Heads-up poker has a historical past of high-stakes and high-profile feuds, with Doug Polk and Daniel Negreanu that includes in our High Tales of the Yr in 2021.
However this 12 months, the battles weren’t fueled by private animosity however by a want to compete—and win—in opposition to the world’s greatest. And the catalyst for this motion was one man: Ossi “Monarch” Ketola.
The previous esports skilled walked into poker festivals in Cyprus and South Korea and took on the world’s elite, together with Dan Cates and Alex Foxen, in a collection of week-long, multimillion-dollar money video games that set new data virtually each evening.
That is the story of Monarch and the heads-up money video games that shook the poker world.
Who’s Ossi Ketola?
Ketola is a Finnish high-stakes poker participant, entrepreneur, and former esports skilled. Recognized within the Counter-Strike: International Offensive (CSGO) scene as “Monarch”, Ketola made tens of millions competing on the highest degree earlier than founding the playing web site CSGOEmpire. He additionally has enterprise ties to the web on line casino Duel.
He first burst onto the poker scene in November 2024, with 4 cashes on the Triton Poker Tremendous Excessive Curler Sequence Monte Carlo, together with a runner-up end to Vladimir Korzinin within the $150,000 NLH 8-Handed for $2,970,000.
He additionally final-tabled the 2024 WSOP Paradise $100,000 Triton Important Occasion, ending fifth for $1,172,000.
Ossi Ketola at Onyx SHRS Cyprus
Nevertheless, in August this 12 months, Ketola went from occasional Excessive Curler appearances to the title on everybody’s lips within the poker world.
On the first-ever Onyx Tremendous Excessive Curler Sequence Cyprus, each he and Denmark’s Kayhan Mokri put up $2 million every, and battled in a livestreamed heads-up match.
Ketola vs Mokri
“I first met Ossi a number of years in the past whereas I used to be on vacation in Marbella,” Mokri instructed PokerNews. “After which ran into him in Estonia initially 2025. All of the tournaments had been performed, and he was seeking to play some heads-up sit-and-gos. I put myself on the listing, and I ended up enjoying two video games there — I misplaced each for $1,000,000 a bit.”
The pair stayed in contact and headed to the Onyx Tremendous Excessive Curler Sequence, the place the identical downside raised its head as soon as extra. No tournaments, and an insatiable want to play nosebleed heads-up sit-and-gos.
The primary match in Cyprus between the pair took over 5 hours to finish and spanned 270 palms. The chip lead swung forwards and backwards, with Ketola shifting into an early lead just for Ketola to wager A♠Okay♦ for prime pair on Okay♠Q♠5♥8♦7♥, just for Mokri to name with Okay♥7♦ having rivered two pair.
Monarch would battle again into the lead, just for Mokri to once more choose up a hand when he wanted it, flopping the nut straight on 10♥8♥7♣10♠5♦ and getting worth from Ketola’s Q♦8♣. This opened up a lead that Mokri would not relinquish, and eventually closed it out with a chilly deck as each gamers flopped to pair on the A♦6♥4♦ Nevertheless, Mokri’s A♠6♠ was higher than the 6♣4♣ of Ketola, and the Finn was lifeless on the flip after the 6♦ improved Mokri to a full home.
Ketola was eager to play once more, providing instantly to up the stakes. “Name your true mates, let’s do 5 [million],” he mentioned.
“That is his entire factor,” defined Mokri. “He desires you to be confused, he desires to do it quick. He’ll say ‘Three minutes, and we play’. He is not going to offer you any room — and he should not! I’ve performed lots of heads-up matches over the course of my profession, so I feel I used to be effectively sufficient ready for me to play with him.”
Ketola vs Jungleman
Mokri jumped on a airplane and headed to EPT Barcelona. He landed, and opened his cellphone to “a bazillion texts.” The following heads-up match had began.
“I have a look at my cellphone, and I see that Jungle is enjoying Ossi,” Mokri explains. “Apparently he had been up for 30 hours or one thing and was nonetheless searching for motion.”
Dan “Jungleman” Cates has a formidable poker resume. A back-to-back Poker Gamers Championship winner. A feared on-line presence, particularly amongst high-stakes heads-up video games. And now right here he was taking up Ketola.
The pair would play six heads-up matches over 12 hours, with buy-ins starting from $1 million to $6 million.
It began out as a one-sided affair, after Jungleman received the opening $1,000,000 match after simply 19 palms.
With the blinds at $5,000/$10,000, Ketola A♦Okay♠ opened to $25,000 and Cates Okay♥Okay♦ three-bet to $100,000. Ketola then four-bet shoved, and Cates known as.
The pair agreed to run it as soon as, and the 8♠7♠2♣10♥Q♥ board noticed Cates safe victory.
“Rematch? Let’s do similar factor,” mentioned Ketola.
Undeterred, Ketola would degree issues with a win of his personal in Match 2 earlier than the pair bumped up the stakes to play for $3,000,000 every. This one additionally went the way in which of Monarch.
Instantly, throughout the match in opposition to Mokri, and the primary three matches in opposition to Cates, Monarch was within the inexperienced. Nevertheless, because the stakes elevated — the pair performed for a mixed $32 million throughout the ultimate three video games — the category of Cates got here by means of, profitable all three in what turned the most important televised poker sport in historical past.
