Triton Jeju: Barbero Claims Fourth Triton Title, Monarch Sets Record Pot at $12.7 Million

Barbero Secures Fourth Title Against Phil Ivey
 

Argentinian pro Nacho Barbero clinched his fourth Triton title by dominating the inaugural $30K PLO/NLH event. Making its debut in the Triton schedule, the tournament drew 81 entries (39 re-entries) and generated a prize pool of $2,430,000. Barbero claimed the top prize of $646,000 after triumphing over the legendary Phil Ivey.

The heads-up match ended swiftly, as Barbero needed only three hands to defeat one of the game's current greats. The decisive hand came in PLO, with Ivey opening with A s K s K d T d, while Barbero called with T h 7 d 6 c 6 d. The flop 3 h 5 h 4 d delivered a nuts straight to the Argentinian, and although the turn J d gave Ivey a strong flush draw, the river 5 s didn’t help him.

“I was struggling, so I texted Dan Colman to send me a picture of his dog that I love. And everything turned around from there,” Barbero laughed after his victory.

For Ivey, this means an extended wait for his sixth Triton title, while Barbero joins the ranks of four-time champions Fedor Holz, Matthias Eibinger, and Wai Kin Yong.

Final Table Results – Event #11: $30K PLO/NLH

Monarch Again Wins Record Pot: $12.7 Million in One Hand
 

Finnish businessman and player Ossi “Monarch” Ketola made another unbelievable moment in Jeju, winning the largest pot in televised poker history, worth $12,700,000. This occurred during his series of heads-up battles against Hong Kong’s Bjorn Li, where the stakes were beyond most poker fans' imagination.

After a series of $2 million duels, where Li won three out of four hands, both agreed on an even bigger rematch—this time playing for an unbelievable $16 million pot. The decisive hand saw Ketola raising to $200,000 from the button with 9 h 9 c, and Li 3-betting to $800,000 with 8 d 8 h. Monarch responded with an all-in for $6,350,000, and Li called after a long thought. On the board 6 s 7 h ​​​​​​​T h ​​​​​​​3 c ​​​​​​​2 s, Ketola maintained the lead with his pair of nines and scooped the record-breaking pot.

Li battled for another hour and a half with the remaining chips but eventually left defeated. Despite winning only two out of five duels, Monarch secured a profit of $4 million thanks to the final encounter.

The previous record happened just a few days earlier when Ketola won against Alex Foxen with a pot of $10,990,000. Ketola continues to push boundaries, showing that his “million-dollar gamble theater” isn't over yet.

Source: Triton Poker Series, Triton Poker Plus, X, YouTube