Seat 6: Jason Koon -- 1,646,000
Leading the way into the final table is Jason Koon with 1.646 million in chips. He's not too far ahead of the 1.53 million for Jonathan Duhamel, but he is the man to catch.
On January 3, Koon tweeted, "Headed to the Bahamas on Friday for PCA. Aussie Millions after that and then to Cyprus. EPT's, WPT's, and WSOP Follow. '12 is my year. Leggo." So far, so good for his 2012, as it's kicked off with a bang making this elite final table.
Koon, 26, is no stranger to big buy-in events, but he's never cashed in anything above a $10,000 buy-in (which is still pretty hefty). Since 2008 Koon has been grinding the tournament circuit, racking up $427,251 of prize money in the process. His largest live score came in October of 2010 when he placed fourth in the World Poker Tour Festa Al Lago at the Bellagio in Las Vegas for $225,680. Koon and the other seven players have locked up a minimum of $108,780 for making this final table, meaning he'll be adding plenty more to those lifetime tournament earnings.
Originally from Weston, West Virginia, Koon now resides in Las Vegas, Nevada.