THUNDER VALLEY CIRCUIT RECAP

26 September 2017 (Lincoln, Calif.) - The inaugural World Series of Poker Circuit stop at Thunder Valley Casino Resort is in the books after awarding 12 rings in 12 days. This was the first of two newly added stops on the Circuit in Northern California, and to say it was a success would be an understatement.

Sacramento-native and decorated poker pro JC Tran took down the $2,200 High Roller this afternoon for $43,500 and his second-career gold Circuit ring. The proud local has now amassed more than $12.8 million in career earnings and booked his 18th live tournament win. Tran now owns both a pair of Circuit rings to match his pair of WSOP bracelets, adding to an impressive poker resume.

The newly crowned High Roller champion defeated a worthy opponent in fellow bracelet winner Will Givens, denying him of his first Circuit ring. The tournament attracted 58 tough competitors, but it was evident that in this case the cream certainly rose to the top.

Hours later, seasoned pro Nick Pupillo took down the first Circuit Main Event at Thunder Valley after defeating a red-hot Dann Turner who steamrolled the majority of the final table. Pupillo earned himself $170,286, his second-career ring and a seat into the 2018 Global Casino Championship. He flew directly from Atlantic City after finishing as runner-up in a major tournament for his biggest-career cash worth $217,535. Pupillo has been through many ups and downs but credits his focus and determination to good rest and staying sober. The newly-crowned champion says Thunder Valley is one of the better stops and is likely to return at the next stop in January 2018.

As soon as the Main Event final table was formed, Event #5 champion Brett Murray was informed that he locked up the Casino Champion race with no one left in contention. He earned 122.5 points across five cashes including an outright win for his first-career Circuit ring. Points will be calculated overnight to update, but he also min-cashed the High Roller so his total will be higher. Murray earned himself a seat into the 2018 Global Casino Championship right alongside Pupillo and has certainly proved he is a force on the poker circuit.

The series crowned 13 champions, with 12 of those being official Circuit ring events. The Senior Event was the only one that didn't qualify for points, but was a hit nonetheless with 161 entries with Todd Rich coming out on top. Among the 13 winners, Sean Yu (Event #10 - 3 rings), JC Tran (High Roller - 2 rings), Nick Pupillo (Main Event - 2 rings) and Daniel Evans (Monster Stack - 2 rings) were the multiple winners.

The rest of the winners were first-time Circuit champions including Darren Bortmas, Justin Clark, Todd Rich, Tracy Oto, Brett Murray, Roger Bailey, Al Sanchez, and Francis Witek. Al Sanchez, Event #9, made four final tables and final closed one out for his first ring, with aforementioned Brett Murray (Event #5) booking six cashes and earning his first ring as well.

The first ever Circuit stop at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, FL is currently running, with Horseshoe Southern Indiana beginning shortly after.

Completed Events

Event #1: $365 No-Limit Hold'em Multi-flight Re-entry - Darren Bortmas wins $72,754
Results | Official Report | Winner's Photo

Event #2: $365 No-Limit Hold'em Turbo - Justin Clark wins $9,989
Results | Official Report | Winner's Photo

Event #3: $365 Senior Event - Todd Rich wins $8,802
Results | Winner's Photo

Event #4: $365 No-Limit Hold'em Bounty - Tracy Oto wins $11,906
Results | Official Report | Winner's Photo

Event #5: $365 No-Limit Hold'em 8-Handed - Brett Murray wins $9,817
Results | Official Report | Winner's Photo