2024 EPT Barcelona: Kayhan Mokri Makes History With Back-to-Back Wins in €100K Super High Roller; India`s Santhosh Suvarna Finishes Fifth (₹3.24 Crores)

The 20th anniversary of the PokerStars European Poker Tour (EPT) Barcelona is turning out to be one for the books! The legendary Casino Barcelona has been buzzing with electrifying poker action, and we just witnessed history being made.

Norway’s Kayhan Mokri (cover image – left) has done the unthinkable, clinching the title in the €100,000 EPT Super High Roller for the second year in a row! That’s right, back-to-back wins in the festival’s biggest buy-in event. Mokri walked away with a jaw-dropping €1,372,420, nearly doubling his winnings from last year and setting a new personal best.

With this victory, Mokri has now secured his third EPT title, adding to his earlier win in Event #12: €20K NLHE. He’s also climbed to the #2 spot on Norway’s all-time money list, with a whopping $6,084,931 in lifetime winnings.

Kayhan Mokri goes back-to-back in spectacular #EPTBarcelona Super High Roller title defence.

🌍 https://t.co/RqHTmbhzy5
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🇺🇸 https://t.co/P8IbtEZBOc pic.twitter.com/IQ1czQsV6B

— PokerStars Blog (@PokerStarsBlog) September 2, 2024

Beaming after his win, Mokri shared his secret to success: “I’m playing a game that I love. And once you do something you love, you often get very good at it, and you enjoy the moments. So it’s super easy for me.”

He also added, “The people I play with are super friendly and great people. It’s easy to have fun at the same time.” Clearly, Mokri’s passion for the game and the camaraderie at the tables are key ingredients to his incredible success.

Fresh off his Super High Roller Bowl IX victory, Seth Davies came close to adding a second EPT title to his collection but fell just short, finishing as the runner-up with a handsome €895,000 prize.

India’s high-roller superstar, Santhosh Suvarna, who already has an EPT Paris €25K NLHE VI title under his belt this year, came close to grabbing his second EPT title of 2024. After firing two bullets in the €100,000 EPT Super High Roller, Suvarna finished in a very respectable fifth place, pocketing €358,000 (~₹3.24 Crores). That’s a solid 1.79 times return on his €200,000 investment, further strengthening his lead on India’s all-time money list.

Suvarna’s journey in the Super High Roller was a wild ride. His first entry was short-lived, but he came back swinging with a re-entry and finished Day 1 with a decent stack of 182,000 chips. He came back charging on Day 2, scooping up pots and eliminating opponents to briefly claim the chip lead. However, as the day progressed, his stack dwindled, and he entered the six-handed final table on Day 3 as the second shortest stack. Despite a crucial double-up at the final table, Suvarna couldn’t maintain the momentum and ultimately finished in fifth place.

This result marks Suvarna’s third cash and second final table appearance at the festival after deep runs in the €10,200 Mystery Bounty and the €12,300 PokerStars Cuatro Knockout, bringing his total series earnings to a whopping €494,100 (~₹4.58 Crores). 2024 has been a breakout year for this Indian poker star, with a deep run at the PGT Super High Roller Series in North Cyprus and a spectacular performance at the 2024 WSOP, where he won a bracelet and over $6 Million. He now boasts over ₹121 Crores in live tournament winnings, cracking the top 85 on poker’s all-time money list!

You can relive the excitement of Day 2’s play by watching the full replay on the PokerStars YouTube channel.

Day 2 Recap

Day 2 kicked off with high expectations. With nine new players joining the fray, the total number of entries reached 41, creating a colossal prize pool of €3,977,820. The stakes were sky-high, with the top six finishers guaranteed a minimum cash of at least €278,400!

The day started with a flurry of action as Vladimir Korzinin and Jamil Wakil were eliminated before the first break. PokerStars Ambassador Sam Grafton then doubled through Seth Davies, temporarily handing the chip lead to India’s Santhosh Suvarna.

Suvarna continued his hot streak, knocking out David Coleman and significantly boosting his stack. But Kayhan Mokri wasn’t far behind, eliminating Samuel Ju and joining the million-chip club. Teun Mulder managed a crucial double-up to keep Suvarna’s stack in check, ensuring a balanced playing field among the leaders.

The elimination of Tom Orpaz catapulted Mokri to the top, but Sean Winter was hot on his heels, mounting a comeback. The day saw more high-drama eliminations, with Sam Grafton and Morten Klein hitting the rail. Despite a double-up, Teun Mulder couldn’t escape Winter’s clutches and fell just short of the final six.

As the evening wore on, the remaining players engaged in a strategic battle, with fortunes fluctuating wildly. Jesse Lonis managed a crucial double-up through Davies, while Niklas Astedt‘s exit temporarily put Davies back in the lead.

