Joey Weissman has been on hearth via the primary half of the 2025 PokerGO Cup. The poker professional primarily based out of Las Vegas has made it all the way down to heads-up in three of the 4 tournaments which have performed out to date on the eight-event pageant, with one title and two runner-up finishes secured alongside the best way.
The newest top-two displaying noticed Weissman navigate his approach via a discipline of 98 entries all the way down to the final two contenders in occasion no. 4, the third $10,000 buy-in no-limit maintain’em occasion on the schedule. In the long run, longtime poker professional Eric Blair got here out on prime on this occasion, incomes $254,800 because the champion.
This was the most important reside rating but for Blair (pictured above), who has now collected almost $3.1 million in match earnings throughout 324 profession cashes. His first recorded rating got here all the best way again in 2007.
Weissman secured $161,700 because the runner-up. He completed in the identical spot within the $5,000 kickoff occasion for $123,900, shedding heads-up in opposition to Michael Moncek. The identical two contenders then rematched in occasion no. 2, which was the primary of 4 $10,000 buy-ins on the collection, with Weissman popping out on prime the second time round with the trophy and $295,000. Weissman has now cashed for $580,600 to date this collection, giving him a giant lead within the festival-long factors race.
The 98-entry turnout for this occasion constructed a $980,000 prize pool, with the highest 14 finishers making the cash. Solely the highest six moved on to day 2 motion contained in the PokerGO Studio, with two-time bracelet winner Justin Saliba within the lead.
Justin Sternberg misplaced nearly all of his stack trying a multi-street bluff in opposition to flopped journey aces for Weissman. He managed one double-up, however was quickly all-in and in danger once more with Ok-10 trailing the A-Ok of Saliba. Neither participant linked with the board and Sternberg was eradicated in sixth place ($49,000). This was the most important match rating but for the Submit Falls, ID resident.
Bracelet winner Aram Zobian was the following to fall, along with his pocket fives shedding a race in opposition to the A-J suited if a surging Saliba. A king-high runout gave Saliba a straight to earn the pot and the knockout. Zobian was awarded $68,600 because the fifth-place finisher. The 2018 WSOP important occasion sixth-place finisher now has greater than $7.6 million in profession cashes to his title.
4-time World Poker Tour important occasion champion Darren Elias had been hanging round on the quick stack for some time, however acquired his previous few blinds in with Q-9 going through the 8-4 suited of Eric Blair, who referred to as from the massive blind. Elias flopped prime pair, however Blair turned an eight-high straight to finish his run in fourth place ($88,200). This payday pushed his profession haul previous the $13.8 million mark.
A conflict of the pocket pairs noticed occasion no. 1 runner-up and occasion no. 2 champion Joey Weissman take a giant chunk out of Saliba’s lead. Weissman’s pocket fives held up in opposition to pocket threes for Saliba to significantly slim the hole between them.
Weissman had all however pulled right into a tie for the lead by the point the following huge conflict arose. With blinds of 40,000-80,000 and a giant blind ante of 80,000, Saliba raised to 175,000 on the button with 8
8
and Weissman three-bet to 900,000 from the massive blind with QQ. Saliba referred to as and the flop got here down J
75. Weissman checked and Saliba wager 350,000. Weissman check-called and the flip introduced the three and each gamers checked. The ten
river prompted a 650,000 wager from Weissman. Saliba referred to as and was proven the overpair of his opponent. With that Weissman jumped out into the lead, whereas Saliba’s stack took a large hit.
Saliba’ slide continued as three-handed play progressed. He finally was all-in with Ok4 trailing the AJ of Weissman. Weissman made jacks and tens with an ace kicker to win the pot and remove Saliba in third place. The $117,600 he secured for his displaying on this occasion elevated his lifetime earnings to just about $9.9 million.
Begin-of-day chip chief Justin_Saliba</a> out in third place, and <a href=”https://twitter.com/JoeyWeissman?ref_src=twsrcpercent5Etfw”>JoeyWeissman is heads up as soon as once more on the PokerGO Cup.
Streaming on PokerGO. https://t.co/CSU1B3YoND pic.twitter.com/4POp0ghhfG
— PokerGO (@PokerGO) February 16, 2025
Weissman entered heads-up play with 7,675,000 to Blair’s 4,575,000. That lead had been narrowed to virtually nothing by the point the decisive hand of the match arose. Blair raised from the button with OkQ and four-bet shoved excessive of Weissman’s three-bet. Weissman referred to as with 88 and the board ran out Q104A5 and Blair doubled into an enormous lead. Weissman was left with only a single huge blind after the hand, and was eradicated moments later when Blair’s 6-2 suited made a profitable pair of deuces.
Weissman was awarded 450 Card Participant Participant of the 12 months factors because the runner-up. This was his sixth final-table end of the yr, together with the three top-two showings he’s managed at this collection. With 2,127 complete factors, he has now moved into first place within the 2025 POY race offered by International Poker. He’s additionally surged into the highest spot within the season-long PokerGO Tour rankings with 730 complete PGT factors.
Here’s a take a look at the payouts and rankings factors awarded on the closing desk:
Place
Participant
Earnings
POY Factors
PGT Factors
1
Eric Blair
$254,800
540
255
2
Joey Weissman
$161,700
450
162
3
Justin Saliba
$117,600
360
118
4
Darren Elias
$88,200
270
88
5
Aram Zobian
$68,600
225
69
6
Justin Sternberg
$49,000
180
49
Photograph credit score: PokerGO / Enrique Malfavon.
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