Wiktor "Limitless" Malinowski won the opening match of the Triton Poker Series Jeju II $2M Heads-Up Battle after a river full house overturned a $1.81 million cooler against Ossi "Monarch" Ketola.
Each player had committed $1 million to the first match, but the contest lasted only a few hands after Malinowski turned a set of kings against Ketola's flopped open-ended straight draw. The pair then immediately agreed to play again for $4 million, with $2 million stacks each.
River pairs board to end $2M match
The blinds were $5,000/$10,000 when Malinowski raised to $25,000 on the button with K♣ K♦. Ketola defended with 9♥ 6♣, and the K♥ 8♥ 7♣ flop gave both players a strong hand.
Malinowski had top set, while Ketola held an open-ended straight draw. Ketola checked, Malinowski bet $15,000 and Ketola raised to $50,000. Malinowski called.
The 5♠ turn completed Ketola's nine-high straight and gave him the nuts. After another check from Ketola, Malinowski bet $75,000. Ketola raised again, this time to $250,000, and Malinowski moved all in.
Ketola took time before calling the remaining $580,000 in his stack. The resulting pot was worth $1.81 million, with Malinowski needing the river to pair the board. The 5♥ did exactly that, giving Malinowski kings full of fives and the entire pot.
Ketola acknowledged that his delay with the nuts had made the outcome more memorable.
"I knew it would be an expensive slow roll. You shouldn't f*** with the universe," he said. "But I did it for the clip farm."
Players double stakes immediately
The second match began almost immediately, with both players starting with $2 million. The contest was ongoing at Triton Jeju II, with the action being followed from Les A Casino in the Daily Highlights Blog. It was also available through Triton Poker's streaming channels.
Ketola has frequently played million-dollar heads-up matches. In 2025, he faced Dan "Jungleman" Cates in six contests at the Onyx Super High Roller Series Cyprus. Buy-ins rose from €1 million each to €6 million each. Ketola won two of the first three matches, but Cates won the last three and ended the series €13 million ahead, approximately $15 million at the time.
Ketola later played Bjorn Li in four $2 million-a-piece matches at Triton Jeju in September 2025. Li won three before Ketola won a final rematch. In that match, Ketola won a $12.7 million pot after putting $6.35 million in preflop with pocket nines against Li's pocket eights. Ketola finished the five-match series $4 million ahead. Days earlier, he had also won a $10.99 million pot against Alex Foxen at the same festival.
Source: PokerNews
