KKPoker ambassador Jon Kyte headed to Paris for the PokerStars EPT and Bratislava for the Poker North Masters & Norwegian Championship 2026! It was two weeks full of ups and downs, but ending in the best way, with a new title!
Read on to see Jon’s live poker adventures and key hands!
Patience in Paris
As KKPoker community members will be well aware, Jon’s poker expertise goes far beyond No-Limit Texas Hold’em. So, on Day 1 of the event, he jumped into the €2200 PLO tournament. However, it was not the best of starts for the former EPT PLO champion.
“I busted the first bullet JTT8<AA55 on 873 rainbow. Around 44% equity in a 3-bet pot where my opponent c-bet 3-ways, the other player folds, and I jam.” said Jon.
“Then, in the 2nd bullet I busted AA65<AQJ8 all-in pre-flop.”
Next up was the €1650 Pokerstars Open Main Event. This was another event that Jon was extremely familiar with, as in April 2025, he went the distance in Monte Carlo for the champion’s trophy and a cool €340,000!
In that event, Jon had battled through a mammoth field of just under 2,400 entries. Six months later, he achieved 71st place in Barcelona and cashed in the Malta event just eight weeks later. Needless to say, Jon went into the event with confidence.
In Day 1C, a classic flip after the late registration period had ended sent Jon to the rail, 55<AQo.
After a pit stop at one of Jon’s favorite restaurants in Paris, Da Franco, there was still time to enter Day 1D from Level 6, and two notable hands occurred.
Hand 1
Jon: AK♥️♥️ (LJ) Raise to 2K @ 1K BB | BTN & BB call | Flop: KJ7 ♣️♣️♥️
Jon continued for 3,300 & only the BB called.
Turn: 3♥️ | Check, Check
River: 2♥️ | Nut Flush for Jon | After a Check, Jon moved all-in 29.7K and received a call from K5♦️♦️.
Hand 2
Jon: AJ♦️♥️ (BB). SB Limps for 1,500, and calls after Jon raised to 5,500 | 854♥️♥️♥️ | Check, Check.
Turn: J♠️ | Jon bet 6,500 and was called.
River: 3♣️ | Holding Top Pair Top Kicker, Jon moved all in for 29,000 and was called by 84♦️♦️(Two Pair), which knocked his stack down to 20,000 (12BB).
And with the money bubble fast approaching, Jon moved his short stack into the middle holding A8 suited, but unfortunately ran into AA and was eliminated.
Turbo Time
When playing live multi-day poker tournaments or events, it’s recommended to follow a routine for consistency. Jon is a player who likes to enjoy his time away from the tables by hanging out with friends, exploring the city, or simply relaxing. Ahead of his second day, Jon prepared with breakfast and a shopping trip for the essentials.
On Day 1E of the Open Main Event, Jon found a situation where he could use his position to his advantage, hoping that maximum pressure would pay off!
With Day 1F Turbo Flight Jon’s final shot at making Day 2, he arrived at the table with 60BB on 20-minute reduced Blind Levels.
An almost instant double-up came when JJ held against 66, before a huge pot occurred. Jon limped in the SB with A6o, and his BB opponent put him all in, which he called! The pot was 235K, worth almost eight starting stacks, and he was up against KJo.
However, Jon’s luck showed no signs of changing, as his opponent connected with the board to win the pot and eliminate him.
Ticket Chances
There’s often debate over whether poker is a sport. The IMSA officially recognizes poker and lists it among officially recognized mind sports, but the debate continues to be prevalent. As Jon prepared for his next sporting battle, he got in the zone by watching the Winter Olympics, which were held in neighboring Italy.
In an attempt to move on from the Open Main Event bad beats, Jon entered a higher buy-in tournament and switched formats to PLO.
Jon’s first notable hand came when he was all-in with AT95♠️♥️♥️♠️ vs AA64♥️♦️♦️♠️ on KJ7♥️♦️♥️, but was unable to win.
A second bullet seemed to be faring better, especially winning an all-in with top two vs bottom two and a flush draw. But then it was another cold deck situation!
A742♠️♦️♠️♦️ V K396♠️♠️♥️♣️ on 964♠️♠️♦️. It was an exact coin flip!
