Televised Poker Record Broken as Foxen Faces Off With Monarch
At nearly 4 a.m. in Jeju, South Korea, during the Triton Poker Series, Alex Foxen and Ossi “Monarch” Ketola played out what is now the largest hand ever broadcast in poker history. The pot, totaling $10.99 million, capped off a high-stakes heads-up clash that had already spanned multiple nights and tens of millions in wagers.
A Rivalry Fueled by Escalating Stakes
The $11 million hand was the climax of three nights of heads-up poker between Alex Foxen and Ossi Ketola, with each session raising the stakes – and the pressure. Their first match in Jeju saw both players buy in for $2 million. And while Ketola came out ahead, the result didn’t stand for long.
They returned with $5 million apiece on the table and blinds climbing. Foxen turned the match around, reclaiming the lead. The next night, the buy-ins increased again – $6 million each, with the structure rising to $25,000/$50,000 – and Foxen extended his edge. After three sessions, Ketola was down roughly $9 million across the series.
Monarch’s losses came on top of a difficult run that had started weeks earlier. In Cyprus, at the Onyx Super High Roller Series, Ketola lost $15 million to Dan “Jungleman” Cates over six matches, including four in a single night. His struggles continued in Jeju, where he dropped another $6 million across two sessions against Wiktor “Limitless” Malinowski.
By the time he sat across from Foxen again, Ketola had lost close to $25 million in heads-up play. Even so, he agreed to one more match, returning to the table in the early hours of Tuesday morning with another $6 million in play.
Inside the Record-Breaking Hand
The record-setting hand began with Ketola raising to $150,000 on the button, holding K♣ J♥. Foxen defended his big blind with 8♦ 6♦, taking the flop with just under $5.4 million behind. The dealer spread K♦ J♦ 8♣, giving Ketola top two pair and Foxen bottom pair with a flush draw.
Foxen checked, and Ketola opted to check back. The turn brought the A♦, completing Foxen’s flush and shifting the odds heavily in his favor. He led for $250,000 into the $300,000 pot, and Ketola called.
The river changed everything. The K♠ paired the board, giving Ketola a full house. With $800,000 in the middle, Foxen bet $550,000. Ketola paused, used a time bank chip, then moved all-in for roughly $6.1 million. Foxen leaned back in his chair, visibly puzzled by the shove, and began to talk through the hand.
“Bluff again?” he asked. Ketola responded, “Again?” Foxen followed up with, “Or is this first time?” and Ketola replied, “I know you watched the hands in the toilet,” which Foxen denied.
After using several time banks, Foxen called. The final pot totaled $10,990,000 – the largest ever broadcast in televised poker. Ketola tabled his full house, and Foxen offered a quick “GG” as the chips were pushed across the table.
YouTube Pulls the Stream Mid-Match
The record-breaking hand never aired on its original platform. Partway through the session, YouTube removed the Triton Poker livestream for “violating Community Guidelines.” The stream went down before the $11 million pot was played, leaving no official explanation for its removal.
Triton’s broadcast team made no public comment at the time, and the hand circulated only through alternate recordings and clips that surfaced after the fact.