great turnout, with 37 entries and 13 re-entries completing a 50-strong total field and prizepool of over a million dollars. Seven players cashed, with Stephen Chidwick sneaking into the money when the first hand at the final table saw him lose with pocket jacks to Paul Phua’s K♠Q♣.

The Malaysian businessman and poker hero Phua may have won that hand with the two overcards, but the same fate he handed to Chidwick soon befell him. All-in with pocket tens, he lost the majority of his stack to Sam Greenwood’s Q♠J♥, before a final pile of chips went the way of Frenchman Karl Chappe-Gatien despite Phua dominating with K♣Q♠ shot down by Chappe-Gatien’s K♠J♦.

After an exit for Isaac Haxton (5^th for $94,300), both Greenwood (4^th for $122,000) and Chappe-Gatien (3^rd for $161,000) crashed out, as Brewer and Yong clashed heads-up. Yong had a 3:1 lead and made it count, despite an early double-up for the American. Eventually, while still ahead, Yong got it in good with pocket queens ahead of Brewer’s pocket jacks and held, confirming victory and his second Triton title, four years after winning in London before when he took down the 2019 Main Event.

Jason Koon Wins Final Triton Event for Record Ninth Title

American poker superhero Jason Koon won his ninth Triton Poker Series title on Thursday as he crushed the $60,000 buy-in Short Deck event, winning $828,000 in the process. In what was another astonishing victory for Koon, there was drama way before the final table as 10-time WSOP bracelet winner Phil Ivey ran directly into quads.

The final table was eight-handed in this event, and there was a quick bust-out for Canadian player Daniel Dvoress, who having finished as runner-up in an earlier PLO event this series , crashed out in eighth place for $111,000 this time. His exit was followed by players such as Japanese player Masashi Oya ($140,700), previous event winner Wai Kin Yong ($176,700) and Chris Brewer ($226,300) all losing their way, before the Chinese player Tan Xuan ($292,500) left in fourth place after Koon scored an outrageous one-outer to survive.

Three-handed, Lun Loon scored $386,800 for Malaysia when he lost with A♣J♠ to Wai Kiat Lee’s A♠K♣, and that left only Koon, who held a marginal lead over his final opponent. Koon made that count to capture his latest Triton title, putting him up to $51.2 million in lifetime earnings, elevating him to fourth place on the all-time money list ahead of Daniel Negreanu with $50.7 million.

“Honestly, I don’t think I’ve ever one-outered anyone in a tournament,” Koon said after the incredible ending to his latest title-winning tournament. “I just accepted my fate and got up. I played one of the best short deck players in the world heads-up. There was a three-or-four year span when I was off the grid playing the biggest short deck games in the world; I don’t think that it’s just pure luck I’ve won four short-deck titles.”

After winning his record-extending ninth Triton Poker Series event, Koon’s victory guaranteed him yet more notoriety in an event series he has been dominating throughout the past 12 months. While Phil Ivey would mop up a turbo Short Deck Event #17 for a quarter of a million dollars to put himself onto five Triton titles, Koon’s nine is an incredibly high benchmark for others to chase.

This article originally appeared on PokerStake.com