Chad Eveslage is the first-ever Super High Roller Bowl: Mixed Games after a heads-up battle with 'Texas Mike' Moncek, a matchup that was set after Moncek made what some are saying was the Call of the Century to eliminate Yuri Dzivielevski.
Moncek, who called with a pair in 2-7 No-Limit Single Draw, caught Dzivielevski bluffing with two pair to send him home in third place. The shocking hand gave him the chip advantage against Eveslage, but it couldn't hold for the $1.2 million win.
Eveslage — a three-time WSOP bracelet winner — jumps to $9.4 million in lifetime earnings, according to The Hendon Mob, and it's his second-highest score behind a win for $1.4 million in the $25,000 High Roller at the 2022 World Series of Poker.
Negreanu out early
Daniel Negreanu settled for a single pay jump and fourth place. Moncek entered the final day as the chip leader, holding a healthy advantage over Eveslage and Dzivielevski, as well as Benny Glaser and Day 3 short stack Daniel Negreanu.
Glaser was gone first, followed by Negreanu, who gave the rest of his chips to Moncek in a hand of Badugi. After about 90 minutes of play, the final three was set with Eveslage on a severe short stack against Moncek and the three-handed chip leader Dzivielevski.
The final three passed chips around for more than three hours before the levee finally broke in a hand of 2-7 No-Limit Single Draw involving the always unpredictable Texas Mike.
The Texas Mike Factor
Texas Mike bagged the chip lead after a wave of late chips on Day 1, writing on X that he was "the worst player in the mix tourney" before he returned on Day 2 with a goal to make the final table or get knocked out in time to make the Eagles concert at the Sphere.
Texas Mike made the Call of the Century to steal the show and knock out Yuri. Finally, he returned on Day 3, posting that he was hoping to wake up and suddenly know how to play these games, but it didn't work. The self-proclaimed recreational poker player who regularly challenges the top pros would have to wing it — and wing it he did.
"You could see it in his call versus Yuri that he has a good poker mind," Eveslage told us after the win. The call in question was during the aforementioned hand of 2-7 NL Single Draw that sent the Brazilian home in third place.
Long story short, Dzivielevski was laying it on thick with a bluff while holding a jack and two pair — a horrible hand in 2-7, where the worst hand wins. Moncek, who had drawn to a ten-high, picked up a pair of fours. Dzievielevski moved all in after the draw and Moncek went deep into the tank before he called with his very meager pair. The gut instinct paid off and Moncek took a chip lead into heads-up play.
"It's really sick because, like me and Yuri, we play all the time," Eveslage said. "You just automatically know a lot of the spots. Whereas Mike's played some but not nearly the volume so he's got to kind of figure it out. He played really well. That call against Yuri was really sick."
Eveslage and Moncek traded the lead and the bets got too big before it came down to a hand of no-limit hold'em. Moncek tried to make another hero call with jack-high, but Eveslage had flopped a Broadway straight to put the match away.
"This is the first 100k that I've even cashed," Eveslage told us. "I've done well at some 25Ks, but nothing over 50K. It's a little bit special that it comes with a little bit more prestige being the Super High Roller Bowl."
Super High Roller Bowl: Mixed Games final table results
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chad Eveslage | $1,200,000 |
| 2 | Michael Moncek | $725,000 |
| 3 | Yuri Dzivielevski | $450,000 |
| 4 | Daniel Negreanu | $300,000 |
| 5 | Benny Glaser | $225,000 |
Photos courtesy of PokerGO/Antonio Abrego
