Ossi “Monarch” Ketola has returned to million-dollar heads-up poker at Triton Jeju II, but his latest battle has provided another reminder of just how extraordinary Dan “Jungleman” Cates’ performance against him was last year.
Ketola put up $1 million against Wiktor “Limitless” Malinowski in the first of their heads-up matches in South Korea. It lasted only a handful of hands before a brutal $1.81 million pot ended the contest.
Malinowski flopped top set with pocket kings before Ketola turned a straight holding nine-six. The money eventually went into the middle, but a second five on the river paired the board and gave Malinowski a full house.
Then things became even bigger.
Ketola and Malinowski immediately agreed to play again, doubling their stacks to $2 million each and putting $4 million on the table for their second match.
Jungleman Already Survived the Monarch Challenge
For anyone following Dan “Jungleman” Cates, Ketola’s willingness to double the stakes should sound very familiar.
The pair produced one of the wildest heads-up series ever streamed during the 2025 Onyx Super High Roller Series in Cyprus. They played six matches with individual buy-ins eventually reaching €6 million, and Cates emerged with an enormous €13 million profit, worth around $15 million at the time.
Ketola actually had the better start.
Cates won their opening €1 million match before Ketola took the second at the same stakes. Monarch then won again when the buy-in jumped to €3 million, leaving Jungleman trailing after three matches.
Cates responded by winning the final three encounters.
Jungleman Won When the Stakes Became Absurd
That sequence makes Cates’ performance even more remarkable when viewed alongside Ketola’s latest Triton action.
The fourth and fifth matches against Monarch required both players to put up €5 million. Cates won both before they increased the buy-in again to €6 million apiece for the sixth and final battle.
Jungleman won that one too.
| Match | Buy-In | Winner |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | €1 million | Jungleman |
| 2 | €1 million | Monarch |
| 3 | €3 million | Monarch |
| 4 | €5 million | Jungleman |
| 5 | €5 million | Jungleman |
| 6 | €6 million | Jungleman |
The result was four wins from six matches and approximately €13 million in profit for Cates. More importantly, all three of his consecutive victories came after the stakes had reached at least €5 million per player.
Ketola has since continued challenging elite players rather than retreating from those stakes. He played another series against Bjorn Li at Triton Jeju in 2025, while his latest appearance has now put him opposite Malinowski.
Monarch Brings Million-Dollar Heads-Up Poker Back to Jeju
The latest confrontation adds another attraction to a Triton Jeju II festival already packed with huge tournaments and some of poker’s biggest names.
Triton Jeju II began on September 4 at Les A Casino and runs through September 17. The schedule builds toward the $200,000 Triton Invitational, $100,000 Main Event and a $150,000 tournament celebrating Triton’s tenth anniversary.
Malinowski may have needed only a few hands and one fortunate river card to take the first $2 million match from Ketola.
Jungleman did something considerably harder.
He faced Monarch six times, watched his opponent take a 2-1 lead and then won three consecutive matches as the buy-ins climbed to €5 million, €5 million and finally €6 million.
Ketola’s return to the nosebleeds has put million-dollar heads-up poker back in the spotlight.
It has also made Cates’ $15 million demolition job look even more impressive.
