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Ossi Ketola's High-Stakes Poker Matches and Controversial Views
TournamentsSeptember 22, 2025·1 min read

Ossi Ketola's High-Stakes Poker Matches and Controversial Views


Ossi Ketola made headlines during the Triton Series in Korea, where he engaged in high-stakes heads-up matches. He lost $6 million to Viktor Malinovskiy, won $3 million from Alex Foxen, and ended up even after matches with Elias Talvitie and Kaihan Mokri. In the final match, Ketola won $4 million from Bjorn AsianFlushie with a buy-in of $8 million, setting a new record for the largest pot in televised cash games at $12.7 million.

Ketola, known as the 'evil whale,' participated in some of the largest televised poker games, losing around $17 million in one session. He discussed his early interest in poker, starting at age 14, and his creation of a poker site using Runescape gold as currency at age 15. Ketola prefers playing with 100bb depth, seeing it as his advantage, and notes that he understands this format best. His opponents often have backers, with an average of 5 backers per player, though he doesn't focus on this information.

Ketola's high-stakes matches often involve a handicap, where opponents pay an additional coefficient in case of loss. His ultimate goal is to create a family and clean up the gambling world from scammers. Ketola believes online poker is dying and that legitimate poker sites have no chance of success due to the need for questionable methods.

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Argus Riven

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Argus Riven

I've spent years at the tables — cash and tournaments — and just as long shaping poker copy behind the scenes: room reviews, bonus fine print, tournament notes. At PokerInsider I write the way I wish more sites would: clear structure, honest trade-offs, no hype. Whether you're new or already grinding, I care about what the offer actually costs you — rake, variance, and the fine print — and I treat responsible play as part of the job, not a footnote.

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