Pro poker player Jason Koon has made it into third on the all-time money list with his latest $50,000 high-roller win.
This comes as Koon wins the biggest prize of the summer so far, a whopping $1,968,927 payout on the $50,000 game. He came out on top of 171 entries in the game, claiming his second World Series of Poker bracelet.
Among those 171 competitors, Koon went up against long-term friends and opponents, including Andrew Lichtenberger and third-place finisher Ben Tollerene.
“The challenges of playing against them is they’re the best players in the world,” he told Poker News. “It’s hot, it’s bright, the pressure is high, the stakes are high. But Ben and I have just been soaking it in.”
The June 11 win pushes Koon past Justin Bonomo on the all-time money list, the collection of poker’s biggest earners, giving him third place as he hits a staggering $66 million in career-long earnings.
“I’ve dedicated my entire life to being very good at this game,” Koon said. “Every person in here is trying to win. It’s not like these guys have been around for two or three years. You’re talking to guys who have multiple decades of resumes and somehow we’re still here and we’re playing the biggest game and winning. It’s amazing.”
Jason Koon pays tribute to his wifeKoon made the most of his moment in the spotlight to pay tribute to his wife, who he credits as making it “all possible”, after winning title after title in his years in the game.
“It’s all possible because of her,” the pro poker player said. “Stumbling home at 1am after bagging to wake up and help me get ready and not expect much from me.
“On days when poker is slow for me, I am all in as being a dad and try to pick up the slack the best that I can. But without her, I couldn’t do any of this.”
Featured image: Flickr, licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0
The post Pro poker player Jason Koon hits third on all-time money list with nearly $2ml win appeared first on ReadWrite.