Regardless of ending up down $15 million within the house of simply two days, Ketola nonetheless had the vitality to name out Daniel Negreanu, saying he needed to “mog” him. In on-line slang, “mog” means to fully outclass or dominate somebody.
Nevertheless, Ketola had completely different opponents in thoughts than Child Poker…
Ossi Ketola at Triton Jeju
One month later, Ketola was enjoying on the Triton Tremendous Excessive Curler Sequence in Jeju. He performed three occasions, cashing in a single, however was a lot busier away from the event tables enjoying but extra excessive stakes money video games.
This time, he took on 5 completely different gamers throughout per week of play.
“I used to be conscious of those matches beforehand,” mentioned Mokri, who mentioned that Ketola had expressed a want to play in opposition to the world’s greatest. “Ossi truly requested me to seek out him opponents – acquainted faces, gamers with excessive profiles and so forth.”
First, Wiktor Malinowski defeated him twice for a complete of $6,000,000, earlier than Ketola battled Alex Foxen over the course of two nights. Whereas the pair cut up the primary two matches, Foxen was up after they elevated the stakes from $2 million to $5 million a bit.
Nevertheless, the second day noticed Monarch win two of the three $6 million matches, together with a record-breaking $11 million pot.
Subsequent up? He traded $3 million matches with Elias Talvitie on September 14, earlier than resuming hostilities with Mokri who he had first battled in Cyprus a month prior.
“He requested me in personal whether or not I needed to play, and I mentioned ‘I am drained, go play any person else.’ After which he known as me out on X. So I simply answered, ‘Gear up little boy, let’s play.”
Mokri would win each opening $2 million matches, earlier than Ketola squared issues up with a $4 million win of his personal. Similar to Foxen, this match-up would unfold right into a second day as Mokri walked away a $5 million winner.
“It did not go to effectively for him, nevertheless it was excellent for me!” mentioned Mokri.
This collection of matches that stretched a complete week culminated in a $16 million greenback heads-up match in opposition to Bjorn Li, that featured a document $12,700,000 pot — the biggest ever for a televised poker hand.
Will The Matches Proceed in 2026?
When requested, Mokri is not totally positive whether or not the heads-up matches will proceed into 2026, saying he has little interest in looking Ketola right down to proceed battling.
“I feel he enjoys the competitions as a lot as he enjoys the adrenaline of the video games,” mentioned Mokri. “Possibly he’ll be a bit extra selective with who he performs.
If the video games had been to proceed, what may the stakes even improve to?
“For positive there’s a quantity that might be too huge, however what that quantity is, is pure hypothesis, to be sincere with you,” mentioned Mokri. “I feel he has an excellent long-term perspective of issues. And it’s totally straightforward to underestimate the man, however he is a really clever man who is aware of the way to do stuff.
“I feel he is a really sharp man. Clearly, he isn’t going to enhance as a poker participant with the small quantity he performs, however I feel if he truly took his time and needed to be taught the sport and had the motivation, he would in all probability be an excellent poker participant.”
Ossi Ketola 2025 Heads-Up Match Outcomes
Ketola vs Mokri I
Match 1August 18Kayhan Mokri$2,000,000Mokri
Ketola vs Jungleman
Match 1August 19Dan “Jungleman” Cates$1,000,000Cates
Match 2August 19Dan “Jungleman” Cates$1,000,000Monarch
Match 3August 19Dan “Jungleman” Cates$3,000,000Monarch
Match 4August 19Dan “Jungleman” Cates$5,000,000Cates
Match 5August 19Dan “Jungleman” Cates$5,000,000Cates
Match 6August 19Dan “Jungleman” Cates$6,000,000Cates
Ketola vs. Malinowski
Match 1Sept 13Wiktor Malinowski$2,000,000Malinowski
Match 2Sept 13Wiktor Malinowski$4,000,000Malinowski
Ketola vs. Foxen I
Match 3Sept 14Alex Foxen$2,000,000Monarch
Match 4Sept 14Alex Foxen$5,000,000Foxen
Ketola vs. Foxen II
Match 5Sept 15Alex Foxen$6,000,000Foxen
Match 6Sept 15Alex Foxen$6,000,000Monarch
Match 7Sept 15Alex Foxen$6,000,000Monarch
Ketola vs. Talvitie
Match 8Sept 16Elias Talvitie$3,000,000Talvitie
Match 9Sept 16Elias Talvitie$3,000,000Monarch
Ketola vs. Mokri II
Match 10Sept 17Kayhan Mokri$2,000,000Mokri
Match 11Sept 17Kayhan Mokri$2,000,000Mokri
Match 12Sept 17Kayhan Mokri$4,000,000Monarch
Ketola vs. Mokri III
Match 13Sept 18Kayhan Mokri$5,000,000Mokri
Ketola vs. Li
Match 14Sept 19Bjorn Li$2,000,000Li
Match 15Sept 19Bjorn Li$2,000,000Monarch
Match 16Sept 19Bjorn Li$2,000,000Li
Match 17Sept 19Bjorn Li$2,000,000Li
Match 16Sept 19Bjorn Li$8,000,000Monarch
Photos courtesy of Triton Poker Sequence
Will Shillibier
Managing Editor
He graduated from the College of Kent in 2017 with a B.A. in German. He additionally holds an NCTJ Diploma in Sports activities Journalism.
