Kayhan Mokri goes back-to-back in EPT Barcelona Super High Roller

Posted on: September 2, 2024 09:43 PDT

European Poker Tour (EPT) stops always come with a wide selection of events, from daily turbos to Main Events, bounty tourneys, regional cups and the like. Wherever in Europe they take place, they are always well attended and attract many of the world’s best players, and that’s particularly true when it comes to the Super High Roller events.

The Super High Roller at EPT Barcelona was no exception, and the 41 entries who put up the €100K buy-in included many of poker’s biggest names. These included Patrik Antonius, fresh from his SHR win at EPT Monte-Carlo, Nacho Barbero, Steve O’Dwyer, EPT Paris SHR winner Thomas Santerne, WSOP 2024 SHR winner Santhosh Suvarna, and WSOP Main Event final tablist - and online tournament player extraordinaire - Niklas ‘Lena900’ Astedt.

It took two full days of play to narrow the field to a final six: Antonius, Suvarna, Jesse Lonis, Sean Winter, Seth Davies and Norway’s Kayhan Mokri, who returned to defend the title he won - along with €750,960 in prize money - in 2023.

When the dust cleared it was Mokri left holding all the chips once more, along with another EPT Barcelona SHR champion’s title, and not forgetting the €1,372,420 first-place prize money.

Second win in days for Mokri

The win marks an extraordinary week for Mokri, who won a €20K buy-in NLHE event here just a few days ago for €259,646. The Norwegian also final-tabled a $25K event at the Super High Roller Bowl Series in Cyprus last month, as well as the €50K EPT High Roller in Monte-Carlo in May.

Another player enjoying a great run of form is Patrik Antonius of Finland, who won the Monte-Carlo Super High Roller in April for €1,967,440 and was elected to the Poker Hall of Fame a few months later. Antonius needed a little more luck on his side when the final six returned to play to a winner, however, with the Finn becoming the first to exit the final table here when he couldn’t win a flip holding against the pocket 7s of Jesse Lonis. No help came and the ‘flying Finn’ would be the first player to take his leave on Day 3, pocketing €278,400 for his troubles.

A similar set-up soon afterwards brought the field down to four, this time with Santhosh Suvarna holding the overcards - - to the pocket 9s of Kayhan Mokri. Once again the pocket pair would hold and Suvarna took €358,000 for his fifth place finish.

From left: Jesse Lonis, Sean Winter, Seth Davies.

Four-handed play would last another 90 minutes or so, ending with the elimination of America’s Jesse Lonis. This time it was Lonis who got it all-in while marginally ahead, holding versus the of Seth Davies, but the flop quickly turned the tables. The on the turn left Lonis needing an ace on the river, but all he got was the , plus €457,400 for his final four finish.

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Snowmen for Mokri as Winter falls

That left defending champion Mokri, Seth Davies and Sean Winter to duke it out three-handed, and it would be Mokri who seized the initiative with a couple of well-timed double-ups - both times holding the ‘snowmen’, pocket 8s.

First to come up against Mokri's 8s was Sean Winter, whose couldn’t improve after putting Mokri all-in preflop. Soon after Mokri picked up the pocket 8s once more and called for his whole stack when Seth Davies put him in preflop. Davies’ fared just as well as Winter’s ace-high, and all of a sudden Mokri had the chip lead.

It was a lead he’d take all the way to the bank. An hour later all three players made it to the turn in a unraised pot. Winter, holding put the last of his chips in with the board showing . Davies held bottom pair, with the in his hand, and found the call. Winter had outs until the fell on the river, at which point Winter was out. €616,600 will hopefully soothe the pain of losing to a pair of deuces.

A quick finish

Heads-up play would last only two hands, and end in cruel fashion when Davies flopped top two-pair holding on a flop of . Mokri, holding bluffed at the pot and was called by Davies, only for the on the turn to transform his bluff into a monster. The two quickly got their stacks in the middle, the on the river brought Davies no help, and Mokri ended the tournament just as he had a year ago - with all the chips.

Mokri, left, commiserates with Seth Davies after a cooler delivered him the win.

“Very lucky, I guess,” Mokri described himself in his winner’s interview with PokerStars’ Joe Stapleton, “...and some skill in it, maybe.”

Davies cashed for €895,000 for his near-miss, while Mokri adds another €1,372,420 to his career earnings, putting him second only to former WSOP Main Event winner Espen Jorstad on Norway’s all-time money list.

EPT Barcelona Super High Roller - final results