These heads-up matches have generated enormous interest across the poker world, but they haven’t come without controversy. Ossi Ketola has described his approach as part of a broader marketing strategy — one that has, disturbingly, included the use of racist language on his social media platforms and live streams, under the banner of ‘freedom of speech.’ While the poker on display is undeniably newsworthy, the wider context surrounding Ketola’s behavior cannot be ignored or condoned. Poker.Org condemns the use of racist language in any form. Read our full statement here.
It has been less than five days since Ossi 'Monarch' Ketola and Alex Foxen set the record for the largest televised pot in poker history and, already, the $11M high watermark they set has been breached.
On Friday, September 19, Ketola faced a new challenger in Bjorn Li. It was only a matter of time before one of poker's elite online players stepped up, and Li — known as 'AsianFlushie' on the virtual felt — came prepared, bringing a deep résumé of heads-up experience against some of the best in the format.
In the opening matches, priced at a modest $2 million apiece, Li got the better of Ketola, winning three of four sit n’ go-style games and banking $4 million. That score effectively gave him a half-price entry into the day’s main event: an $8 million rematch pushed forward by Ketola.
$12.7 million hand sets new televised poker record
In the early goings of the match, Li looked to be in complete control as Ketola's stack dropped as low as the sub-$2M mark. The Finn battled back, more than once, to bring the stacks closer to even.
With momentum on his side, Ketola pressed his advantage. With 
on the button, he raised to $200,000. Li looked down at 
and three-bet to $800,000, prompting an almost immediate all-in from Ketola.
Li agonized over the decision, but eventually made the call to bring the pot to a jaw-dropping $12,700,000. The 
board kept Ketola's hand best and he hauled in the largest pot in televised poker history. Within 15 minutes, Ketola had claimed the rest of Li’s stack, finishing the day $4M ahead.
With another record broken, where does the action go from here? Will this newest figure be surpassed as quickly as the last?
Before these matches, Tom Dwan's $3.1M haul against Wesley Fei on Hustler Casino Live was the largest pot in televised poker history and, over the course of a few weeks, Ketola has eclipsed that sum on numerous occasions. While the controversy surrounding Ketola casts a shadow over the spectacle, these matches have set a new bar for televised poker and provided a glimpse into a level of action usually reserved for private games.
Featured image courtesy of Triton Poker Series
