Record $4 Million Heads-Up Poker Clash at Onyx Series Ends in Rematch Call

The first-ever Onyx Super High Roller Series in Cyprus has already delivered historic poker action, including a dramatic $2 million buy-in heads-up challenge that produced the largest televised non-tournament pot ever seen.

Norway’s Kayhan Mokri faced Finland’s Ossi Ketola at the Merit Royal Diamond, battling for over five hours at nosebleed stakes of $10,000/$20,000 no-limit hold’em. The winner would walk away with $2 million, while the loser took a $2 million hit, according to Pokernews.

The duel began with Ketola building a commanding 3:1 chip lead, winning pot after pot and even scooping a six-figure hand with just king-high. But momentum shifted on a brutal cooler. With nearly $300,000 in the pot, Ketola held A♠K♦ against Mokri’s K♥7♦ on a Q♠K♠5♥8♦ board. When the river brought the 7♥, Mokri rivered two pair and called a $600,000 bet to scoop a $1.95 million pot, flipping the match.

From there, Mokri ground his way back into control. The decisive hand came when both players flopped two pair on A♦6♦4♥. Ketola slow-played with 6♣4♣, only to run into Mokri’s A♠6♠ for top two. A turn 6♦ sealed Ketola’s fate, giving Mokri a full house and the $4 million victory.

Frustrated, Ketola immediately challenged Mokri to a $5 million rematch, but the Norwegian declined, citing an early flight out of Cyprus. Undeterred, Ketola asked if high-stakes regular Paul Phua was available, still seeking action as the livestream wrapped up.

The $4 million pot eclipses the previous largest publicly recorded heads-up clash, a $1.6 million match between Jason Koon and Phil Hellmuth on PokerGO’s High Stakes Duel in 2022.

The Onyx Super High Roller Series, owned by high-stakes entrepreneur Rob Yong, continues this week with a $51,000 Championship Event, concluding August 21. Organizers have also revealed plans for an unprecedented $1 million buy-in cash game, to be broadcast on the Onyx Live YouTube channel.