‘Texas Mike’ Wins First 2025 PokerGO Cup Event

A heart condition will not get in the best way of Michael “Texas Mike” Moncek, who gained one other poker match on Wednesday.

The poker participant who is not really a Texan however did attend the College of Texas took down the primary PokerGO Cup occasion of the collection, a $5,100 No-Restrict Maintain’em affair. Beating out 177 entrants contained in the PokerGO Studio in Las Vegas paid the Illinois native $185,850.

Excessive-Stakes Poker Crushers on the Ultimate Desk

Day 1 concluded on Tuesday with Moncek holding a large chip lead over the six different remaining gamers. These nonetheless with chips returned to motion for the livestreamed remaining desk on Day 2, and it was extra of the identical all through a lot of the session, with the Texas Longhorns fan extending his lead early by eliminating Eric Baldwin in seventh place ($35,400) with a rivered flush beating prime two pair.

2025 PokerGO Cup Occasion #1 Ultimate Desk Outcomes

Danny Qutami was then eradicated in sixth place ($44,250), and Stephen Music went out in fifth place ($53,100). Moncek’s dominance of the match, nevertheless, was placed on maintain for a bit when he doubled up Cherish Andrews in a monster pot.

Moncek raised to 500,000 from beneath the gun with A♠9♠, and Andrews known as with J♠J♣ within the small blind. The flop got here out J♦8♥7♠ and the preflop raiser continued with a 525,000 wager, to which his opponent known as.

When the 7♣ appeared on the flip,, it locked up the hand for Andrews, who had an unbeatable full home. She once more checked, after which simply known as a 1,200,000 wager. The 10♥ on the river was a brutal card for “Texas Mike” because it gave him a straight. Andrews checked one final time, and Moncek put her all in for two,775,000. She rapidly known as and the ultimate desk had a brand new chip chief for the primary time.

Moncek, a finalist for Most Entertaining Participant on the upcoming Global Poker Awards, would regain the lead after Weissman, who had been down to simply 5 huge blinds, doubled via Andrews.

Weissman, a World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner, continued his rise by taking Michael Brinkehoff out in fourth place ($66,375). Moncek would then lastly bust Andrews, the 2024 GPI Female Player of the Year, with a lucky flop that gave him a pair of aces in opposition to an all in opponent who had a medium pair.

Andrews, one of many rising stars within the high-stakes match scene the previous couple of years, obtained $88,500 for third place, which brings her above $2.8 million lifetime.

Moncek, one of the vital unpredictable gamers within the recreation together with his loose-aggressive gambler mentality, held a 4:1 chip lead when heads-up play started. The match lasted lower than 10 minutes Weissman known as an all in wager preflop with Q♥Q♣, the most effective hand on the time. However “Texas Mike’s” A♠10♠ would come from behind by flopping an ace to complete off the match for $185,850. Weissman secured $123,900 for his efforts.

Moncek, whose coronary heart issues are publicly recognized, continues to play any two playing cards with nice success. PokerGO commentator Brent Hanks referred to his fashion of play as “reckless however remarkably sound.”

The primary PokerGO Cup champion of the yr, who does not wish to be known as a professional, now has over $4 million in stay match cashes, which incorporates two WSOP bracelet and 4 World Series of Poker Circuit (WSOPC) rings.

PokerGO Cup motion continued Wednesday on the Las Vegas Strip with Day 1 of Occasion #2: $10,100 No-Restrict Maintain’em, which is ready to play right down to a winner on Thursday. The collection options eight NLH tournaments with buy-ins starting from $5,100 to the $25,200 finale on Feb. 19.

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*Photographs courtesy of PokerGO.