Jason Koon has won yet another major title amid emotional scenes as the West Virginian poker professional sealed the Triton Poker Series Main Event in Cyprus for $2.45 million. Koon, who latest result seals his place in the top five on the all-time money list, has enjoyed a remarkable few years and his star continues to rise after this latest victory.

Over 100 Entries Buy-In for $100,000

It reflects extremely positively on the poker industry that 101 entries – including 36 re-entries – went into the prizepool of the $100,000-entry Triton Poker Series Main Event in Northern Cyprus. That prizepool of just over $10 million paid out 15 players, but several of those didn’t make the final table of nine.

Chris Brewer min-cashed for $175,000 in 15^th place, and he was joined in making that amount by Wai Kat Lee (14^th), with Fedor Holz (13^th) and Michael Addamo (12^th) both taking home $190,000. Hot streak player Nacho Barbero ended his event in 11^th, before Aleks Ponakovs bubbled the final table in 10^th place, with both men taking home $215,000 for their efforts.

As the final table began, the average stack was less than 30 big blinds, with the Danish player Henrick Hecklen leading the way on 55 big blinds. The first player to leave the action at the final table was the Russian player Viacheslav Buldygin, who began the final with 37 big blinds, near the top of the leaderboard, but slithered down the pecking order and eventually fell with A♥9♠ to Jason Koon’s K♠Q♦ after a board of Q♠3♥2♦5♥ led only to a river hope of a wheel that was dashed. Buldygin cashed for $263,000.

Watson and Winter See Hopes of Title Ended

A busy period in the middle of the final table took care of several superstars’ hopes of becoming champion. Stephen Chidwick was the player who departed in eight place for $358,500, as his A♣7♣ lost to Steve O’Dwyer’s J♥9♥ after the former shoved on the flop of 9♦7♦4♥ and could find no help on turn or river.

Chidwick’s elimination was swiftly followed by that of Mike Watson, who busted with pocket sevens, his coinflip going against him when Hecklen’s A♣J♣ hit a jack on the turn to send the Canadian home with $469,500. Watson was soon joined on the rail by Sean Winter, as his fellow American Koon’s A♥10♦ started Winter’s concluding hand ahead of his 8♦4♥ and ended there too. Winter left in sixth place for $595,000.

O’Dwyer Beaten, Greenwood Agrees Deal

With five players remaining, a disagreement broke out between the eventual winner Koon and Dan ‘Cowboy’ Smith on a point of poker etiquette. As the table rallied, Winter suggesting that everyone tried a cocktail to ameliorate the situation, Smith moved all-in with A♥Q♦. Koon snap-called with pocket tens for 10 big blinds and that proved a good decision, with the board running dry and Smith making his way from the table to the cash desk to collect $762,000.

Hecklen, having led at the start of the nine-handed final table, lasted only a little longer. He was unlucky to be busted, too, all-in with pocket queens, and called by Koon with only A♦Q♦. The board was cruel to the friendly Danish player as an ace in the window saw Koon overtake Hecklen and send him home for $946,000 in fourth place.

O’Dwyer had doubled through Koon to give himself a chance, but just as it seemed possible that he was back in contention, his whole stack went to the chip leader. O’Dwyer lost to Koon’s straight and slid out in third for the first seven-figure score of the evening, $1,171,000. That gave Koon a significant lead heading into the final duel and he put it to good use.

Heads-up, Koon’s stack of 80 big blinds dwarfed Greenwood’s 21 big blinds, but despite that disparity, both players were keen to do an ICM deal, leaving just 10% of the remainder of the prizepool to play for. That was quickly agreed upon, with Koon taking $2,367,082 and Greenwood banking $1,923,918.

Koon Seals the Deal

Play went on, but not for long as Koon won in the very first hand, his Q♠10♦ triumphing against Greenwood’s A♦K♣ when a queen landed on the flop to produce the winner.

Upon victory, Koon broke down in tears at the magnitude of his achievement in these stunning photos for Triton shared on Twitter by the photographer, the legendary Joe Giron.

With yet another major title, Jason Koon is now well clear of Erik Seidel in the all-time money list, with Seidel’s career record of $42.9 million in cashes now over $4.5 million behind Koon’s own score of $47.3 million. Koon still sits some way behind the overall leader, Justin Bonomo with $61.2 million but on this form, who would lay Koon getting closer to that number over the summer?

This article originally appeared on PokerStake.com