"It Has to Matter": Why Jason Koon Is Reshaping His Poker Life
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For more than a decade, Jason Koon has been a fixture at the pinnacle of high-stakes poker. He’s racked up tens of millions in earnings, a place high on the All-Time Money List, and the respect of peers across the globe.
But after nearly 20 years of chasing every edge the game had to offer, Koon is no longer interested in the relentless grind.
Still an Ambassador for the Triton Super High Roller Series and PokerStars, he’s not stepping away, he’s stepping forward with clarity, purpose, and a different kind of edge. One that’s defined not by volume, but by intention.
"I'm not calling it my last tour," he told PokerNews. "But I want to treat it like it is. I want to be excited to play, and I want to have a little humility and also a little appreciation for what I've got to do for the last 18 years."
Koon is still competing at the highest level, but with a deeper awareness of the physical and emotional toll. Time away from his wife, Bianca, and their two young sons weighs heavier now. And with that comes a non-negotiable rule.
"I'm never going to go a week without my family. Regardless of what I have to spend on travel, they're coming with me. If it's over a week, they're coming with me."
He’s also doing something almost unthinkable for a top-tier pro: choosing to play less.
"Whenever I do play, I'll have more intention. That's something that's very big to me. At this stage in my life, whenever I sit down, I want to be intentional about being the best that I can be that day. Just being less attached to things and just overall enjoying myself more.
"When I show up, I hope that you see me at my best."
Precision, Presence, and the Business of Poker
These days, Koon is more selective about where and when he plays, not because his competitive drive has waned, but because the stakes now carry more than financial weight.
"For me, desensitized isn't the right word. Since I got with my wife, I realised I can't just be flinging money around everywhere. Building wealth has been a really big deal to me. So [playing poker] has become a business that my wife and I have become very efficient at running.
"We have large data sets to understand the swings of the game. We have everything budgeted down to a dime. We know how I need to approach every one of these tournaments. That way it isn't me sitting down and putting my bankroll on the table and letting it rip."
"There are very few poker players who have generational wealth, and it takes a ton of discipline and hard work"
Talent is essential. But Koon believes long-term success — real, generational wealth — requires something far less common in poker: operational discipline.
"There are very few poker players who have generational wealth, and it takes a ton of discipline and hard work. There are a ton of talented people who play poker, but most of them are quite bad at running a business. You need to be equally good at running a business if you want to have wealth.
"So I'm very sensitive to what these stakes are, and I'm paying attention to every dollar. But with everything I've done financially and mentally to prepare, whether it's a $1 or a $1,000,000 buy-in tournament, I'm going to play as if it were the same."
That preparation isn’t just financial. It’s also about mental clarity and the importance of staying present, avoiding ego, and protecting his freedom at the table.
"If you look at edges, the edges are small at the highest stakes. There are so many incredible poker players, and indifference can be the biggest factor in someone playing their C game or their A game.
"If you see a person who's sitting there, kind of over it, not wanting to be there. Even if they're the most talented poker player in the world, I'd rather be the guy who's in the zone, having fun and wanting to win. That battle of it mattering enough is very important to me."
Protecting the Game
That focus also fuels his advocacy for a cleaner, more secure game. Koon has become increasingly vocal about poker’s need to evolve, especially in the face of rapidly advancing cheating technology.
"I think we're seeing some things. We're seeing the pitch be changed on the EPT, we're seeing phones being put in a lock box at Triton. There's some stuff happening.
PokerStars Announces Game Integrity Rule Changes
"People don't understand how good the tech is now. There has been a ton of very high-level cheating in private cash games. People cover that stuff up because they don't want their game to die, or they don't want others to think their game is being cheated. I'd love to see implementations come in before we learn the hard way. I worry that it's going to take an event of a person having RTA in a pair of sunglasses for something to drastically change."
"And anywhere there's a lot of money to be made, there's going to be cheating, and the cheating is going to be advanced"
"It's not necessarily about being paranoid, but you need to assume that if there's a possibility of it happening, someone's going to try and do it. And anywhere there's a lot of money to be made, there's going to be cheating, and the cheating is going to be advanced."
Legacy, Family, and What Comes Next
These days, the hours away from the table are often the ones that matter most to Koon. His sons — now three and a half and almost two — are at the center of his world.
"My boys are three and a half and 22 months old. Rather than keeping a journal, I've been writing them an email every day of what's happening in my life. So in 16 years, I’ll give them the email addresses. It's a nice way for me to check in with my boys and also kind of get some stuff off my chest."
He's not chasing bracelets or rankings — just excellence, peace of mind, and time well spent.
"At this point, I think that the money will stack up for me, even if my volume is way lower, if I'm just coming in and just giving it my all. And I can't do that if I play every day, it's impossible. And I'd go nuts as well!"
"I'll be turning 40 in August, so that's kind of a wild number. I can't believe it. I still feel like a kid."
"...there's not much I want changed in my life. My life is perfect"
With an eye on the World Series of Poker, which gets underway next week, Koon is already dreaming of mid-July, when he can hopefully enjoy some rest after a pivotal few months of poker.
"That time of the year is really great because I've put in the work, and the WSOP is coming to an end, so I'll be able to take a month and just get outside with my kids. We're going to try to go up in the mountains, probably in Tahoe, and spend most of July there."
But before then, there is the small matter of the WSOP, and sometimes the old-school poker player shines through.
"Winning a bracelet would be great. To win the $250,000 [bracelet] would be pretty sweet. But there's not much I want changed in my life. My life is perfect."
Pictures courtesy of Triton Super High Roller Series
