3-Bet: Cherish Andrews, Adil Morkos & Daniel Afrasinei Wins Live Titles

The poker scene delivered a flurry of career-defining moments this past week, with three standout performances turning heads across North America and Europe. In this 3-Bet wrap-up, we spotlight Cherish Andrews’ biggest score yet at the SHRP Showdown, Adil Morkos’ calm crusade to a WSOP Circuit ring, and Daniel Afrasinei’s breakout win on Irish soil.

Down in Hollywood, Florida, the Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown played host to one of the most lucrative High Rollers on the spring calendar. The $25,000 NLHE High Roller smashed its $1 Million guarantee, drawing 70 entries and building a $1.7 Million prize pool. When the final four struck a deal, it was Cherish Andrews (cover image – left) who walked away with the top payout, locking in a personal-best $408,265 and her first $25K High Roller title. Adding to the celebration was her partner, high-stakes regular Brock Wilson, who joined her in the final four and cashed for $313,410 in third place. The power couple cleared a combined $721,000. Frank Brannan claimed $342,935 for second, while Clemen Deng collected $248,990 in fourth.

Thousands of miles north in Kahnawake, Quebec, Adil Morkos (cover image – top right) was quietly making a statement of his own. Playing the WSOP Circuit Playground Main Event, Morkos navigated a stacked 1,414-entry field and a tense final table without theatrics or ego. In fact, he was overheard mid-final saying he was just trying to be “a chill guy”—a philosophy that proved to be the winning formula. Staying patient and picking his spots, Morkos eventually claimed his first WSOP Circuit ring along with a career-best payout of $306,000 CAD. Arya Ghai came close but had to settle for the $201,000 CAD runner-up prize.

And over in central Ireland, the Irish Poker Tour brought the heat to the historic town of Athlone with its one-day “€40K in a Day” mini-festival. With a €200 buy-in and €40,000 guaranteed, the action kicked off at 1 PM local time on April 5, drawing 255 entries to the felt. Nearly 14 hours later, it was Romania’s Daniel Afrasinei (cover image – bottom right) who walked away with all the chips, earning €10,300 and a whole lot of bragging rights. The win was not only his first live title—it was his first-ever live cash, making his triumph all the more special. Local contender John Fannon pocketed €6,500 for finishing second, and there’s little doubt that some of the celebrations spilled over to nearby Sean’s Bar, the oldest pub in Ireland.

Cherish Andrews Scores Career-Best $408,265 Payday in 2025 SHRP Showdown $25K High RollerAfter 4-Way Deal; Boyfriend Brock Wilson Finishes Third for $313,410

Cherish Andrews hit a new career high this week at the 2025 Seminole Hard Rock Poker (SHRP) Showdown, clinching the $25,000 NLHE High Roller title and a personal-best payout of $408,265 after a four-way deal. Making the moment even more memorable, her boyfriend and fellow high-stakes pro Brock Wilson also reached the final four, finishing third for $313,410. Together, the couple banked over $700,000 from a tournament that smashed its $1 Million guarantee, generating a prize pool of $1.7 Million across 70 entries.

Hey that’s me 🙃 also Brock refused to sit on my lap https://t.co/pFnc0Joytt

— Cherish Autumn Andrews (@CherishAndrews) April 8, 2025

The win elevated Andrews’ lifetime tournament earnings to nearly $3.7 Million and pushed her into ninth place on the women’s all-time money list, leapfrogging Maria Lampropulos ($3,635,302). A World Series of Poker bracelet winner and the 2024 GPI Female Player of the Year, Andrews’ previous best score had been a runner-up finish worth $259,200 in a $10K event at the 2022 WPT Championship series.

She entered the final four with the chip lead and made the most of her position during ICM discussions. With 135 big blinds in her stack, Andrews locked up the biggest payout in the deal, earning her a second Seminole trophy and the lion’s share of the prize pool.

Wilson, one of the most consistent performers in the high-stakes MTT scene, ended with 77 big blinds and the third-largest payout of $313,410.

