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After graduating from the University of Arizona with a Bachelors 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 worlds largest pet supply retailer, at their headquarters in San Diego, CA. After 2 years at Petco, Jons ambition led him to Pepperdine Universitys 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 Andersens Business Consulting practice. In June 2001, Jon was introduced to a Stanford computer scientist who had invented a truly interactive video display technology. He then co-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 Reactrixs 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 players dream of winning a World Series of Poker Bracelet. Jon outlasted 2,890 players to win 2006 WSOP Event #17 (No-Limit Holdem) 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 Phan in a 2-hour heads up battle. Since winning his bracelet, Jon has placed and final tabled several other major events, and has accumulated over $2,000,000 in live and online winnings. In January 2007, Jon was invited to co-host the online radio show -The Circuit- on CardPlayer.com, which later led to hosting his own video show called -Stacking Chips-. During the 2007 WSOP, Stacking Chips became the most watched poker show on the internet. After a three year break from on-camera work, Jon decided to jump back onto the filming set in 2010 when he launched -Under The Gun- on Card Player. Most recently, in January 2011, Jon launched a beast of a new poker show, called -The Showdown- on PokerNewsDaily.com. With a commitment to going where no other poker show has the balls to go, a home on one of the highest trafficked poker sites worldwide, and a high profile sponsor (UB.com), Jon is revealing all with the biggest names in the game. Check out The Showdown on www.PokerNewsDaily.com! Jon also served as a final table live radio commentator at multiple WSOP tournaments and has done an extensive amount of individual and seminar-based poker coaching. 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, grinding on UB.com 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, in addition to guest speaking at corporate functions and educational institutions. Click HERE to contact Jon. |
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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 Holdem, Omaha and Stud, while quickly progressing from learning at the lower stakes to consistently beating all of the highest stakes games in Tucson.