Eric Blair Tops Red-Hot Joey Weissman To Win Latest PokerGO Cup Event

Joey Weissman has been on fireplace by the primary half of the 2025 PokerGO Cup. The poker professional based mostly out of Las Vegas has made it all the way down to heads-up in three of the 4 tournaments which have performed out to date on the eight-event competition, with one title and two runner-up finishes secured alongside the best way.

The most up-to-date top-two displaying noticed Weissman navigate his means by a area of 98 entries all the way down to the final two contenders in occasion no. 4, the third $10,000 buy-in no-limit maintain’em occasion on the schedule. In the top, longtime poker professional Eric Blair got here out on high on this occasion, incomes $254,800 because the champion.

This was the biggest reside rating but for Blair (pictured above), who has now amassed practically $3.1 million in match earnings throughout 324 profession cashes. His first recorded rating got here all the best way again in 2007.

Weissman secured $161,700 because the runner-up. He completed in the identical spot within the $5,000 kickoff occasion for $123,900, dropping heads-up towards Michael Moncek. The identical two contenders then rematched in occasion no. 2, which was the primary of 4 $10,000 buy-ins on the collection, with Weissman popping out on high the second time round with the trophy and $295,000. Weissman has now cashed for $580,600 to date this collection, giving him an enormous lead within the festival-long factors race.

The 98-entry turnout for this occasion constructed a $980,000 prize pool, with the highest 14 finishers making the cash. Only the highest six moved on to day 2 motion contained in the PokerGO Studio, with two-time bracelet winner Justin Saliba within the lead.

Justin Sternberg misplaced nearly all of his stack trying a multi-street bluff towards flopped journey aces for Weissman. He managed one double-up, however was quickly all-in and in danger once more with Ok-10 trailing the A-Ok of Saliba. Neither participant linked with the board and Sternberg was eradicated in sixth place ($49,000). This was the biggest match rating but for the Post Falls, ID resident.

Bracelet winner Aram Zobian was the subsequent to fall, together with his pocket fives dropping a race towards the A-J suited if a surging Saliba. A king-high runout gave Saliba a straight to earn the pot and the knockout. Zobian was awarded $68,600 because the fifth-place finisher. The 2018 WSOP fundamental occasion sixth-place finisher now has greater than $7.6 million in profession cashes to his identify.

Four-time World Poker Tour fundamental occasion champion Darren Elias had been hanging round on the brief stack for some time, however obtained his previous couple of blinds in with Q-9 going through the 8-4 suited of Eric Blair, who referred to as from the large blind. Elias flopped high pair, however Blair turned an eight-high straight to finish his run in fourth place ($88,200). This payday pushed his profession haul previous the $13.8 million mark.

A conflict of the pocket pairs noticed occasion no. 1 runner-up and occasion no. 2 champion Joey Weissman take an enormous chunk out of Saliba’s lead. Weissman’s pocket fives held up towards pocket threes for Saliba to significantly slim the hole between them.

Weissman had all however pulled right into a tie for the lead by the point the subsequent massive conflict arose. With blinds of 40,000-80,000 and an enormous blind ante of 80,000, Saliba raised to 175,000 on the button with 88 and Weissman three-bet to 900,000 from the large blind with QQ. Saliba referred to as and the flop got here down J75. Weissman checked and Saliba guess 350,000. Weissman check-called and the flip introduced the three and each gamers checked. The 10 river prompted a 650,000 guess from Weissman. Saliba referred to as and was proven the overpair of his opponent. With that Weissman jumped out into the lead, whereas Saliba’s stack took a large hit.

Saliba’ slide continued as three-handed play progressed. He ultimately was all-in with Ok4 trailing the AJ of Weissman. Weissman made jacks and tens with an ace kicker to win the pot and get rid of Saliba in third place. The $117,600 he secured for his displaying on this occasion elevated his lifetime earnings to just about $9.9 million.

Start-of-day chip chief Justin_Saliba</a> out in third place, and <a href="https://twitter.com/JoeyWeissman?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">JoeyWeissman is heads up as soon as once more on the PokerGO Cup.

Streaming on PokerGO. https://t.co/CSU1B3YoND pic.twitter.com/4POp0ghhfG

— PokerGO (@PokerGO) February 16, 2025

Weissman entered heads-up play with 7,675,000 to Blair’s 4,575,000. That lead had been narrowed to virtually nothing by the point the decisive hand of the match arose. Blair raised from the button with OkQ and four-bet shoved excessive of Weissman’s three-bet. Weissman referred to as with 88 and the board ran out Q104A5 and Blair doubled into a large lead. Weissman was left with only a single massive blind after the hand, and was eradicated moments later when Blair’s 6-2 suited made a profitable pair of deuces.

Weissman was awarded 450 Card Player Player of the Year factors because the runner-up. This was his sixth final-table end of the yr, together with the three top-two showings he’s managed at this collection. With 2,127 complete factors, he has now moved into first place within the 2025 POY race introduced by Global Poker. He’s additionally surged into the highest spot within the season-long PokerGO Tour rankings with 730 complete PGT factors.

Here is a have a look at the payouts and rankings factors awarded on the closing desk:

Photo credit score: PokerGO / Enrique Malfavon.