One year and one day after Jason Koon won his record-extending 12th Triton Poker victory, the tour’s all-time titles leader found himself heads-up for yet another trident trophy. Koon and UK pot-limit Omaha specialist Richard Gryko were the only two remaining from a field of 59 entries in the $75,000 PLO six-max event at the 2026 Triton Super High Roller Series Montenegro presented by CoinPoker. While Koon came into the final battle with the lead, it was ultimately Gryko who emerged victorious this time around. The 41-year-old secured $1,243,000 and his second Triton title as the champion.
This fell just shy of a new top score for Gryko. His largest payday remains the $1,270,000 he earned with a runner-up finish in a $100,000 PLO event at this year’s Triton Jeju festival. With this latest victory, Gryko’s earnings now sit at just shy of $10 million.
Gryko’s previous Triton win came at this same venue in 2025. He took down a $50,000 six-max PLO event for $884,000.
“What keeps me coming back is it’s just so much fun, apart from anything else,” Gryko told Triton staff after this triumph. “You try and make money obviously, but it’s just so much fun to be in these rooms with these people and play this game.”
In addition to the hardware and the money, Gryko also secured 510 Card Player Player of the Year points with this win. His 1,536 total points currently place him within striking distance of the top 100.
Bubble Drags On Before A Bustout Bonanza In The Money
The solid turnout to Maestral Resort & Casino for this event created a prize pool of $4,425,000. Registration closed at the start of the second and final day, and not long after that the money bubble arrived. It would take several hours for said bubble to burst. During that time, Koon pulled off a huge bluff with key blockers, forcing Gryko off of a full house on the river. That coup helped establish Koon as the chip leader and primary aggressor for much of the lengthy bubble period.
Who blinks first?@JasonKoon and Richard Gryko get caught in a high-stakes game of chicken. pic.twitter.com/c0B3u75EMA
— Triton Poker (@tritonpoker) May 28, 2026
After a handful of double-ups for the short stacks, four-time Triton winner Artur Martirosian was ultimately eliminated on the bubble after 9♦8♥7♦2♣ lost to A♣8♣7♥5♥ for Cesar Garcia. The chips went in preflop and the board came down 10♥6♦4♥J♦10♣ to send Martirosian to the rail empty-handed.
He was soon joined by Poker Hall of Famer Patrik Antonius (10th – $115,000), six-time Triton champion Punnat Punsri (9th – $136,000), Espen Myrmo (8th – $191,500), and Benjamin Tollerene (7th – $191,500). The latter two were eliminated simultaneously on two separate tables and thus split the prize money from the seventh and eighth-place prizes. With that, the final table was set.
Koon was the chip leader with just shy of 70 big blinds heading into six-handed action. Chan Wai Leong was the first to fall at the final table, with his K♥K♦10♣8♠ running into the A♠A♦Q♠Q♦ of seven-time Triton champion Michael Watson. The A♥J♦3♥2♦4♥ runout gave Watson top set and the pot, ending Chan’s tournament in sixth place ($274,000).
From Five To Two
That knockout moved Watson within a handful of big blinds of the chip lead, but he soon lost a sizable pot with a pair, gutshot, and a flush draw against the set of kings and high flush draw of Koon. Watson added a second gutshot on the turn, but whiffed on the river. Action checked through, but Koon took down the hefty pile of chips to pull further away from the pack.
The next knockout saw Denmark’s Martin Dam get all-in on a 9♣4♦3♥ flop with 9♠8♥6♦3♣ leading the K♦K♣J♠9♦ of Garcia. The 10♣ turn kept Dam ahead, but the J♣ river gave Garcia jacks up and the pot. Dam earned $354,000 as the fifth-place finisher.
Gryko doubled up through Koon during four-handed play to edge into the chip lead. Later on, Koon got involved in a massive pot that pitted his A♠10♥7♠5♥ against the A♦A♣8♣3♦ of Watson. The 10♣7♦2♠6♥10♠ runout gave Koon tens full and the knockout. Watson, who had already won two titles this festival to bring his trident trophy count to seven, settled for $448,000 in this event. Watson has been on fire this festival, cashing for over $2.7 million across six final-table finishes, with two titles earned along the way. The Canadian now boasts nearly $40.7 million in career cashes, and has surged into 14th place in the 2026 POY ranks thanks to his impressive streak in Montenegro.
Koon struck again when the chips went in on a flop of K♣10♠7♠ with him holding A♠K♥J♣3♠ facing Q♦10♦9♥8♣ for Garcia. The 4♠ turn gave Koon the nut flush and the knockout, rendering the J♥ river a mere formality. Garcia earned $593,000 as the third-place finisher, growing the Spanish PLO specialist’s career haul to over $5.2 million.
Gryko Comes From Behind To Seal The Win
The final heads-up battle began with Koon holding 8,650,000 to the 3,150,000 of Gryko. The two played a big pot early, with Gryko limp-reraising with A♠10♠10♣3♦ from the button and flopping top set. Koon check-folded the 10♦6♦4♠ flop with K♥Q♣2♥2♣, but still lost a healthy chunk of his stack after raise-calling preflop.
A few hands later, Gryko overtook the lead when he jammed over a pot-sized bluff on the 10♥9♥7♠2♦ board with K♠K♥10♣7♦. Koon folded his J♣6♣3♣2♥ and Gryko surged ahead.
The final hand of the tournament began with Koon raising to 450,000 from the button with A♣10♣3♠2♠. Gryko called the 3x raise with J♦9♣5♣5♠ and the flop came down A♠10♥5♥ to hit both players. A check from Gryko and his set of fives prompted Koon to fire 600,000 with his aces and tens and a gutshot to the wheel. Gryko check-raised the pot and Koon moved all-in for 4,400,000 total. Gryko quickly called and the turn brought the 8♥. That left Koon in need of an ace, ten, or four going into the river. The 2♦ rolled off instead, ending Koon’s latest deep run on this tour in second place.
The American tournament superstar earned $879,000 for his seventh cash and sixth final-table finish of the festival. He now has $76,466,913 in career earnings, adding over $2.6 million during this stop alone. The 40-year-old professional player remains in third place on poker’s all-time money list, trailing only Bryn Kenney ($86.2 million) and Stephen Chidwick ($79.7 million).
Koon also secured 435 POY points. This was his 10th final-table finish of 2026. With 2,876 points, he is now sitting in 20th place in the overall standings.
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Payout | POY Points |
| 1 | Richard Gryko | $1,243,000 | 510 |
| 2 | Jason Koon | $879,000 | 425 |
| 3 | Cesar Garcia | $593,000 | 340 |
| 4 | Michael Watson | $448,000 | 255 |
| 5 | Martin Dam | $354,000 | 213 |
| 6 | Wai Leong Chan | $274,000 | 170 |
Photo credit: Triton Poker.
