Choon Tong Siow

Choon Tong Siow was born and raised in Malaysia and is based in Kuala Lumpur. He began playing live tournaments around 2017 and 2018, quickly transitioning from local games to the highest buy-in events in Asia. His first recorded live cash came in February 2017, when he finished 23rd in a HK$25,000 No-Limit Hold'em event at Macau Poker Cup 26 for $6,981. Later that year at the Asia Championship of Poker, he took second place in the HK$50,000 No-Limit Hold'em event for $91,741 and added a 22nd-place result in the HK$25,000 tournament for $6,578. In 2018, Siow began making deeper runs on the international circuit. At the European Poker Tour stop in Barcelona, he cashed in the €2,200 No-Limit Hold'em event for $6,178. That autumn he recorded his first major result on European soil, finishing runner-up in the €2,500 No-Limit Hold'em €1 Million GTD event at the 2018 World Series of Poker Europe for $160,595; he also placed 22nd in the €1,650 Pot-Limit Omaha/No-Limit Hold'em event for $3,310. In December 2018, he took fourth in the KRW 15,000,000 No-Limit Hold'em event at the Jeju Red Dragon for $80,938. These results established him as one of Malaysia's most promising high-stakes players.

Siow's defining period came in 2019 when he became a regular on the Triton Poker Super High Roller Series. At the Triton Jeju stop in March, he made three final tables in the span of a week. His best finish was third in the HK$1,000,000 Short Deck Ante-Only Main Event, earning HK$6,260,000 (around $797,000). He added an eighth-place result in the HK$500,000 No-Limit Hold'em Six Max event for $187,070 and a fifth-place finish in the HK$250,000 Short Deck Ante-Only event for $162,500.

Two months later, at Triton Montenegro in May 2019, Siow finished seventh in the HK$1,000,000 Short Deck Main Event for HK$4,400,000 (around $562,000 to $572,000 depending on conversion). He continued cashing at the 2019 Triton London and MILLIONS Europe stops, including a fifth-place result in the €25,500 Short Deck event at MILLIONS Europe for $68,320 and a sixth-place result in the same festival's €25,500 No-Limit Hold'em event for $67,200. By the end of 2019, he had amassed roughly $1.97 million in Triton earnings alone from seven cashes.

After the pandemic hiatus, Siow returned to the Triton circuit with more deep runs. In May 2022, he finished fifth in the €25,000 Short Deck Ante-Only event at Triton Madrid for €136,000 (approximately $143,000). At Triton London in July 2023, he placed fifth in the $30,000 No-Limit Hold'em Turbo Bounty event for $145,000 and added a 16th-place result in the $25,000 Seven Max event for $43,500. Earlier that year, at Triton Vietnam in March, he finished 18th in the $20,000 Mystery Bounty Eight Max event, collecting $21,500 in prize money plus $70,000 in bounties for a total of $91,500.

At the 2024 Triton Monte Carlo stop, Siow took tenth place in the $50,000 No-Limit Hold'em Seven Max event for $125,000. His most recent Triton cash came at Triton One Jeju in September 2025, where he finished 73rd in the $8,000 Main Event for $16,500. Overall, he has recorded 13 Triton cashes totaling $2.54 million, with nine final tables and a best finish of third.

Siow added his most significant trophy in September 2024 at WPT Cambodia, winning the US$10,000 High Stakes Challenge. The event drew 15 players, and Siow reached an ICM deal with fellow Malaysian Victor Chong before playing for the trophy. He took first place and collected US$74,052. The win underscored his ability to close out high-pressure tournaments.

On the regional circuit, Siow has been a regular at Poker Dream festivals in Malaysia. In April 2024, he finished second in a High Roller event at Poker Dream 9 Malaysia for $72,127. In 2025, he added a fifth-place finish in the Poker Dream 17 Malaysia Single Day High Roller for $16,000, an eighth-place result in the Poker Dream 18 Malaysia Super High Roller for $17,955, and a tenth-place finish in the Poker Dream 18 Mystery Bounty High Roller for $4,015. He also cashed in the 2023 EPT Monte-Carlo Main Event (245th for $2,012) and in the WPT Prime Cyprus Championship in early 2026 for $5,190.

Siow is widely known for a fearless, aggressive style, especially in Short Deck (6+ Hold'em), a format that is extremely popular among high rollers in Asia. He is considered a master of the variant's unique math, applying pressure at the right moments and taking calculated risks in large pots. Observers describe his mental game as unshakable; he rarely shows emotion at the table, making him difficult to read even when millions of dollars are at stake. His calm demeanor and deep focus have earned him respect among peers, and he is often seen competing alongside Malaysian legends Paul Phua and Richard Yong. He has climbed into the top 10 of Malaysia's all-time money list and is regarded as a hero for aspiring players in Kuala Lumpur and across the region.

Public records list Siow with $2,565,726 in total recorded earnings from 19 tournament cashes, while his Triton-specific earnings alone are $2.54 million. He has not recorded an outright tournament victory in most public records, but his body of work includes numerous final-table appearances at the world's most expensive tournaments. His consistent results across Europe and Asia, combined with his mastery of Short Deck, make him one of the most successful and respected high-stakes players to emerge from Malaysia.