Kayhan Mokri Goes Back-To-Back In European Poker Tour Barcelona €100,000 High Roller

On Aug. 28, 2023 Kayhan Mokri took down the PokerStars European Poker Tour Barcelona €100,000 buy-in super high roller for $811,900. Just over a year later, the Norwegian managed to successfully defend that title, besting a turnout of 41 entries in the 2024 running to walk away with a new career-best score of $1,523,386.

Mokri now has more than $5.3 million in career tournament earnings, with nearly 44 percent of that total coming from his back-to-back wins in this tournament. His first recorded live cash was made less than two years ago, but he has managed to become a frequent competitor in some of the highest buy-in events on the circuit.

This win resulted in 600 Card Player Player of the Year points being added to Mokri’s tally. This was his second title and fourth final-table finish of 2024. With 2,136 points, he has climbed to 122nd place in the 2024 POY standings presented by Global Poker.

The 41-entry turnout this year, up from 18 in 2023, resulted in a prize pool of more than $4.4 million that was paid out among the top six finishers. 2024 Poker Hall of Fame inductee Patrik Antonius was the first to finish inside the money, earning $309,024 for his sixth final-table finish of the year.

Two-time bracelet winner Santhosh Suvarna finished fifth place, losing a race with A-Q against the pocket nines of Mokri to hit the rail with $397,380. This was the seventh final table showing of 2024 for Suvarna, who has cashed for nearly $7.1 million in POY earnings already.

Jesse Lonis was the next to fall, with his A-2 suited unable to outrun the K-Q of recent Super High Roller Bowl IX champion Seth Davies. Lonis earned $507,714 and 300 POY points for his 17th final table of the year. With 6,980 total points, he remains the third-ranked player on the 2024 POY leaderboard.

Davies picked off a big bluff attempt from Sean Winter to leave his fellow American poker pro short. He was eliminated shortly after that, earning $684,426 as the third-place finisher.

Heads-up play began with Mokri holding a slight lead over Davies. A cooler runout brought the event to an end, with the chips going in on a J985 board with Davies holding J9 for top two pair against the 55 of Mokri for a turned set. The 8 on the end was the wrong board pair for Davies, who was knocked out in second place. The $993,450 payday grew his career earnings to nearly $30.7 million. He also secured 500 POY points, moving him into 20th place in the rankings. Davies has made 13 final tables in 2024, with two titles won and more than $6 million in POY earnings accumulated along the way.

Here is a look at the payouts and POY points awarded at the final table:

Winner photo credit: Rational Intellectual Holdings Ltd. / Manuel Kovsca.