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

The kickoff occasion of the 2025 PokerGO Cup drew 177 entries, setting a document for the biggest subject in a PokerGO Tour owned and operated no-limit maintain’em occasion held contained in the PokerGO Studio at ARIA Resort & Casino Las Vegas. The robust turnout for the $5,000 buy-in event resulted in a prize pool of $885,000. While 27 gamers in the end earned a share, the biggest chunk was awarded to eventual champion Michael Moncek.

The two-time World Series of Poker bracelet winner, identified to many as ‘Texas Mike’, walked away with $185,850 for the win. He is now approaching $4.2 million in profession earnings, with seven complete event titles to his title.

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 % 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 event. He min-raised to 200,000 with AOkay from the hijack and Moncek known as from the massive blind with 98. The flop got here down Okay84 and Moncek check-called 150,000 with center pair. The A 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 ten 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).

Top two no good for basebaldy</a> after <a href="https://twitter.com/TexasMike2014?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">TexasMike2014 backdoors a flush.

Stream the PokerGO Cup on PokerGO. https://t.co/zLEI0mOXwC pic.twitter.com/RMR28GIMIQ

— PokerGO (@PokerGO) February 12, 2025

Danny Qutami was the subsequent to hit the rail. He obtained his final handful of massive blinds in on a Q43 flop with Okay4 going through the 75 of Michael Brinkenhoff. The A flip stored Qutami within the lead, however the 2 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 most important occasion champion Stephen Song because the clear quick stack. Song managed a double-up as effectively, giving himself some much-needed respiratory room.

Despite that truth, Song was in the end eradicated in fifth place ($53,100). He misplaced a giant chunk of his stack with prime pair of kings towards the jacks and fours of Moncek. He then obtained his final 10 or so huge blinds in calling off with A6 from the massive blind going through a small-blind shove from Andrews, who held OkayQ. A king-high runout catapulted Andrews right into a digital three-way tie for second within the chip counts on the time, whereas Song grew his profession earnings to almost $9.3 million because of this, his 281st recorded event money.

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

It simply retains getting higher for @CherishAndrews on this one.

Stream the PokerGO Cup on PokerGO. https://t.co/zLEI0mOXwC pic.twitter.com/cfxINUoq2p

— PokerGO (@PokerGO) February 12, 2025

Moncek had regained the highest spot by the point the subsequent bustout happened, although. Joey Weissman made a committing increase with Okay10 and known as the shove of Brinkenhoff, who moved all-in for barely greater than the preliminary increase out of the small blind with AQ. The board got here down 109789 and Brinkenhoff was despatched packing in fourth place ($66,375).

Not lengthy after that, Andrews opened with 88 from the small blind and known as off for simply shy of 32 huge blinds complete going through a three-bet shove from Moncek, who held A4. The A75J7 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 arms into the match, Weissman raised with QQ on the button and snap-called when Moncek three-bet shoved with A10. The flop got here down A63 to see Moncek surge into the lead. The 2 on the flip left Weissman in want of a queen on the river in an effort to prolong the battle. Instead, the ultimate card was the ten, 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 is a have a look at the payouts and POY factors awarded on the ultimate desk:

Photo credit: PokerGO / Antonio Abrego.