The tension was palpable as the bubble approached. In a heart-stopping hand, Thomas Santerne, holding pocket tens, faced off against Seth Davies’ queens. Santerne miraculously hit quads on the turn to stay alive, leaving Davies reeling. However, Santerne’s luck eventually ran out. He was eliminated as the money bubble in seventh place after his lost the flip against Sean Winter’s on the runout.

You can watch the complete final table replay on the PokerStars YouTube channel.

Final Table Chip Counts

1. Sean Winter – 3,400,000
2. Seth Davies – 2,755,000
3. Jesse Lonis – 1,510,000
4. Kayhan Mokri – 1,340,000
5. Patrik Antonius – 650,000
6. Santhosh Suvarna – 595,000

Final Table Recap

The final table kicked off with the departure of the recent Poker Hall of Fame inductee Patrik Antonius in sixth place. Antonius shoved his short stack with , only to be met by Jesse Lonis’s steadfast . The community cards opened , and Antonius was out, taking home €278,400.

It’s good game to Patrik Antonius. The poker legend is out in sixth place, winning €278,400.

The final five play on, watch the cards-up action at https://t.co/SB357usSaR or https://t.co/ZarB0RN21O#EPTBarcelona #EPT20♠️ pic.twitter.com/lotwuCIdLb

— PokerStars LIVE (@PokerStarsLIVE) September 2, 2024

India’s all-time money leader, Santhosh Suvarna, started strong, doubling up with a sneaky against Sean Winter’s on a board. However, his luck ran out when he clashed with Event #12 champion Kayhan Mokri. Suvarna’s was outflanked by Mokri’s on a board of , ending his run in fifth place for €358,000.

And then there were four.

A superb short stack performance by Santhosh Suvarna has come to an end. He picks up €358,000 for his efforts.

Watch the cards-up coverage at https://t.co/SB357usSaR or https://t.co/ZarB0RN21O pic.twitter.com/Az03JuOpWK

— PokerStars LIVE (@PokerStarsLIVE) September 2, 2024

The four remaining players battled it out for 90 minutes before Jesse Lonis, the current GPI POY #1, was eliminated in fourth place. Lonis shoved with , but Seth Davies woke up with . The board ran out , giving Davies two pair and sending Lonis to the rail with €457,400.

Kayhan Mokri then staged an impressive comeback, doubling up twice with pocket eights to snatch the chip lead from being the shortest stack. In a bold move, Sean Winter attempted a daring triple-barrel bluff. From the small blind, Winter limped in with , and Seth Davies checked his option in the big blind with . On the flop, Winter bet 120,000, which Davies called unfazed. The action continued to the turn, where Winter upped the ante with a 200,000 bet, but Davies called after a thoughtful pause. Winter launched a final bluff of 720,000 on the river, leaving just 215,000 behind. After burning several time banks, Davies made a crucial hero call with the third pair, leaving Winter decimated as Davies collected the hefty pot.

Winter was left crippled and was eliminated in third place shortly after when his couldn’t beat Davies’ on a board that rolled out . Winter took home €616,600 for his deep run.

It’s heads-up for the Super High Roller title and €1,372,240 at #EPTBarcelona.

Kayhan Mokri (the defending champion) and Seth Davies are near level in chips as the battle gets under way.

Watch at https://t.co/SB357usSaR or https://t.co/ZarB0RN21O#EPT20 ♠️ pic.twitter.com/iKmQEojDl6

— PokerStars LIVE (@PokerStarsLIVE) September 2, 2024

Heads-up play began with Kayhan Mokri (5.19 Million) holding a slight chip lead over Seth Davies (5.06 Million). After an initial exchange of pots, the decisive hand unfolded. Davies limped in, Mokri raised to 600,000, and Davies called. The flop came . Mokri continued with a bet of 450,000, and Davies called. The turn brought the . Mokri checked, Davies bet 1.30 Million, and Mokri responded with an all-in shove. Davies snap-called, revealing for a two pair. However, Mokri had flopped a stunning set with . The on the river was the final nail in the coffin, securing Mokri his second consecutive EPT Barcelona Super High Roller title and a massive payday of €1,372,420!

It’s back to back #EPTBarcelona Super High Roller titles for Kayhan Mokri. 🏆 🏆

On just the second hand of heads-up play this cooler sealed the title for the Norwegian, who takes home €1,372,240. 👏 #EPT20 ♠️ pic.twitter.com/ECD9vGSG06

— PokerStars LIVE (@PokerStarsLIVE) September 2, 2024

Complete Results (EURO)

1. Kayhan Mokri – €1,372,240
2. Seth Davies – €895,000
3. Sean Winter – €616,600
4. Jesse Lonis – €457,400
5. Santhosh Suvarna – €358,000
6. Patrik Antonius – €278,400

Content & Images Courtesy: PokerStars & PokerNews

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