It may have started last week, but the 2026 PokerGO Cup has a long way to go before it crowns its overall champion. The $3,000 Showcase and three one-day $5,000 tournaments took up space in the PokerGO Studios at ARIA in Las Vegas last week, but this week is when the real action begins. In the first of five $10,000 tournaments, Michael Berk outlasted Landon Tice to win Event #5 on the 2026 PokerGO Cup schedule, taking home a $207,000 payday and the Cup for his efforts.
Tice Fires Out of the Gate
A surprisingly low 69 entries came out on Monday for the start of action in Event #5 of the 2026 PokerGO Cup, and by the time the final table was set, only six men were in the running for the title. Tice was holding court as the chip leader, while Berk was coming after him. The other stacks on the felt, Qinghai Pan, Sean Winter, Chris Hunichen, and Sam Laskowitz behind them, were on the short side (Pan was the only one with over twenty big blinds), and they needed to make some moves early on the final table to have any effect on the outcome.
Those moves would not work out, at least for a couple of the players.
Winter took out Laskowitz on the first hand of action, calling Laskowitz’s all-in (A-6) with pocket fours and flopping the world on the Q-Q-4 flop. Laskowitz had no pathway to victory in the hand and, just as quickly as he arrived at the final table, he departed in sixth place. Tice would enter a race with Pan, his pocket sevens up against Pan’s Big Slick, and a seven on the flop ended any discussion about a comeback by Pan in fifth place. Berk looked to keep pace with Tice, ending Hunichen’s tournament in fourth place when his pocket fives survived against the A-8 of ‘Big Huni,’ and less than twenty minutes into the final table, only a trio of players were left to decide the champion.
This is the point where Berk seized control of the event. After Tice expertly lost only a small part of his stack against Berk to lose the lead, he would lose even more on the very next hand. Tice had been able to pick up some blinds and antes to reestablish his lead, but he would limp on a blind-versus-blind battle against Berk with a J♠ 6♠. Berk knuckled the felt with his Q♦ 3♦, and the players went to the flop.
There was a King on the K-9-3♠ flop but, more importantly, the trey was what Berk was interested in. It gave him bottom pair and enough to call a bet from Tice. The heat intensified on the turn with a Q♠, giving Berk two pair and giving Tice a draw to the flush. Tice checked and, after Berk bet out, Tice pounded the pot with an overbet of 800K. Calmly, Berk made the call, and the duo was off to the river.
The 5♦ did nothing to change the situation, but it did not stop Tice from firing at the pot again. A 1.3 million bet hit the pot and Berk, mulling his options, decided that Tice wasn’t telling a complete story. He made the call and, after Tice showed his complete air, Berk unveiled his two pair to scoop up the two million-plus pot, the chip lead, and sent Tice to the basement.
Berk Strikes Back
The threesome would take a break and, after reconvening, it only took fifteen minutes to determine the winner (perhaps an undisclosed deal?). Winter would bust out to Berk in third place, his A-4 falling to Berk’s Q-8 after a Queen appeared on the flop. Berk, staked to a 3:1 lead over Tice, made short work of his opponent, only taking two hands to grab the gold.
On the final hand, Berk limped off the button, and Tice put him to the test with a 240K bet. Berk made the call and, on an 8-4-4 flop, Tice would toss in a continuation bet of 125K. A call was Berk’s response and, on the King turn, Tice turned up the heat with a 600K bet, and Berk again just made the call. On the seven river, Tice was completely confused as to where he was in the hand, slowing down to check, and Berk sprang with an all-in. Just as quickly, Tice made the call and had to be disappointed as he saw the A-4 of Berk (trip fours) utterly devastated Tice’s turned two pair, Kings and eights, to end the tournament.
1. Michael Berk, $207,000 (207 PGT points)
2. Landon Tice, $134,550 (135)
3. Sean Winter, $93,150 (93)
4. Chris Hunichen, $69,000 (69)
5. Qinghai Pan, $51,750 (52)
6. Sam Laskowitz, $37,950 (38)
Both Hunichen and Pan made the most of their stay at the Event #5 final table, despite not winning the title. They used their winnings to jump into Event #6, another $10,000 tournament, and both men made that final table. Hunichen will be the chip leader over Event #4 victor Brock Wilson when the cards fly later today, and it can be said without hesitation that the race for the 2026 PokerGO Cup is now on.
(Photo courtesy of PokerGO)
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