California’s Michael Persky is having a fantastic year of poker, and that may be an understatement.
Just six weeks ago, the Novato native took down the inaugural World Series of Poker Circuit (WSOPC) Graton Main Event for $175,595. And now, Persky has claimed his second WSOPC Main Event title after taking down the WSOPC Thunder Valley $1,700 buy-in Main Event for $170,780.
The WSOPC Thunder Valley stop ran Sept. 28-Oct. 9 and consisted of 13 Circuit ring events with nearly $1 million in guaranteed prize money. The Main Event drew 594 runners for a prize pool of $899,910 as Persky defeated heads-up opponent Tracy Oto, who earned $105,550 as he was denied a second career ring.
Read About Michael Persky’s WSOPC Graton Victory!
WSOPC Thunder Valley Main Event Final Table Results
| PLACE | PLAYER | HOMETOWN | PRIZE (IN USD) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michael Persky | Novato, CA | $170,780 | |
| 2 | Tracy Oto | Sacramento, CA | $105,550 | |
| 3 | Xing Wei | San Francisco, CA | $78,030 | |
| 4 | Amir Lehavot | N/A | $58,360 | |
| 5 | John Koo | Novato, CA | $44,160 | |
| 6 | Travis Egbert | N/A | $33,820 | |
| 7 | Jonathan Wang | San Francisco, CA | $26,210 | |
| 8 | Fan You | San Mateo, CA | $20,560 | |
| 9 | Derrick Geliberte | Elk Grove, CA | $16,330 |
Two Rings, Just Four WSOP Cashes
To win his second ring and Circuit Main title, Persky had to navigate a final table that included fellow Californians Xing Wei (3rd – $78,030), John Koo (4th – $44,160), Jonathan Wang (7th – $26,210), Event #2: $400 No-Limit Hold’em – The Opener winner Fan You (8th – $20,560) and Derrick Geliberte (9th – $16,330).
A glance at Persky’s WSOP profile shows just how hot the California grinder is running. His two ring victories make up half of his four WSOP cashes, the other two coming from a 20th-place finish in the WSOPC Graton opening event for $1,077 and a runner-up finish in WSOPC Graton Event #3: $600 No-Limit Hold’em for $54,900.
That said, Persky has plenty of tournament experience under his belt, with his first Hendon Mob cash dating back to 2004 when he finished fourth in a Gold Rush Bonanza event in San Francisco for $3,890.
13th Ring For Vornicu
Persky wasn’t the only player who had a good WSOPC Thunder Valley stop. San Diego’s Valentin Vornicu took down Event #9: $600 2-7 Triple Draw for $11,000 and his 13th Circuit ring to get him back in the running in the all-time ring race.
The victory brought Vornicu his first ring in five years after the Californian took down a 2018 WSOPC Harrah’s New Orleans event for $24,084. He now sits fifth on the all-time ring list behind Josh Reichard and Daniel Lowery (tied in third with 14 rings), Maurice Hawkins (second with 15 rings) and Ari Engel, who recently won a 16th ring to surpass Hawkins.
Ari Engel Dethrones Maurice Hawkins!
Other highlights of the WSOPC Thunder Valley stop include Fan You winning Event #2: $400 No-Limit Hold’em – The Opener for $76,100 and his first ring before finishing eighth in the Main Event and Lian Liu winning Event #13: $400 No-Limit Hold’em – Series Finale for $8,250 and a third ring to close out the series.
The WSOPC Circuit is currently at Horseshoe Hammond in Illinois for a series that got underway on Oct. 5 and wraps up on Oct. 16. After that, the Circuit will head to Harrah’s Pompano Beach in Florida for a series running Oct. 12-23.
A full list of ring winners at the 2023 WSOPC Thunder Valley stop is available in the table below.
2023 WSOPC Thunder Valley Ring Winners
| EVENT | ENTRANTS | PRIZE POOL | WINNER | HOMETOWN | PRIZE (IN USD) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WSOPC Event #1: $400 Seniors | 226 | $75,240 | Michael Peters | Yuba City, CA | $17,392 | |
| WSOPC Event #2: $400 No-Limit Hold’em – The Opener | 1,559 | $515,470 | Fan You | San Mateo, CA | $76,100 | |
| WSOPC Event #3: $600 No-Limit Hold’em | 137 | $70,555 | Min Han | Cupertino, CA | $18,815 | |
| WSOPC Event #4: $400 No-Limit Hold’em | 119 | $39,270 | Sami Bechahed | Costa Mesa, CA | $10,850 | |
| WSOPC Event #5: $600 H.O.R.S.E. | 66 | $33,990 | Ed Smith | Twentynine Palms, CA | $11,080 | |
| WSOPC Event #6: $400 Knockout Bounty | 162 | $37,260 | Cheri Svenson | Tracy, CA | $9,440 | |
| WSOPC Event #7: $600 Omaha 8 | 100 | $51,500 | Kevin Lutz | Sacramento, CA | $15,100 | |
| WSOPC Event #8: $400 Monster Stack | 305 | $100,650 | Rommel Damasco | West Sacramento, CA | $22,140 | |
| WSOPC Event #9: $600 2-7 Triple Draw | 58 | $32,700 | Valentin Vornicu | San Diego, CA | $11,000 | |
| WSOPC Event #10: $600 Pot-Limit Omaha | 76 | $38,760 | Jeff Lennon | Fresno, CA | $12,140 | |
| WSOPC Event #11: $1,700 Main Event | 594 | $899,910 | Michael Persky | Novato, CA | $170,780 | |
| WSOPC Event #12: $1,125 No-Limit Hold’em – Last Call | 115 | $115,000 | Mitchell Collins | Lake Forest, CA | $31,820 | |
| WSOPC Event #13: $400 No-Limit Hold’em – Series Finale | 80 | $26,400 | Lian Liu | Pittsburg, CA | $8,250 |