Michael ‘Texas Mike’ Moncek Wins Opening Event of 2025 PokerGO Cup 47396c

In 2024, the PokerGO Cup’s opening event garnered 131 total entries. An increase of 46 entries this year means that the series is already breaking records and with bigger events to come bodes well for big numbers throughout. With Event #1 costing $5,100 to play, stars of the felt such as Eric Baldwin, EPT and WSOP winner Stephen Song and the GPI double Female Player of the Year Cherish Andrews, it was one to watch from the first card to the last.

Erik Seidel Misses the Money 1l284h

With a prizepool of $885,000 to be divided between the final 27 players in the field, someone big was always going to bust, with a top-quality player in every seat at each of the four remaining tables. As it turned out, it was the 10-time WSOP bracelet winner and former 1988 Main Event runner-up Erik Seidel who busted in 28^th place for nothing, after his ace-queen lost out to Portuguese player Joao Simao’s ace-king, a nine-high board no help at all to Seidel’s survival hopes.

Once inside the money places, players dropped fast, with Martin Zamani (26^th for $8,850), Simao himself (17^th for $13,275) and Jess Vierling (14^th for $15,487) all missing out on the final dozen. Dylan Weisman cashed in 12^th for $17,700, before David Chen (9^th for $26,550) and Keith Lehr (8^th for $35,400) made it to the last nine but not the official seven-handed final table.

The eventual winner, Michael Moncek, otherwise known as ‘Texas Mike’, led the final table players into the action when play resumed on Thursday and got an early elimination to further increase his control of the table. Eric Baldwin started as one of the two shortest stacks and hoped his ace-king was good on a board showing K-8-4-A-T but with three clubs on board, Moncek’s eight-nine of clubs was good enough to send Baldwin to the rail to collect $35,400 in seventh place.

Full House for Andrews as Texas Mike Wobbles on Home Straight 4f5q1i

Down to just six players, it was Danny Qutami who left next, cashing for $44,250 when his pair of fours on the flop couldn’t hold against Michael Brinkenhoff’s miraculous ‘wheel’ that arrived after turn and river gave him a runner-runner straight to send play five-handed. Soon, Stephen Song was the short stack and the American, who has won an EPT Main Event, a WSOP bracelet event and a WPT Prime Championship, aimed to spin back into the reckoning for the top prize.

All-in with king-queen of diamonds, Song’s got there against Joey Weissman’s pocket deuces to double up, but a short time later, Song was on the rail with $53,100 in fifth place, after losing with ace-six of diamonds to the king-queen offsuit belonging to the 2025 Global Poker Index Player of the Year, Cherish Andrews, when a king on the flop reduced the field to four.

With four left, a huge hand played out as Andrews woke up with pocket jacks and Michael Moncek had ace-nine of spades. A levelling war went on as both players wouldn’t give an inch. Unfortunately for Moncek, he made a rivered straight only to lose to Andrews’ turned full house in a sensational conclusion to the hand on PokerGO:

Texas Mike Takes the Gold 3z3343

It was Michael Brinkenhoff who departed in fourth place for $66,375. He was unlucky to leave, too, as his ace-queen lost to Joey Weissman’s king-ten, a ten coming on the flop and no helpful cards arriving thereafter to save Brinkenhoff. Weissman was still the short stack at the felt, sitting on 3.65 million chips, some way behind both Cherish Andrews on 8.4 million and the chip leader with 10 million.

From being second in chips, Andrews slid to defeat in third place for $88,500. All-in with the best of it, her pocket eights lost to Moncek’s ace-four as the eventual winner got lucky to hit an ace on the flop and eliminate the in-form reigning GPI Female Player of the Year. That hand gave Moncek a massive 4:1 chip lead and he put it to an almost instant use.

Very soon after the final duel began, Moncek shoved with ace-ten of clubs. He was behind Weissman’s starting hand of pocket queens, but not for long, as an ace appeared on the flop again and no queens meant no hope for Weissman, who cashed for $123,900 as runner-up. That was impressive but not as great as Moncek’s $185,850 top prize, 484 PGT points, and the PokerGO Cup trophy. Texas Mike could celebrate, and he did so, as he name came up in lights on the screen behind the latest PokerGO champion in Las Vegas.