Champion Jason Koon!

It was past 1 a.m. on the final night of a long and draining stop on the Triton Poker Super High Roller Series. But this amazing festival in Montenegro, full of dramatic winners from the ranks of poker's absolute elite, still had one more blockbuster story to tell.

In the closing tournament — a $30K PLO Bounty Quattro event, which is usually just an excuse for some tired poker players to let off steam — two good friends played heads up for the title.

The killer point was that they were named Jason Koon and Seth Davies, two players who could have busted this tournament on the very first hand and still looked back on the past two weeks with enormous pride.

Jason Koon and Seth Davies heads up for the title

Davies won his first Triton title, finished second in another event, and boosted his bankroll by more than $5.5 million. Koon, meanwhile, had already played another of his best friends heads up en route to his 11th career Triton win. He was now aiming for title No 12.

And here were those two titans once again. Who was going to make it two from this spectacular trip?

You already know the answer. Of course you do. Everyone in world poker is already well versed in this drill: Jason Koon won yet another Triton Poker title. It's a perfect dozen for this peerless performer.

The title here came with a prize of $305,176, plus $80,000 in bounties. (The somewhat strange amount came about after an ICM chop heads-up with Davies.)

"All that winning wears you out!" Koon joked with Ali Nejad in his winner's interview, discussing how tiring, but how gratifying, these Triton stops can be. "Everyone here is beat."

Seth Davies and Ben Tollerene join Jason Koon for a winner's photo

Referring to a tournament in which players drink wine and crack jokes as the finishing line comes into sight, Koon said, "It's so hard to keep it together in this tournament. Two weeks of this stuff melts your brain."

But beneath the bluster, Koon was characteristically focused and typically ruthless, dispatching the great and the good until it was just him and his buddy Davies left. "I definitely don't take it for granted," Koon said. "My goal is to keep myself in check, make sure I'm enjoying playing...The past couple of years I've made a huge effort just to sit here and embrace."

Surrounded by friends, at the table and watching from the tournament room, there's still a lot to come from this incredible player.

"I feel really positive about what's in front," Koon said.

TOURNAMENT ACTION

In keeping with the last-day-of-school vibe, the closing turbo event was played in good spirits and with a devil-may-care attitude. Some players were stuck, others had enjoyed a very profitable trip. But everyone fired at the final event with the same carefree abandon, fuelled by some high quality wine that found its way to the tables.

Phil Ivey bubbled. It was the second time he'd fallen one short on this trip. But it meant that as the last eight jostled for the seven seats at the final, they at least knew they were in the black. Santhosh Suvarna hit the rail in eighth, but took $41,000 from the main prize pool, plus $40,000 for having previously knocked out Dan Dvoress.

Another bubble for Phil Ivey

It was in some ways surprising that Dvoress wasn't at the final, but there was still a familiar line-up who settled down to play it out.

Final table line-up:

Jason Koon - 2,685,000 (54 BBs)

Artur Martirosian - 1,735,000 (35 BBs)

Nacho Barbero - 1,390,000 (28 BBs)

Gergo Nagy - 1,390,000 (28 BBs)

Jonas Kronwitter - 1,150,000 (23 BBs)

Andrew Leathem - 940,000 (19 BBs)

Seth Davies - 910,000 (18 BBs)

Triton Montenegro Event 17 final table players (clockwise from back left): Andrew Leathem, Artur Martirosian, Jonas Kronwitter, Seth Davies, Jason Koon, Gergo Nagy, Nacho Barbero

Three of those seven had already won a title on this trip. Martirosian, who hadn't, had cashed eight times here and had finished both second and third. But the tone that was set early in this final made it abundantly clear: this was anyone's game.

There were three called all-ins in the opening 15 minutes or so, including two three-ways collisions. But nobody bust. Nacho Barbero was sliced down to four big blinds but then rebounded close to the average stack.

As the levels went up, the average slid to around 20 big blind and then, finally, we lost one. And it was Martirosian who went crashing out.