The tournament paid out the top nine finishers, with PokerGO Cup champion Joey Weissman falling just shy of the money after bubbling late on Day 1.

Day 2 began with a stacked final table, and eliminations came quickly. Four-time WSOP bracelet winner Michael Gathy was the first to bow out in ninth, followed by WPT titleholder Matthew Wantman in eighth.

UK pro Scott Margereson knocked out Brian Battistone in seventh before running ace-four into Frank Brannan’s ace-jack, ending his run in sixth place.

The final hand before the deal came when Kevin Rabichow moved all in with and was called by Wilson holding pocket jacks. The board didn’t offer Rabichow any help, and he was eliminated in fifth.

That set up the final quartet—Andrews, Wilson, Brannan, and Clemen Deng—who quickly agreed to an ICM chop.

At the time of the deal:

• Cherish Andrews held 135 big blinds and claimed the top payout of $408,265
• Frank Brannan had 96 big blinds and took $342,935 for second
• Brock Wilson with 77 big blinds collected $313,410 for third
• Clemen Deng, with 44 big blinds, received $248,990 for fourth

Deng added yet another big result to his breakout year. Just a month earlier, he had placed eighth in the $100K NLH Main Event at the Triton Poker Super High Roller Series in Jeju, netting $695,000.

Final Table Results (USD)

1. Cherish Andrews – $408,265*
2. Frank Brannan – $342,935*
3. Brock Wilson – $313,410*
4. Clemen Deng – $248,990*
5. Kevin Rabichow – $116,800
6. Scott Margereson – $91,000
7. Brian Battistone – $77,800
8. Matthew Wantman – $69,200
9. Michael Gathy – $60,600

*denotes a four-way deal

Adil Morkos Wins WSOPC Playground Main Event for Career-Best $306,000 Payday

Adil Morkos wasn’t trying to be flashy. In fact, midway through the final table of the WSOP Circuit Playground Main Event — with $306,000 (CAD) and a championship ring on the line — Morkos was overheard telling a friend that he was just trying to be “a chill guy.” That offhand remark turned out to be more than a mood; it was a mindset that carried him to the top of a massive 1,414-entry field and helped him clinch his first WSOP Circuit ring, along with the biggest payout of his poker career.

While Morkos may have appeared relaxed at the table, his gameplay was anything but passive. Backed by a dominant chip lead for most of the day, he kept the pressure on, frequently leveraging his stack to put opponents in uncomfortable spots. That combination of confidence and aggression allowed him to set the pace from the moment he took over the lead — and he never gave it up.

The Vaughn, Ontario resident emphasized the importance of enjoying the moment, even with so much at stake.

“I’ve never really been a fan of all these people that are super serious all the time,” Morkos said. “Yeah, at the end of the day, there is money on the line, but you need to have fun too, right? Like if you don’t have fun, you’re just going to sit there miserable. You’re not living life properly in my opinion.”

That easygoing attitude didn’t change, even as the title came into reach. He admitted that the entire final day felt a bit surreal.

“Once you make Day 3, it’s just surreal from that point on. I guess you just kind of have to control your emotions a little bit and play to the best of your ability, and then you get here (winning) and then you’re like I can’t believe it actually happened.”

Morkos began Day 3 second in chips out of the 14 returning players, just behind his longtime friend Jorge Pacheco. But after a tough start for Pacheco, Morkos quickly overtook the top spot and built a commanding lead that became the defining narrative of the final table.

One of the standout storylines of the day was the impressive title defense by last year’s champion, James Pillon — another close friend of Morkos. Pillon came into the day looking to make history with back-to-back Main Event wins and managed to navigate his way to the final four. His run, however, came to an end when he shoved into Morkos’ pocket aces. With the chips going in, the defending champ’s stack was swept up by his soon-to-be successor.

Morkos continued his dominant march, eventually facing off against Jorge Pacheco in a pivotal hand that sent his friend out in third place. Far from tense, the moment was taken in stride by Morkos, who joked afterward that he was “fine with it.”

