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No, you weren’t experiencing deja vu on Thursday at the PokerGO Cup when Michael “Texas Mike” Moncek and Joey Weissman battled heads-up for the title in Event #2: $10,100 No-Limit Hold’em.
The same two players finished first and second place on Wednesday in Event #1: $5,100 No-Limit Hold’em, with Moncek taking it down. This time around, it was Weissman coming out victorious for $295,000.
Weissman, Moncek Play Heads-Up Poker Again
The final table in the second event of the series at the PokerGO Studio in Las Vegas was similar but different than the opener. Event #2, which had 118 entrants and a $1,180,000 prize pool, was a grueling battle on Day 2, whereas the final table in Event #1 only lasted a couple hours.
Anthony Hu was eliminated quickly in seventh place ($47,200). But it would take a few hours before another elimination. PokerGO commentator Jeff Platt mentioned during the livestream that seven consecutive at-risk players won an all in bet before Andrew Lichtenberger busted in sixth place ($59,000).
2025 PokerGO Cup Event #2 Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Joey Weissman | $295,000 |
| 2 | Michael Moncek | $182,900 |
| 3 | Erik Seidel | $129,800 |
| 4 | Andrew Moreno | $100,300 |
| 5 | Sam Laskowitz | $76,700 |
| 6 | Andrew Lichtenberger | $59,000 |
| 7 | Anthony Hu | $47,200 |
Moncek, for the second straight day, was the star of the show for his unpredictable style of play. He pulled off a brilliant bluff with J♠10♦ on a board of A♦7♠10♠3♠K♣. The Illinois native who attended the University of Texas raised enough to put Weissman, who had A♦3♥, all in and convinced his new rival to fold aces-up.
Had Weissman called, “Texas Mike” would have dropped to one of the shortest stacks. The multiple-time World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner, instead, moved back into the chip lead.
Poker Hall of Famer Erik Seidel, who sat quietly waiting for his time to make a move, took out Sam Laskowitz in fifth place ($76,700) with AxKx holding up against AxQx. If there’s any consolation for Laskowitz, his partner was expected to have the couple’s baby on Thursday.
Andrew Moreno, who clawed his way back from the short stack, was also eliminated by Seidel in fourth place ($100,300) when he lost a race. Seidel, however, ran out of steam against Moncek when Jx9x couldn’t outdraw Jx10x. The 11-time WSOP bracelet winner exited the tournament in third place ($100,300).
That left Weissman and Moncek heads-up for the second straight day, and the latter held a slight chip advantage. “Texas Mike” would quickly increase his stack to double that of his opponent’s, right up until the competitors went all in preflop with Moncek holding Kx4x and Weissman playing Ax10x. The best hand held up and the Event #1 runner-up had a big lead.
There was more at stake in this match than the $102,100 discrepancy between first and second place. A number of players in the PokerGO Cup have a $50,000 winner-take-all side pool going to the player who finishes with the most series points. Two wins in the first two events would make it difficult for anyone to catch Moncek for the side pool and also the PokerGO Cup title.
The heads-up match would shift back in Moncek’s direction. He began taking down seemingly every pot for a considerable amount of time before gaining more than a 2:1 edge. But Weissman would double up and once again even the score. He’d pull further ahead and then, following a 10-minute break, finish off the revenge from Wednesday when his KxJx held against Kx2x. Moncek received $182,900 for second place, while the winner secured a $295,000 payday.
Event #3: $10,100 No-Limit Hold’em kicked off Thursday at the PokerGO Studio. The final table is set for 1 p.m. PT Friday on PokerGO.
*Images courtesy of PokerGO.