Texas Mike kicked off his 2025 with a win in the first event of the PokerGO Cup, a $5,100 No Limit Hold’em tournament that attracted a respectable 177 entrants.
After earning his fame in the poker world for his performances in some of the biggest live-streamed poker games out there, Mike carried his love for the game over to the tournament tables.
He’s been a regular on the PokerGO Tour and in WSOP events, making quite a few deep runs in both high-stakes and mid-stakes events across the tours.
The most recent victory also means that Texas Mike is still winning in the battle against a heart condition he suffers from, as he was able to maintain the stamina through the event, something he has struggled with in the past.
A Dominant Day 1 Performance Sees Moncek Cruise to Victory
Mike’s victory in Event #1 of the 2025 PokerGO Cup came as a result of his outstanding performance on Day 1, which saw him make the final table as a dominant chip leader.
Known for his extremely loose and aggressive playing style, Mike was able to steamroll his opposition and build up a chip stack fitting of his reputation.
Never afraid to lose a big pot, Mike kept gaining momentum throughout Day 1, and ended up having enough chips at the final table to lose a few significant pots.
That never happened, however, as he started the final table right where he left off, eliminating Eric Baldwin in 7th place and sending him home with a payout of $35,400.
Danny Outami and Stephen Song left the tournament with $44,250 and $53,100 added to their bankrolls, before Mike confronted Cherish Andrews and lost his first big pot of the tournament.
Andrews slow-played her pocket Jacks before the flop, made a boat on the turn, and had the patience to wait out Moncek, who made a straight on the river and doubled her up.
Mike eventually managed to bust Andrews out in third place when a lucky Ace on the flop gave him the lead in a hand that saw both players put all the chips in preflop.
Texas Mike had one last obstacle to overcome, which was Joey Wisseman, arguably the most experience player at this table.
Wisseman had a lot of work cut out for him, as he held only 20% of the chips in play when heads up play started.
He would get his chance to double up with Q♥Q♣ against Mike’s A♠10♠. However, Mike once again spiked the Ace and made short work of his opponent.
Is Texas Mike a Poker Pro?
When asked, Texas Mike always repeats he doesn’t like to be called a poker professional, and his playing style would certainly indicate he isn’t one.
However, despite continually playing almost any two cards in any situation, Mike seemingly keeps getting results, both at the cash game tables and in tournaments.
Despite putting in very little volume, he’s been able to win two WSOP bracelets, a WSOPC ring, and has now added a PokerGO Cup title to his resume as well.
With many seasoned poker professionals still missing such accolades on their resumes, it is understandable that some wonder if there is a method to his madness.
Yet, a deeper look at his streamed cash game results paints a different picture, as Mike has lost nearly $2,000,000 playing just 50 hours of high-stakes cash games.
Despite all that, Mike has quickly built a following of fans in the poker world who enjoy his reckless playing style and his apparent lack of interest in money.
This playing style has even earned him a nomination for the “Most Entertaining Player” award at the Global Poker Awards, which will be broadcast on PokerGO on February 22.
Moncek Makes Another PokerGO Cup Final Table
At the time of publishing, Texas Mike is battling out on the final table of PokerGO Cup Event #2, which means he has a chance to win the two opening events of the prestigious festival.
Sitting second in chips at a final table that includes Hall of Famer Erik Seidel and professionals like Joey Wisseman and Andrew Lichtenberger, Moncek is chasing the $295,000 first-place prize and his second title of the Cup.
More than that, a strong finish here would put him in prime position to win the entire PokerGO Cup and join the ranks of Daniel Negreanu, Jeremy Ausmus, Cary Katz, and Jonathan Little, who have previously won the champion’s title.
Stay tuned for more updates from the PokerGO Cup, as we follow Texas Mike’s progress and the battle for Cup champion over all eight events of the series.