That set the stage for the final showdown between Morkos and Arya Ghai. But this wasn’t destined to be a long heads-up battle. Just three hands in, Ghai moved all-in with against Morkos’ . The board ran out . With neither player holding a heart, Morkos’ pair of fives and king kicker held strong, closing out the tournament and locking up the win.

Final Table Results (CAD)

1. Adil Morkos – $306,000
2. Arya Ghai – $201,000
3. Jorge Pacheco – $150,000
4. James Pillon – $108,000
5. Omkar Deshmukh – $80,000
6. Danesh Luthra – $61,000
7. Ruoxiao Shi – $47,500
8. Stephane Roux – $38,000
9. William Blais – $30,000
10. Joshua Silverman – $23,500

Daniel Afrasinei Scores Breakthrough Victory in IPT Athlone €40K in a Day Main Event(€10,300)

The Irish Poker Tour (IPT) rolled into the heart of Ireland this weekend, setting up camp in Athlone—a town steeped in history and home to the legendary Sean’s Bar. But it wasn’t pints drawing the crowd on April 5. It was the €200 buy-in, €40,000 GTD Main Event of the one-day “€40K in a Day” mini-festival that had players and railbirds alike locked in from the 1 PM (local time) shuffle-up.

By the time the final hand played out nearly 14 hours later, it was Romania’s Daniel Afrasinei standing tall with every chip in play. The triumph, achieved by besting a 255-entry field, earned Afrasinei his first-ever live tournament win and a payday of €10,300—his maiden live cash, no less. Whether any of that made its way across the road to Sean’s Bar is anyone’s guess, but the Romanian certainly had cause to raise a glass.

And it’s a wrap! Congratulations to Daniel Afrasinei for taking home the Main Event. To check out our wrap, go to @PokerUpdateLive.#IrishPokerTour #Athlone40Kinaday #livepokerupdates #irishpoker pic.twitter.com/Iy090u8q8U

— Irish Poker Tour (@IrishPokerTour) April 6, 2025

The turnout generated a prize pool of €41,615, beating the advertised guarantee and rewarding the top 26 finishers. The minimum payout stood at €400, with everyone who reached the nine-handed final table locking in at least €1,170.

Among the finalists was IPT regular Dave Kingston, who finished ninth. A familiar name on the circuit, Kingston had previously taken third in the Galway Winter Festival’s €12K in a Day event back in December 2024.

Marius Kukis exited in eighth place, picking up another four-figure score for his growing live poker résumé. Sean Godley followed in seventh, collecting the third-biggest cash of his tournament career.

Paddy Kelly continued his strong IPT run with a sixth-place finish. Just last month, he had posted a career-best score of €3,800 by finishing fifth in the IPT €100K For €100 event in Dublin.

Fifth place went to a player registered simply as “Vlad,” while Anthony Crampton bowed out in fourth. Crampton had maintained a steady pace for much of the day before losing momentum late and heading to the payout desk.

Louise Kavanagh, one of the few women in the field and the last one standing, fell in third place, ending a deep run that put her among the top finishers of the day.

That left just two: Daniel Afrasinei and John Fannon.

Fannon, no stranger to the final stretch, was once again left one spot short of the title. Last September, he had finished runner-up in the €300 Killarney 300, and in Athlone, history repeated itself. Fannon earned €6,500 for his second-place finish, while Afrasinei banked €10,300 for the win—an impressive debut cash and a huge milestone in his poker journey.

Final Table Results (EURO)

1. Daniel Afrasinei – €10,300
2. John Fannon – €6,500
3. Louise Kavanagh – €4,300
4. Anthony Crampton – €3,160
5. Vlad – €2,440
6. Paddy Kelly – €1,970
7. Sean Godley – €1,610
8. Marius Kukis – €1,345
9. Dave Kingston – €1,170

Content & Images Courtesy: SHRP, WSOP & IPT