Jason Koon Enters Poker Hall of Fame
The Weston native became the 34th living member after a career that topped $77 million in live earnings and stretched from West Virginia Wesleyan to Triton and WSOP titles.
Jason Koon, the Weston native with a long poker résumé, has been inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame. The Hall called him its 34th living member, and the honor came after he reached more than $77 million in live tournament earnings and climbed to third on poker’s all-time money list.
According to the World Series of Poker, Koon got in in his first year of eligibility after turning 40. The Hall’s 2026 voting format allowed multiple nominees to be inducted if they won support from at least two-thirds of the living Hall members, and Koon was the only candidate to clear the 22-vote threshold.
The Hall is reserved for players whose careers have made a lasting impact on the game. PokerNews reported that Koon was welcomed into the Hall on Aug. 3 at Horseshoe & Paris Las Vegas, the same day the 2026 WSOP Main Event final table got underway.
Koon’s path started in Lewis County. He grew up in Weston, attended Lewis County High School, and then went on to West Virginia Wesleyan College, where he was a sprinter before a college injury changed his path.
That injury pushed him toward poker, starting online before his live-event career took off. His early breakout results included a 2009 SCOOP win for more than $300,000, a fourth-place finish at WPT Festa Al Lago in 2010 for $225,680, and a three-way chop of a massive 2011 FTOPS event for $458,550.
From there, the results kept stacking up. PokerNews tracked wins in 2015, 2016, and 2017, including the $50,000 L.A. Poker Classic Turbo High Roller, Bellagio High Roller VII, the Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open Championship, and the $100,000 PokerStars Championship Super High Roller for $1.65 million. He moved into Triton Poker in 2018 and eventually became the series’ most successful player, according to the outlet, and a Triton ambassador.
His résumé also includes a 2020 Poker Masters Online win, a first WSOP bracelet in 2021, and a second in 2025 when he took the $50,000 No-Limit Hold’em High Roller for $1,968,927. In April 2022, he logged seven cashes at Triton Cyprus, all six-figure scores, and in May 2025, double Triton victories in Montenegro took him to 12 titles.
This year, he added a €100,000 EPT High Rollers Invitational Freezeout win in Monte Carlo for $1,173,378, plus a fifth-place finish in the $250,000 No-Limit Hold’em Super High Roller at the WSOP.
Speaking to WOWK, Koon said the Hall news was “a little bit of a shock.” He also said West Virginia remains very important to him, even though he has not lived in the state since college.
Koon said he gets back to West Virginia as often as he can. He also helped raise $26,000 for flood recovery in Lewis and Upshur counties, and after the induction he said he plans to keep focusing on being a father and on the game he loves.
