If Jason Koon isn’t a first-ballot Poker Hall of Famer, then no one is
Vote for Jason Koon to join the Poker Hall of Fame
The Poker Hall of Fame doesn’t stand a chance.
This is Jason Koon we’re talking about. “JAKoon1985”. “NovaSky”. The guy with the most relentless mindset in poker history. The guy with $76.8 million in live earnings and millions more won online. The guy who isn’t going to stop.
From the second Koon set his mind on becoming one of the worldās best poker players, the fight was over. He will become a member of poker’s most exclusive club, it’s just a matter of when. And it won’t be down to destiny, or luck, or a popularity contest. It will be the result of that relentless mindset, which refuses to compromise on effort or accept any other outcome.
That’s why we suggest those counting votes at the hallowed Hall, and you sitting at home with the power to vote, get it over with now. Let’s get Koon inducted into the Hall in his first eligible year.
Vote for Jason Koon to be inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame.
20 years ago I made my first trip to Vegas. I saw the legends in the Poker Hall of Fame and dreamed joining them one day. I'm 40 now and finally eligible. It's up to the fans to decide who the 8 nominees are. If you think I belong, I'd appreciate your vote.ā¦
— Jason Koon (@JasonKoon) June 13, 2026
NO BOX UNTICKED
āThings in life oftentimes donāt feel like I have a choice,ā Koon told us in this 2025 interview. āItās just like, Iām going to be this thing.ā
Born in West Virginia, Jason went to West Virginia Wesleyan College in Buckhannon and graduated with a masterās in Business Administration and Finance. It was during his time at college that he started to study poker.
It didnāt take him long to make his mark on the felt. By 2009, he won a Spring Championship of Online Poker (SCOOP) tournament for more than $300,000 in prize money.
In 2010, he remembers making a list of goals on a vision board. Next to goals like āBe a better friendā and āBe a better sonā were dreams like āBuy my mum a houseā, āOwn a vacation home in the mountainsā, and, when it came to poker, āWin a World Series of Poker bracelet.ā
All of those dreams have become a reality.Ā
Vote for Jason Koon to join the Poker Hall of Fame
There’s no area of poker that Koon hasn’t mastered and dominated. Huge online tournaments–check. Live events with massive fields–check. The biggest cash games on the planet–check. The most expensive super high roller tournaments in the world–check. Even games outside of no limit hold’em aren’t safe, with Koon crushing Short Deck (6+) and PLO for years.
He’s not only universally respected by his peers, he’s also well-liked by them, too.
And now he’s a PokerStars Ambassador, representing the site where he launched his career back in the 2000s.
The man has done it all. He’s battled against the best, across multiple decades, and shows no signs of coming down from the top of the mountain any time soon.
āI highly recommend people think about the story that they want their life to become,ā Koon said. āNot even just in a poker tournament or a poker session, but just zoom out and see yourself and what you want in your life, then really imagine it happening for you.ā
Koon is dreaming of joining his poker heroes in the Hall of Fame, and one day, hopefully very soon, he’ll no longer have to imagine what that’s like.
LISTEN TO HIS PEERS
Jason Koon belongs in the Poker Hall of Fame, full stop. But you don’t have to take our word for it.
Just look at the outpouring of support he’s received from the likes of Erik Seidel, Seth Davies, and Garrett Adelstein.
HOF needs Jason more than Jason needs HOF. Absolute legend https://t.co/Jjgtt08wI9
— Erik Seidel (@Erik_Seidel) June 13, 2026
If Jason doesnāt belong in the Poker Hall of Fame I canāt imagine anyone who does. Get in there are cast your vote for him! https://t.co/qa1OcRjP23
— Seth Davies (@Sdavies22) June 13, 2026
Done. Under āreasons why,ā I wrote:
Because heās the best, obviously. And the hardest worker. And he has an hell of a story/background to have arrived at the pinnacle of his profession. Oh, heās also an incredible ambassador for poker.
— Garrett Adelstein (@GmanPoker) June 13, 2026
Vote for Jason Koon to be inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame.
FURTHER READING
Koon tops ātoughest line-up imaginableā toĀ win ā¬1M Invitational at EPT Monte Carlo
Jason Koon called it the ‘toughest line-up imaginable’. Nine players, one winner-takes-all ā¬1M prize at EPT Monte Carlo.
Visualising victory: InsideĀ Jason Koonās relentless mindset
We caught up with the PokerStars Ambassador in 2025, not long after he took down his second bracelet at the World Series of Poker, to discuss how visualising success has helped him achieve his goals, and why he feels he has no choice but to be the best.
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