Michael Berk continues to build his case as one of the breakout tournament players of 2026. Just over a week into March, the Indiana native took down event no. 5 of the 2026 PokerGO Cup, earning $207,000 and his second $10,000 buy-in PGT title of the year.
Berk defeated Landon Tice heads-up to secure the victory, denying Tice a second PGT title of his own. Along with his first-place payday, Berk was also awarded 360 Card Player Player of the Year points, pushing him up into the top 100 in the yearlong leaderboard presented by CoinPoker.
This is the third-largest live result of Berk’s career. In January, Berk emerged victorious in event no. 5 of the PGT Kickoff series at the PokerGO Studio for a career-best $262,650. He also finished 42nd in the 2023 World Series of Poker main event, earning $229,000. He now boasts lifetime earnings of nearly $2.9 million.
A total of 69 players entered the two-day event, with the field reaching the money late on day 1. Brock Wilson, Drake Kemper, Darren Elias, and Aram Zobian finished in the money but failed to survive to the second and final day.
Speedy Road To Victory
It took just over three hours, from start to finish, for Berk to claim victory. Tice entered the final six with the chip lead, with Berk just a bit behind him. Two of the three short stacks battled early on, and Sean Winter got the best of Sam Laskowitz. Almost all of the chips went in preflop, and Winter turned pocket fours into a flopped full house, fours full of queens. Laskowitz’s A♣6♥ was drawing dead by the turn, locking in a sixth-place finish ($37,950).
Tice then battled Qinghai Pan in a preflop coin flip, running the gauntlet of emotions during the hand. Tice’s pocket sevens were up against Pan’s A♥K♣, and the K♠ in the window was followed by the J♥, and the 7♠. With a set of sevens, Tice had the hand locked down by the turn, eliminating Pan, a three-time bracelet winner, in fifth ($51,750).
Berk eventually picked off Chris Hunichen (4th – $69,000), as his pocket fives held off the bracelet winner’s A♥8♦ through a clean runout.
Closing It Out
Berk opened up a considerable chip lead three-handed, and then used that stack to apply maximum pressure. The next key clash saw him shove from the small blind with Q♦8♣. Winter called off 11 big blinds with A♦4♦ and the board ran out K♣Q♣10♥7♥K♥. Berk’s pair of queens pushed Winter out the door in third place ($93,150). Winter now has more than $37 million in career earnings after this latest score.
An action flop followed by a fiery turn card, and it’s all over between @MichaelPBerk and @LandonTice!
Watch the PokerGO Cup on https://t.co/2RQh5ROjQG. pic.twitter.com/RH5dclFke9
— PokerGO (@PokerGO) March 10, 2026
On the final hand, Berk limped the button for 80,000 total. Tice raised to 240,000, and Berk called. The 8♠4♥4♦ flop prompted a 125,000 bet from Tice. Berk called and the K♥ fell on the turn. Tice bet 600,000 and received another call. The river was the 7♦. This time, Tice checked, Berk shoved and Tice called off his remaining 1,085,000 with top two-pair, K♠8♦. Berk tabled A♠4♠ for trip fours to claim the pot and the title.
With this win, Berk climbed to second on the season-long PGT leaderboard, behind only Yuri Dzivielevski. Berk is also third overall on the PokerGO Cup player of the series race, which features a $25,000 PGT passport for the winner. The 2026 PokerGO Cup runs through March 15, with four more $10,000 buy-in events and one $15,000 tournament yet to play.
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Payout | Points | PGT Points |
| 1 | Michael Berk | $207,000 | 360 | 207 |
| 2 | Landon Tice | $134,550 | 300 | 135 |
| 3 | Sean Winter | $93,150 | 240 | 93 |
| 4 | Chris Hunichen | $69,000 | 180 | 69 |
| 5 | Qinghai Pan | $51,750 | 150 | 52 |
| 6 | Sam Laskowitz | $37,950 | 120 | 38 |
Photo credit: PGT / Antonio Abrego.
