Dan Cates “Jungleman” Wins $15 Million in 1 Night

Dan Cates, “Jungleman,” has always been known for his fearless poker play, but his latest showdown broke every record and left the poker world stunned.

The Setting: Onyx Super High Roller Poker Series

The cash game battle took place during the Onyx Super High Roller Series in Cyprus. The tournament schedule alone was already remarkable – a $25K GGMillions, a $100K invitational, and a $50K High Roller – but nothing on the tournament floor came close to what unfolded at the cash game tables.

Ossi Ketola , better known as “Monarch” from his days in the Counter-Strike gambling world, had arrived in Cyprus with a clear mission: challenge the best heads-up players in the world and put his casino brand Duel on the map. He was about to get more than he bargained for.

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Before Jungleman: Ketola vs Kayhan Mokri

Before Cates entered the picture, Ketola was already deep into a €4 million winner-take-all match against Norwegian poker pro Kayhan Mokri, livestreamed on Onyx’s YouTube channel.

The five-hour-long, intense poker battle came down to one cooler poker hand. Ossi Ketola started off strong, winning pots after pots, keeping outflopping Kayhan Mokri.

(Note: The live stream showed USD as the currency, but they reportedly played in EUR)

However, Ketola’s dominance came to a halt about two hours into the match on a board of Q♠ K♠ 5♥ 8♦ with €300,000 already in the pot. Mokri, holding K♥ 7♦, checked. Ketola, ahead with A♠ K♦, bet €225,000.

The bet was called, and the 7♥ landed on the river, setting up a brutal bad beat. Mokri checked and then called a €600,000 bet to win a massive €1,950,000 pot.

Ketola’s stack eventually dropped to just €280,000, putting him in a desperate position. Looking for a crucial double-up, he decided to play 6♣ 4♣ from the big blind. Meanwhile, Mokri limped in on the button holding A♠ 6♠, and Ketola checked to see the flop come A♦ 6♦ 4♥, giving both players two pair.

Ketola tried to slowplay his hand, checking to trap his opponent. Mokri then bet €20,000 with his top two pair, only to face a sudden check-raise all-in from Ketola.

Mokri quickly called, and with the 6♦ turning up on the board, the hand was done.

Mokri won the record-setting heads-up match for €4 million. Immediately after, Ketola offered a €5 million rematch, but Mokri declined, explaining he had an early flight out of Cyprus and couldn’t spare the time to play again.

Ossi Ketola was pissed that he couldn’t play anymore and thought he couldn’t find a challenger. But not for long.

Jungleman vs Ossi Ketola

On the very next day, Ossi Ketola found a playing partner no other than Dan Cates.

The very next day, Dan Cates sat down across from Monarch. What followed was 12 hours of the highest-stakes poker ever streamed live.

They started with two €1M matches. Cates won the first. Ketola fought back and took the second. The rivalry was immediate – and both players were clearly enjoying it.

By the third match, the buy-in jumped to €3M. Monarch won again.

The €2,800,000 Pot – Ketola Flops Quads

The defining hand of Match 3 came quickly. Ketola opened to €100,000 with K♠ 6♥. Cates called with A♦ T♣. The flop came 6♠ 6♣ 6♦ – Ketola had flopped quads.

Cates checked. Ketola bet €75,000. Cates called. Turn: T♦ – giving Cates a full house, tens over sixes. Cates checked. Ketola bet €150,000. Cates raised to €400,000. Ketola called. The pot was €1,200,000 heading to the river.

River: A♠ – improving Cates to aces full. Cates quickly bet €850,000. Ketola counted his chips – €830,000 behind – and moved all-in. Cates called the extra €5,000 and saw the bad news. Ketola’s quads held. Cates could only shake his head: “This is so dumb, f***ing stupid.”

Raising the Stakes – €5M Each

As if €3M per match wasn’t enough, the fourth and fifth matches escalated to €5M each. The pots reached levels nobody in streamed poker had seen before. One hand produced a €7,700,000 pot – smashing the previous record for the biggest ever shown on a live stream at that point.

Jungleman Biggest Bluff Ever?

During the €5M match, Cates pulled off one of the most audacious bluffs in high-stakes poker history.

Cates opened to €125,000 with 5♦ 3♦. Ketola 3-bet to €450,000 with A♣ 8♣. Cates called. The pot was €900,000 heading to the flop.

Flop: T♦ A♥ Q♦ – a real action board. Ketola checked. Cates bet €400,000 with his flush draw and backdoor straight draw. Ketola called. Pot: €1,700,000.

Turn: 9♣. Ketola checked. Cates fired €700,000. Ketola called again. Pot: €3,100,000. Ketola had €1,800,000 behind.

River: 7♣. Ketola checked. After a minute in the tank, Cates moved all-in. Ketola thought for a long time. He folded. Cates turned over five-high and scooped a €4,900,000 pot with nothing.

Turning the Tide

After losing Match 3 to Ketola’s quads, Cates regrouped quickly. He reversed his momentum with a series of aggressive, well-timed plays – winning both €5M matches and building a significant lead heading into the final showdown.

At one point, Cates bluffed Ketola off the best hand for €1,800,000. At another, he hit a royal flush –

drawing laughter and disbelief from both his opponent and the viewers.

The Final Showdown: €6,000,000 Each

In Match 6, both players put up €6,000,000. Blinds were €30,000/€60,000. Cates took an early lead, weathered a big swing when Ketola won a massive pot with two pair, then steadily pulled away.

Monarch eventually moved all-in with a weak hand, got called, and was eliminated. When the session ended, Dan Cates had won four of six matches and netted approximately €13 million profit – roughly $15 million USD – in a single night.

For the complete record of every Monarch heads-up battle that followed – including the $12.7M record pot at Triton Jeju – see our full Ossi Ketola poker battles breakdown.

The Full Stream

Jungleman vs. Monarch Results

All matches were played and settled in Euros. Cates won four of six and banked approximately €13M net – roughly $15M USD at the time of play.

What This Night Meant for Poker

This was more than a poker session. Over 12 hours, tens of millions of euros moved across the felt in bold plays, monster bluffs, and jaw-dropping pots. Cates lost the largest pot of the night to Ketola’s quads – and still walked away with the biggest single-session profit ever recorded in streamed high-stakes poker.

Ketola, for his part, showed real grit. He won two matches against one of the best heads-up players in the world, flopped quads to win a €2.8M pot, and pushed Cates hard across the full 12 hours. He finished the two days approximately €15 million down overall.

It wasn’t the end of the Monarch story. It was just the beginning. See every battle that followed: Ossi Ketola “Monarch” – Every Poker Battle and Record Pot.

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