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Michael “Texas Mike” Moncek didn’t win PokerGO Cup Event #5: $10,100 No-Limit Hold’em. But he took third place in the 100-entrant tournament, continuing his dominance the past week against a series full of top pros.
The Texas Longhorns fanatic doesn’t like to be referred to as a “pro,” but he’s performing at an elite level against some of the best tournament players in the world despite battling heart conditions. Moncek has first, second, and third place finishes through five events at the PokerGO Studio in Las Vegas.
Here’s what’s even crazier: Moncek, despite the heater, isn’t even leading the PokerGO Cup standings. Joey Weissman leads the way thanks to a win in Event #2 and two runner-up finishes. Moncek and Weissman went heads-up in the first two events, each coming out victorious once. Perhaps, a rubber match is in store before the series concludes.
Moncek tweeted out a bit of alarming news prior to the start of Monday’s final table, which began at 1 p.m. PT. He informed his X followers that his ongoing heart issues were causing him problems again.
The two-time World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner didn’t let the health issues deter him from competing at a high level, however. But he couldn’t outlast Sergio Aido, who won the tournament for $255,000, beating Shannon Shorr heads-up on a juicy final hand.
Aido Secures First PokerGO Tour Win
Moncek began the final table in a familiar spot — chip leader. He reached that position thanks in large part to a massive bluff he pulled off against Aido on Day 1 with jack-high against a set of aces, convincing his opponent Moncek either had a straight or flush as both were possibilities.
Aido, however, didn’t let the misstep impact his overall result. He came into the six-player final table third in chips, not far off Moncek’s lead. The eventual champion moved into the chip lead early at the final table when he busted Brandon Wilson in sixth place ($50,000) with KxJx beating Ax8x by flopping trips.
2025 PokerGO Cup Event #5 Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sergio Aido | $255,000 |
| 2 | Shannon Shorr | $165,000 |
| 3 | Michael Moncek | $115,000 |
| 4 | Nick Schulman | $90,000 |
| 5 | Nick Seward | $65,000 |
| 6 | Brandon Wilson | $50,000 |
Aido would increase his lead shortly after when he clipped Nick Seward in fifth place ($65,000) after flopping a set against top pair. Moncek fought back and regained his chip lead, and would continue to hold it even after Shorr won a big pot to bust Nick Schulman in fourth place ($90,000) with an over pair holding up against a flopped bottom pair.
“Texas Mike’s” quest for a second win of the 2025 PokerGO Cup came to an abrupt end, and the downfall started by losing a race with 7x7x against Aido’s AxQx when an Ax hit on the flop. That dropped Moncek from chip lead to third in chips. Shorr would finish him off less than 10 minutes later when both players were all in chasing a flush draw on the flop, Shorr holding the bigger draw, however, and he’d hit the flush on the river to send Moncek home in third place ($115,000).
Shorr, a two-time WSOP bracelet winner, held better than a 2-1 chip advantage. But he found the most inopportune time to shove all in with five-high because Aido, who turned the nut flush, snap-called and doubled into the lead.
The flop on the final hand almost assured one player was either going to double-up or bust. Aido had A♠8♠, Shorr had 10♦6♦ and the flop came out A♦8♦7♣ with the blinds at 100,000/200,000. Aido, the big blind and preflop raiser, led for 325,000 with top two pair. His opponent, who flopped a straight and flush draw, called to see the 7♠ pair the board on the turn.
Aido continued his aggression and bet 900,000. Shorr then put his entire stack of 3,475,000 in the middle and received a call. The 2♣ on the river was a blank, and the tournament came to an end with Aido winning it for $255,000 and Shorr earning $165,000 for second place.
The PokerGO Tour’s second series of the year continued on Monday with Day 1 of Event #6: $15,100 No-Limit Hold’em. Nearly 90 players had registered at the time of publishing. Day 2, the final table, is set for 1 p.m. PT Tuesday on PokerGO.
2025 PokerGO Cup Schedule and Results
*Images courtesy of PokerGO.