Who is Monarch, the Poker Player Who Lost $15,000,000?

In the 914th episode of the PokerNews Podcast, Chad Holloway and Mike Holtz are joined by Hayley Hanna (AKA Vegas Hayls), who is fresh off finishing fourth in the 2025 Arizona State Poker Championship. The trio discusses the sudden rise of Monarch, who is Finnish poker pro Ossi Ketola. While at the Onyx Cup in Cyprus, he challenged both Norway's Kayhan Mokri and Dan "Jungleman" Cates to high-stakes heads-up matches, and when all was said and done, Monarch was down eight figures!

From there, they talk about recent tournament winners, including Brandon Mitchell taking down the 2025 Arizona State Poker Championship for $525K, Jennifer Shahade winning the Women's Summer Festival, and both Jesse Lonis and Jeremy Ausmus winning over in Europe.

Other stories covered include the loss of Poker Hall of Famer Jack McClelland, a poker player robbed in Texas, Daniel Negreanu saying a Season 2 for Game of Gold is unlikely, and that goofball Nacho Barbero finishing another sponsorship opportunity.

Finally, remember PokerNews is giving away a seat in the World Tournament of Slots (WTOS). You could have an approximate one in 500 chance at a $1,000,000 top prize. Click here to learn more about the WToS.

A new PokerNews Podcast drops every Thursday at 8a PT / 11a ET / 4p UK time. Remember to subscribe to our YouTube channel so you do not miss an episode!

Time Stamps
*Time | Topic*
00:00 Welcome to the show
00:15 Hayley Hanna joins the show
02:12 Who is Monarch?
07:14 Seven-figure heads-up matches against Jungleman
11:25 2025 Arizona State Poker Championship
18:57 Hayley's bustout hand in 4th place
20:10 Brandon Mitchell wins title for $525K
21:45 Negreanu's AMA; no Game of Gold S2?
25:45 Nacho Barbero finds new sponsorship
27:25 Texas poker player robbed after big score
30:30 World Tournament of Slots giveaway
33:52 Hyundong Lee wins WPT Prime Taiwan Championship
34:23 PokerStars Ambassador Jennifer Shahade wins Women's Summer Festival
35:25 Marcus Dieleman wins Onyx SHRS PLO Championship
35:41 Daniel Rezaei wins $51K Onyx SHRS Championship
36:00 Jesse Lonis topples Phil Ivey en route to $1,745,625 payday
38:05 Jeremy Ausmus banks €318,606 at 2025 PokerStars EPT Barcelona Festival
40:05 Remembering Jack McClelland