Jon was born in Philadelphia, PA on August 2, 1974 and grew up in Houston, TX with his sister Lorin, mother Ann, and father Jeff. After graduating from Episcopal High School in 1992, Jon ventured to Tucson, AZ, where he attended the University of Arizona. During his second year of college, Jon discovered and fell in love with poker at the local Indian casino. He studied Hold’em, Omaha and Stud, while quickly progressing from learning at the lower stakes to consistently beating all of the highest stakes games in Tucson. 

After graduating from the University of Arizona with a Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Jon chose to pursue the corporate route while continuing to play poker recreationally. His first job out of college was a Financial Analyst position for Petco, the world’s largest pet supply retailer, at their headquarters in San Diego, CA. After 2 years at Petco, Jon’s ambition led him to Pepperdine University’s Graduate School of Business in Malibu, CA, where he received an MBA in 2001. During his time at Pepperdine, Jon worked in Strategic Planning at Event411.com and as a Project Manager for Arthur Andersen’s Business Consulting practice.

In June 2001, Jon was introduced to Matt Bell, a Stanford computer scientist who had invented a truly interactive video display technology. Together, Jon and Matt founded Reactrix Systems, Inc. in Redwood City, CA. As CEO, Jon grew the company to 30 employees in 3 years and raised over $12 million in capital. In 2004, Jon decided to take a break from the corporate world to re-kindle his love for poker and explore the world. He continued to serve as a member of Reactrix’s Board of Directors along with Tim Koogle (former CEO of Yahoo) until 2007. Reactrix grew to over 100 employees and raised over $85 million in capital before the company was purchased by a larger organization in 2008. 

After leaving Reactrix in 2004, Jon moved to Las Vegas and has since been pursuing his two favorite hobbies of traveling and poker, while also consulting fellow entrepreneurs in startup ventures. Although he has a great deal of live poker experience, Jon gained most of his tournament experience playing online under the names “Pokertrip” and “Reactrix”. During his peak days of online poker, Jon was ranked on www.PocketFives.com as one of the top online tournament players in the world.  

In 2006, Jon accomplished every poker player’s dream of winning a World Series of Poker Bracelet. Jon outlasted 2,890 players to win 2006 WSOP Event #17 (No-Limit Hold’em) in the then largest non-main event tournament in the history of poker. He collected the 1st place payout of $526,185 after defeating John “The Razor” Phan in a 2-hour heads up battle. Since winning his bracelet, Jon has placed and final tabled several other major events, bringing his live poker earnings to over $1,000,000.

In January 2007, Jon was invited by Card Player to co-host their online radio show “The Circuit” (www.CardPlayer.com/TheCircuit). After a successful radio stint, Jon was offered the opportunity to host his own poker strategy show called “Stacking Chips” on Card Player TV (www.CardPlayer.com/TV). During the 2007 WSOP, Jon’s show was the highest rated show on Card Player TV and the most watched poker show on the internet. Jon also served as a final table live radio commentator at the 2007 and 2008 WSOP, and is also an instructor at WPT Bootcamps. 

Jon has a strong passion for the game of poker and an ambitious entrepreneurial spirit, as well as the desire and determination to succeed in everything he pursues. When he isn’t competing on the major poker tournament circuit or exploring new business and investment opportunities, Jon loves to visit new places around the world and spend time with his family and friends. Jon also enjoys mentoring aspiring entrepreneurs and poker players, and is a regular guest speaker at Pepperdine University and other corporate functions.

Click HERE to contact Jon or view his upcoming tournament schedule.