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Michael ‘Texas Mike’ Moncek Tops Record Field In PokerGO Cup Kickoff Event

The kickoff event of the 2025 PokerGO Cup drew 177 entries, setting a file for the most important area in a PokerGO Tour owned and operated no-limit maintain’em occasion held contained in the PokerGO Studio at ARIA Resort & On line casino Las Vegas. The sturdy turnout for the $5,000 buy-in match resulted in a prize pool of $885,000. Whereas 27 gamers in the end earned a share, the most important chunk was awarded to eventual champion Michael Moncek.

The 2-time World Sequence of Poker bracelet winner, recognized to many as ‘Texas Mike’, walked away with $185,850 for the win. He’s now approaching $4.2 million in profession earnings, with seven whole match titles to his identify.

This victory additionally got here with loads of rankings factors for Moncek. The 624 Card Player Player of the Year factors he earned moved him into 84th place within the 2025 POY standings offered by Global Poker. He additionally shot into twelfth place within the season-long PGT race with 186 factors and is understandably the early chief within the PokerGO Cup sequence rankings.

Moncek was the chip chief on the finish of day 1, with 37 p.c of the whole chips in play with seven contenders remaining.

Two-time bracelet winner Eric Baldwin was the primary to fall on day 2, with a brutal runout spelling the tip of his match. He min-raised to 200,000 with ASpade SuitOkDiamond Suit from the hijack and Moncek known as from the large blind with 9Club Suit8Club Suit. The flop got here down OkHeart Suit8Heart Suit4Club Suit and Moncek check-called 150,000 with center pair. The AClub Suit flip gave Baldwin prime two whereas Moncek picked up a flush draw to go together with his pair of eights. He check-called once more, this time to the tune of 575,000. The river introduced the tenClub Suit to finish Moncek’s flush and he moved all-in, an efficient guess of 1,550,000. Baldwin made the decision together with his aces up and was eradicated in seventh place ($35,400).

Danny Qutami was the following to hit the rail. He received his final handful of huge blinds in on a QDiamond Suit4Diamond Suit3Heart Suit flop with OkClub Suit4Spade Suit going through the 7Diamond Suit5Diamond Suit of Michael Brinkenhoff. The ASpade Suit flip saved Qutami within the lead, however the 2Club Suit on the tip gave Brinkenhoff the wheel and the knockout. Qutami earned $44,250 because the sixth-place finisher.

Bracelet winner Cherish Andrews doubled up early in five-handed motion with pocket aces, leaving fellow bracelet winner and reigning European Poker Tour Barcelona predominant occasion champion Stephen Song because the clear quick stack. Tune managed a double-up as nicely, giving himself some much-needed respiratory room.

Regardless of that truth, Tune was in the end eradicated in fifth place ($53,100). He misplaced an enormous chunk of his stack with prime pair of kings in opposition to the jacks and fours of Moncek. He then received his final 10 or so large blinds in calling off with ADiamond Suit6Diamond Suit from the large blind going through a small-blind shove from Andrews, who held OkDiamond SuitQSpade Suit. A king-high runout catapulted Andrews right into a digital three-way tie for second within the chip counts on the time, whereas Tune grew his profession earnings to almost $9.3 million due to this, his 281st recorded match money.

Andrews then doubled up in an enormous pot, along with her jacks stuffed with sevens besting the jack-high straight of Moncek to see her overtake the lead for a time.

Moncek had regained the highest spot by the point the following bustout came about, although. Joey Weissman made a committing increase with OkClub Suit10Club Suit and known as the shove of Brinkenhoff, who moved all-in for barely greater than the preliminary increase out of the small blind with AClub SuitQSpade Suit. The board got here down 10Spade Suit9Spade Suit7Spade Suit8Heart Suit9Diamond Suit and Brinkenhoff was despatched packing in fourth place ($66,375).

Not lengthy after that, Andrews opened with 8Spade Suit8Club Suit from the small blind and known as off for simply shy of 32 large blinds whole going through a three-bet shove from Moncek, who held AClub Suit4Heart Suit. The ADiamond Suit7Diamond Suit5Club SuitJDiamond Suit7Heart Suit runout gave Moncek aces up for the win. Andrews earned $88,500 for her efforts, rising her lifetime haul to almost $3.1 million within the course of.

Heads-up play started with Moncek holding greater than a 3.5:1 chip lead over Weissman. The ultimate showdown didn’t final very lengthy. Just a few palms into the match, Weissman raised with QHeart SuitQClub Suit on the button and snap-called when Moncek three-bet shoved with ASpade Suit10Spade Suit. The flop got here down AClub Suit6Heart Suit3Heart Suit to see Moncek surge into the lead. The twoDiamond Suit on the flip left Weissman in want of a queen on the river with the intention to lengthen the battle. As an alternative, the ultimate card was the tenDiamond Suit, giving him aces up and the title. Weissman was awarded $123,900 because the runner-up. The bracelet winner’s profession earnings at the moment are only a bit shy of $8 million.

Here’s a take a look at the payouts and POY factors awarded on the closing desk:

Place Participant Earnings POY Factors PGT Factors
1 Michael Moncek $185,850 624 186
2 Joey Weissman $123,900 520 124
3 Cherish Andrews $88,500 416 89
4 Michael Brinkenhoff $66,375 312 66
5 Stephen Tune $53,100 260 53
6 Danny Ayman Qutami $44,250 208 44
7 Eric Baldwin $35,400 156 35

Picture credit: PokerGO / Antonio Abrego.

 

 

 

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