The World Series of Poker Circuit (WSOPC) Thunder Valley Casino (Northern California) series ended last Monday, with Travis Egbert of Windsor, CA, coming up with the big win during the WSOPC Thunder Valley Main Event.
Having over 800 entrants with a $1,700 buy-in, the Thunder Valley Main Event generated a huge $1,230,180 prize pool, with $214,565 as the top prize that awaited the winner, who ended up being Travis Egbert.
Egbert’s Climb to the Main Event and Eventual Win
It took Egbert around 5 hours to land on the finals table, with some clashes between strong players such as Brock Wilson and Colton Blomberg. Once on the final table, Egbert was the chip leader, and his opponent was Xiong Thao, who had to claw his way as well.
Once they met, it took another 5 grueling hours for the game to reach its conclusion. Egbert and Thao went toe-to-toe in one of the longest heads-up matches in WSOP Circuit history. Both players traded chip leads and refused to bow down against one another.
However, as the blinds began to rise, and the day was losing daylight, both competitors were forced to utilize more spicy and risky plays to outdo the other. Eventually, Egbert was able to defeat Thao and claim his third WSOP Circuit ring in 2024 — all of them coming at Thunder Valley.
With this win, Egbert now adds a WSOP Circuit Main Event title to his resume after winning a $400 buy-in event and the $2,200 High Roller in January’s series here in Northern California.
Egbert added that winning his third ring in such fashion is definitely more special,
“It’s the main event. It’s what everybody wants to win when they come out for a trip like this. There’s nothing that tops it.”
When asked how Egbert felt during the 5-hour slugfest against Thao, Egbert noted that he felt frustrated and was mentally consuming because his Heads Up opponent was putting up a great fight,
“Obviously, we played for a really long time. […] It was tough. I had to get lucky a few times,” added Egbert.
Thao, who came in second and bagged $142,540 for his performance, praised Egbert for his outstanding play and run to the top,
“He played really well, I played really well, and eventually it came down to a flip. There were so many times when I thought I was gonna get him, but instead he got me.”
For Thao and Egbert, their performance in this tournament was a career-best cash to date.
WSOP Thunder Valley Main Event Final Table Results
| Place | Name | Prize |
| 1 | Travis Egbert | $214,565 |
| 2 | Xiong Thao | $142,540 |
| 3 | Gregory Pincombe | $100,065 |
| 4 | Brock Wilson | $71,070 |
| 5 | Thomas Morris | $51,905 |
| 6 | Kirk Acevedo | $38,380 |
| 7 | Jared Smith | $28,640 |
| 8 | Colton Blomberg | $21,800 |
| 9 | Michael Rossitto | $16,875 |
At third place, Gregory Pincombe bows out with over $100K, while Brock Wilson finished in fourth with $71,070. Wilson’s quest to grab a WSOP Circuit ring was thwarted after Thao rivered a set of queens to beat his pocket aces.
Thomas Morris landed at the fifth spot with $51,905, and actor Kirk Acevedo finished in sixth with #38,380. Acevedo, best known for his roles on Oz and Band of Brothers, has over $224K in Hendon Mob earnings after he added $38K during this recent run.
Rounding out the final table finishes were Jared Smith in seventh place with $28,640, Colton Blomberg in eighth with $21,800, and Michael Rossitto in ninth with $16,875.
What’s next on the WSOP Circuit?
With Thunder Valley done, the WSOPC now crosses the country to Pompano Beach in Florida for a series from Oct. 10-21. Moreover, the WSOP Circuit stop in Southern Indiana will overlap with a series from Oct. 17-28.
From there the roadshow heads back west to Lake Tahoe for the last stop of the month Oct. 24-Nov 4.
