It’s not the primary time Michael “Texas Mike” Moncek has shoved blind on the 2025 World Sequence of Poker, however on this event, the two-time bracelet winner had purpose to smile when the playing cards hit the felt.
Arguably matched solely by Martin Kahbrel by way of leisure worth up to now this summer season, the ultra-aggressive Moncek was all in for his event life within the $50K Excessive Curler PLO, regardless of not having checked out his playing cards.
In addition to making a behavior of shoving blind, Texas Mike has proven a equally fearless strategy in different excessive curler spots, with PokerNews not too long ago reporting on one other unconventional play throughout the tender bubble of the $25,000 Excessive Curler PLO/NLH Combined.
PokerNews’ Tyler Boyer was on the scene to seize the loopy second – try the clip beneath.
Texas Mike Goes All In Blind at WSOP, Runs into Jacks, Queens, Kings & Aces
Texas Mike Shoves Blind
Unfazed by the prospect of risking a $50K buy-in on a thriller hand, Michael Texas Mike shoved blind for his event life, shifting all in for 620,000, or about 40 large blinds.
We be part of the motion 3 ways within the $50K Excessive Curler PLO, with Bulgaria’s Veselin Karakitukov and Dutch professional Dirk Gerritse additionally within the hand. Karakitukov, at present ninth on Bulgaria’s all-time cash checklist, burned a time extension earlier than ultimately folding. That left Gerritse, who final-tabled the $100K PLO at 2025 Triton Jeju, heads-up and lined towards a very unknown vary.
Moncek then started peeling his gap playing cards one after the other, revealing A♣Ok♥Q♥J♥ whereas different gamers on the desk might be heard saying “Wow, that is hand!”
Gerritse, who was sitting subsequent to a smiling Erik Seidel, revealed his hand of A♠Q♦8♠7♠ to search out himself dominated preflop. As he stood up, Moncek stood too, laughing, “You rise up, I rise up!” prompting extra laughter from the desk.
The flop then ran out 3♠10♥2♣, providing little assist to both participant, earlier than a flip of 4♦ and three♣ gave Texas Mike the win with Ace-King excessive. Gerritse was despatched to the rail, the place he’d shortly rebuy, presumably considering his luck could not get any worse.
In the meantime, Moncek, who on the time of writing is 14th within the $50k Excessive Curler PLO with 1,850,000 chips (46 BB), shall be hoping for some continued rungood as he appears to be like to make Day 3 of one of many summer season’s marquee occasions.
As we close to the bubble, future Corridor of Famer Stephen Chidwick holds a commanding lead with a chip stack of 6,700,000 (168 BB), over double fellow two-time bracelet winner Allan Le in 2nd with 3,220,000 chips. Notable current bustouts embody Martin Kahbrel, Brian Rast, and Artur Martirosian in a subject that’s full of a few of the recreation’s best gamers.
You may observe all of the motion from the $50k Excessive Curler PLO on PokerNews, with dwell updates following the remainder of Day 2 and tomorrow’s scheduled closing day.
Eliot Thomas
Content material Govt
