ShareKayhan Mokri has taken down the EPT Barcelona €100,000 Super High Roller for €750,960 after defeating France’s Jean-Noel Thorel heads-up. The Norwegian takes his career live tournament winnings up to $3,213,375 after posting his first ever win.
Incredibly, Mokri didn’t cash in his first live tournament until March 2016 and until earlier this year a fifth place in a small Norwegian tournament was his best result.
But now a hot run has started, beginning in January at the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure, Mokri started posting fourths and seconds, including another fourth and runner up at this EPT Barcelona, and now he has a win.
“I’m taking this with me. Know how many heads-up matches I’ve lost.”
Mokri only signed up for the pro life in 2017, mainly focussing on cash games and even becoming somewhat of a regular in Bobby’s Room. It was only last year as the world moved on from the pandemic that he decided to switch across to tournaments.
A final table score for eighth place in the $262,500 No Limit Hold'em - Luxon Invitational three weeks ago earned him $860,000 which remains his best career score.
A Tough End to the Tournament
A final table with only four seats might have looked inviting for Kayhan Mokri but given who his opponents were it was never going to be easy.Steve O’Dwyer and Sam Grafton are as tough as they come and Frenchman Jean-Noel Thorel, while not at the elite level, is a regular in the high stakes tournament world and coming off a great run at Triton London.
But it was Grafton who was first to bust, quickly followed by O’Dwyer, leaving Thorel with close to a 3-1 lead over Mokri.
The Norwegian even lost half of his stack at the start of the heads-up battle but a couple of ace-high hero calls got him back into the fight and then a five-bet bluff shove gave him the lead he would never lose.
The final hand was as standard as they come. Mokri bet his pair of aces on the flop and Thorel jammed his straight and flush draws with both missing.
As great as it was to see Mokri break his duck, finally, we must feel at least something for Jean-Noel Thorel who has finished runner-up in the $250,000 Super High Roller at the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure and in the Triton London $125,000 NL. His time will come.
EPT Barcelona €100,000 Super High Roller Final Table Results
| 1 | Kayhan Mokri | €750,960 |
| 2 | Jean-Noel Thorel | €471,500 |
| 3 | Steve O'Dwyer | €314,300 |
| 4 | Sam Grafton | €209,600 |