Despite coming to the final table second in chips, Martirosian's zig-zagging graph bottomed out after a pot against Koon. It was a single raised pot, then the money went in after a flop of 3K10. Koon had top pair and a flush draw with KJ62. Martirosian had a wrap and middle pair with 3K10.

The K turn strengthened Koon's grip. The 5 river settled it. Martirosian added another $52,000 from the main prize pool, plus $120,000 in bounties. It's been a fine trip for him.

Artur Martirosian's profitable trip to Montenegro ends

In the next significant action, Barbero doubled up again through Koon. And he was soon a big favourite to win another huge pot that might have even put him into the chip lead.

It was against Kronwitter, and Barbero's whole stack was in behind AAJ3. Kronwitter had AQK3. Kronwitter stood up to watch the dealer put the 7104 on the felt. He rubbed his hands with glee. The 8 turn didn't help him, but the 8 did.

The flush sent Barbero heading to the rail. "I got it in with 80 percent," he muttered. But it wasn't enough at this final. He took $64,000 for sixth, and had to settle for just the one title this time around.

Eighty percent not good enough for Nacho Barbero

Barbero won his first Triton title on the tour's sole trip to Vietnam, and that was a destination that Andrew Leathem will remember fondly too. The Scot has only been a sporadic visitor to the series, but he won a title in a $25K turbo in Hoi An as well. Until today, it was his only Triton cash.

But Leathem was now back at a final, in another turbo, and had made it all the way to fifth. That was until he too ran into Kronwitter. This time the best hand -- AKK10 -- held up against the under-pair -- AQQ2. (Only just, mind you. Leathem turned a queen, but Kronwitter rivered a straight.)

Kronwitter won another bounty as Leathem cashed for $83,000.

A second career Triton cash for Andrew Leathem

Kronwitter was crushing at this point, but very soon he was crushed. Koon doubled through him to reclaim the lead, and then Gergo Nagy also doubled, with AQA10 beating AK7J. It looked for as moment as though Kronwitter had bust, but he was given a lifeline by the dealer's count, which established he had two blinds left. Nagy was made to wait for the bounty.

It did only take two more hands, however. Nagy got his man, and the $60K bounty, by cracking Kronwitter's jacks when he rivered a straight holding AK87.

No more Jonas Kronwitter

Seth Davies had had the short stack throughout the final, and he was still short when the tournament was three-handed. He doubled his six blind stack through Nagy, then did the same thing again to leave all three stacks very close once more. After a break, Nagy and Koon had 25 blinds apiece and Davies had 19.

There were now only six hands per level, so things were going to get frantic very quickly again.

Davies won the first hand to move into the lead. And he continued to apply the pressure on Nagy in particular, which left the Hungarian former PLO champion with only six blinds. Nagy couldn't hold on and lost the last with A465 to Davies' J32J. Nagy won $141,000 plus another $80,000 in bounties.

Gergo Nagy couldn't stop Koon and Davies

"I get to play heads up against my friend again," Koon said, as he prepared to square off against Davies. One of them would win their second title of the trip.

They immediately agreed an ICM chop, with the two remaining bounties also coming into the calculations. Davies would take $296,824 and Koon would get $288,176. There was $17,000 to play for.

Players agree an ICM chop

The first major hand looked certain to end it. Davies flopped best, but Koon rivered a chop.

The second big hand ended with a double for Koon, when QQJ2 held against AQ86. Now Koon had 29 blinds to Davies 12.

"I just want to play," Koon said.

But that ambition didn't last long.

They got the chips in one more time and Koon had A765 to Davies' AJ109. If it looked like a fair fight at this point, the flop of 258 swang it very decisively towards Koon.

Davies picked up some hope on the 7 turn, but the K sealed yet another sensational win for Jason Koon.

This pair once played heads up in a $5,000 buy-in event in Florida, but 10 years later are regs on the biggest tour on the planet. What a decade for these two, and for everyone at Triton Poker. And it's only going to get better from here.

See you in Jeju!