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 happened during the Onyx Super High Roller Poker Series in Cyprus between Junglemen and Ossi Ketola, also known as “Monarch” in the Counter-Strike gaming world. 

At the Onyx Super High Roller Poker Series, we could already see amazing high-stakes poker tournament action, including the $25K GGMillions , a $100K invitational, and the $50K High Roller tournament. Still, no one saw what was coming at the cash game tables.

Onyx Cash Game Action

Let’s rewind, back, before Jungleman played against Ossi Ketola, we could already see a crazy heads-up poker battle. Ossi Ketola played a €4 million winner-take-all match against Norwegian poker pro Kayhan Mokri live-streamed at Onyx’s Live 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 any longer and thought that 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. 

Things kicked off with two matches, each with a €1,000,000 buy-in. In the first game, Dan Cates came out victorious, but Monarch fought back hard and took down the second round.

The rivalry quickly heated up, with both players trading wins and huge pots. By the third match, the buy-in went up to €3,000,000, and Monarch pulled off another win, leaving the audience on the edge of their seats.

Jungleman Loses €2,8000,000 Pot

An incredible pot occurred during the €3,000,000 match. Ossi “Monarc” Ketole opened to €100,000 with K♠ 6♥, and Jungleman just called with A♦ T♣. The flop came 6♠ 6♣ 6♦.

Ketola flopped quads. Jungle checked, and Ketola bet €75,000, and Jungle called. The turn was the T♦, giving Jungleman a full house. Dan checked, and Ketola bet €150,000. Jungleman raised to €400,000. Ketola made the call, and they headed to the river with €1,200,000 in the middle.

The river was the A♠. Jungleman quickly bet €850,000. Ketola, after counting his chips, announced all-in; he had €830,000 behind. Jungelman called the extra €5,000 and saw the bad news, and showed his frustrations by saying: This is so dumb, f*cking stupid.

Raising The Stakes

As if €3,000,000 per match wasn’t enough, the action only got wilder. For the fourth and fifth matches, Dan Cates and Ketola both put up €5,000,000 each. The level of play was intense; the pots swelled to mind-blowing amounts. In fact, one hand saw a pot worth €7.7 million, smashing previous records for the biggest ever shown on TV.

Jungleman Biggest Bluff Ever?

During the €5,000,000 each match, Jungleman pulled off a fantastic bluff. Jungleman opened to €125,000 with 5♦ 3♦. Ketola 3-bet to €450,000 with A♣ 8♣, and Jungleman called the bet. They headed to the flop with already €900,000 in the middle. 

The fop came down T♦ A♥ Q♦, a real action flop. Ketola checked, Jungleman bet €400,000, and Ketola called the bet to make the pot €1,700,000.

The turn card was a 9♣, Ketola checked, and Jungleman bet €700,000. After some thinking, Ketola made the call.

The river was the 7♣, and the pot already €3,100,000, Ketola had €1,800,000 behind. Ketola checked to Jungleman.

After a minute or so, Cates put Ketola all in. Ketola gave a lot of thought but eventually folded, and Jungleman won a €4,900,000 pot with five high.

Turning the Tide

Jungleman lost back-to-back matches and looked like he might be running out of steam. But he quickly regrouped, reversing his bad luck with a series of smart, aggressive plays.

He managed to come back from behind, winning not only the €5,000,000 matches but also dominating in bluffs and big pot wins.

At one dramatic moment, Dan Cates bluffed Monarch off the best hand for a €1.8 million pot. At another point, he hit a royal flush, drawing laughter and disbelief from both his opponent and the viewers.

The Final Showdown: €6,000,000 Each

In the final match, each player put down €6,000,000 and played with blinds of €30,000/€60,000. Jungleman got off to a strong lead, then weathered a wild swing when Monarch took down a massive pot with two pair. But Dan Cates stayed focused, getting great value out of his hands and catching Ketola in tough spots.

Monarch eventually moved all in with a weak hand, only to be called and knocked out. When the dust settled, Dan Cates had won four out of six matches and netted around €13 million profit on the night, or roughly $15 million USD.

The Full Stream

Jungleman vs. Monarch Results

This was more than just a poker night. Over 12 hours, millions of dollars moved across the felt in bold plays, monster bluffs, and jaw-dropping pots. Jungleman lost the largest televised pot in history, but still walked away with the biggest single-day profit anyone has seen in the history of streamed high-stakes poker.

Ossi Ketola, for his part, showed true grit, winning some matches and putting up a tough fight, but ultimately coming up short against one of the best heads-up poker players in the world. 

By the end, Ketola was reportedly down €15 million over two days, a staggering sum even for the nosebleed world of super high stakes poker.