“Then the same opponent busted me when my hand blocked the nuts, and I had 8 outs, but we couldn’t hit,” said Jon.
A max late registration into the EPT Cup for 20BBs didn’t go to plan, as JJ couldn’t hold against AKo, before a chance to get a cheaper entry into the €5300 Main Event.
“I jumped into a €1155 Target satellite. You need to go from 10K to 50K to win a Main Event seat. After getting up to 47K three times, I finally got a ticket winning 44>AKs!”
Main Event
The next day, Jon once again took a keen interest in his nation’s Olympic performance and cheered on during breakfast as Norway took 2nd & 4th in the 50K Cross Country Classic Skiing.
Visiting major cities for live poker means the event is often in the heart of the action. In Paris, this allowed Jon to take in sights of famous landmarks such as the Arc de Triomphe before he jumped back into the poker action, hoping for his own triumph.
However, three buy-ins later, he was back to sightseeing.
“On the second buy-in, I lost a big hand with A9<T9 on 87654♥️♥️♦️♦️♣️ , then in the Turbo Flight, I 4-bet jammed K7s and got called by 99.“
Jon’s evening was spent with friends watching sport in a local pub, before a run to the Eiffel Tower in the rain.
“I wanted to get the frustration out and get ready for the Main Event the day after :)” added Jon.
Here are some key hands from the Main Event Day 1A before Jon was once again successful in the Target Stack Satellite.
In December 2023, Jon achieved his biggest live poker result to date by finishing runner-up in the EPT Prague Main Event for a massive €643,000! His history in this event series meant he was determined to keep going.
The Day 1 flight got off to a good start for Jon, as he won several pots to increase his stack before a big hand was played.
Jon: AJo in BB
BU open raised, SB 3-bet, Jon 4-bet and only the SB called.
Flop: 883. Jon c-bet small, and received a call.
Turn: K, Jon again bet small, and his opponent called.
River: 9, Jon moved all in. His opponent called with AK.
“I moved all-in as I didn’t think he would simply call my 4-bet with AK pre-flop, but he did.”
Jon’s luck against dominated holdings didn’t change later in the flight; as AQ lost to AK, and A5 was no good against AQ, which meant he was eliminated.
In the evening Turbo tournament, Jon came close to his first cash of the series, but a brutal River card came when holding Pocket Aces!
Mystery Bounty
On Day 7, Jon had the opportunity to play the popular €3250 Mystery Bounty tournament.
Mystery Bounty has become quite a popular tournament format in online and live poker over the past few years, mainly due to the excitement and anticipation of the chance to win big prizes by eliminating an opponent during the ITM stage.
Jon already has 13 MB cashes, including victory at CAPT Million Baden, 3rd place at the Irish Poker Open, and 13th for €19,000 at EPT Barcelona.
Jon’s first two bullets, however, didn’t go to plan once again, including an elimination when holding 53 vs J8 on J54-2-X.
Jon returned the next day and fared much better. And got his first non-satellite cash of the trip.
However, another hand against 33 ended his run in 81/782.
There was still time for a celebratory Tomahawk Steak dinner with his friends before joining the €1K PLO, with Jon and all his friends ending the night in a good way by advancing to Day 2.
Final Chance in Paris
On the morning of the final day of tournament action in Paris, Jon and his friends met for an early breakfast before they all took their seats in the PLO Day 2 at Midday.
Jon once again showed his PLO prowess to advance into the money places; unfortunately, the rest of his PLO crew had been eliminated. But an earlier hand could have given Jon a huge chip stack increase!
Both players were all-in on the Flop, holding a Set. Jon with JJ88 v AA77 on 876. However, a brutal 7 on the Turn gave his opponent Quads, and Jon couldn’t find an 8 on the River.
Ultimately, Jon ended in 24th place for €2,390.
It wasn’t to be at EPT Paris for Jon, despite his previous grand success in similar events.
Norwegian Championship
After a few days of relaxation, Jon travelled to Bratislava for the Poker North Masters & Norwegian Championship 2026. With many of the events open only to Norwegian players, it was a chance for the community to come together.
Jon was able to put his Paris results behind him, and achieved three final tables, taking 6th, 2nd and 1st place!
Follow Jon on social media to see more from his poker adventures, including strategy and tips!
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