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A heart condition won’t get in the way of Michael “Texas Mike” Moncek, who won another poker tournament on Wednesday.
The poker player who isn’t actually a Texan but did attend the University of Texas took down the first PokerGO Cup event of the series, a $5,100 No-Limit Hold’em affair. Beating out 177 entrants inside the PokerGO Studio in Las Vegas paid the Illinois native $185,850.
High-Stakes Poker Crushers at the Final Table
Day 1 concluded on Tuesday with Moncek holding a sizable chip lead over the six other remaining players. Those still with chips returned to action for the livestreamed final table on Day 2, and it was more of the same throughout much of the session, with the Texas Longhorns fan extending his lead early by eliminating Eric Baldwin in seventh place ($35,400) with a rivered flush beating top two pair.
2025 PokerGO Cup Event #1 Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michael Moncek | $185,850 |
| 2 | Joey Weissman | $123,900 |
| 3 | Cherish Andrews | $88,500 |
| 4 | Michael Brinkenhoff | $66,375 |
| 5 | Stephen Song | $53,100 |
| 6 | Danny Qutami | $44,250 |
| 7 | Eric Baldwin | $35,400 |
Danny Qutami was then eliminated in sixth place ($44,250), and Stephen Song went out in fifth place ($53,100). Moncek’s dominance of the tournament, however, was put on hold for a bit when he doubled up Cherish Andrews in a monster pot.
Moncek raised to 500,000 from under the gun with A♠9♠, and Andrews called with J♠J♣ in the small blind. The flop came out J♦8♥7♠ and the preflop raiser continued with a 525,000 bet, to which his opponent called.
When the 7♣ appeared on the turn,, it locked up the hand for Andrews, who had an unbeatable full house. She again checked, and then just called a 1,200,000 wager. The 10♥ on the river was a brutal card for “Texas Mike” as it gave him a straight. Andrews checked one last time, and Moncek put her all in for 2,775,000. She quickly called and the final table had a new chip leader for the first time.
Moncek, a finalist for Most Entertaining Player at the upcoming Global Poker Awards, would regain the lead after Weissman, who had been down to just five big blinds, doubled through Andrews.
Weissman, a World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner, continued his rise by taking Michael Brinkehoff out in fourth place ($66,375). Moncek would then finally bust Andrews, the 2024 GPI Female Player of the Year, with a fortunate flop that gave him a pair of aces against an all in opponent who had a medium pair.
Andrews, one of the rising stars in the high-stakes tournament scene the past couple of years, received $88,500 for third place, which brings her above $2.8 million lifetime.
Moncek, one of the most unpredictable players in the game with his loose-aggressive gambler mentality, held a 4:1 chip lead when heads-up play began. The match lasted less than 10 minutes Weissman called an all in bet preflop with Q♥Q♣, the best hand at the time. But “Texas Mike’s” A♠10♠ would come from behind by flopping an ace to finish off the tournament for $185,850. Weissman secured $123,900 for his efforts.
Moncek, whose heart problems are publicly known, continues to play any two cards with great success. PokerGO commentator Brent Hanks referred to his style of play as “reckless but remarkably sound.”
The first PokerGO Cup champion of the year, who doesn’t like to be referred to as a pro, now has over $4 million in live tournament cashes, which includes two WSOP bracelet and four World Series of Poker Circuit (WSOPC) rings.
PokerGO Cup action continued Wednesday on the Las Vegas Strip with Day 1 of Event #2: $10,100 No-Limit Hold’em, which is set to play down to a winner on Thursday. The series features eight NLH tournaments with buy-ins ranging from $5,100 to the $25,200 finale on Feb. 19.
Health > Wealth: Texas Mike Questions Stamina After “4-Bet Jam Nuclear Punt” in $100K
*Images courtesy of PokerGO.