by Mario Alfonsi | Published on Jan 11, 2023 | Updated on Jan 11, 2023
Summary
- Jason Koon has officially won High Stakes Duel III in the absence of a challenger
- Koon will now take home the $1.6 million pot he won against Hellmuth
- Koon is expected to take part in High Stakes Duel IV
After handing Phil Hellmuth his second defeat on High Stakes Duel, it looks like Jason Koon may now take home the $800,000 he won during his match with the Poker Brat as no one is willing to face the GGPoker ambassador to continue the current series of games. This means Koon is now the official winner of High Stakes Duel III.
Koon May Now Cash Out the $1.6M Pot
Koon entered Round 5 of High Stakes Duel III to replace Scott Seiver who backed out of his scheduled rematch with Hellmuth due to personal reasons. Koon had to pay $800,000 to get into the game. The American poker pro proved hard to beat as the Poker Brat ultimately succumbed to his excellent counter-attacks. Koon was the dominant player throughout the game and eventually scooped the $1.6 million pot.
As per the rules of the game, Koon couldn’t withdraw his winnings just yet as he needed to win two more matches consecutively before he could walk away with the money.
It would have been a different story if Hellmuth ended up winning the game – he would have had the option to take home the prize and close out the series of games as the champion. The Poker Brat suffered his second loss on the show at the hands of Koon, however, he was still allowed to compete with him again in a rematch. But he would be required to pay $1.6 million to make it happen, and he declined.
With Hellmuth officially out of High Stakes Duel III, anyone can challenge Koon for Round 6, with the pot growing to $3.2 million. As it transpired, nobody was willing to shell out $1.6 million to face the high-stakes crusher. Hence, Koon, considered one of the best poker players in the world with $42.3 million in live cashes, may now walk away with the $1.6 million prize pool, earning a total profit of $800,000.
Koon Expected to Compete in High Stakes Duel IV
The show must go on as they say, and PokerGO will now be looking for potential participants in High Stakes Duel IV. Jason Koon will likely be one of two players set to open the next series of games. He’ll pay $50,000 as buy-in. Who could his next opponent be? We will have to wait for further announcements from PokerGO.
