2020 World Series of Poker Circuit Thunder Valley

$1,700 Main Event
Day: 1a
Event Info

2020 World Series of Poker Circuit Thunder Valley

Final Results
Winner
Winning Hand
33
Prize
$147,706
Event Info
Buy-in
$1,700
Prize Pool
$737,805
Entries
487
Level Info
Level
29
Blinds
40,000 / 80,000
Ante
80,000
Players Info - Day 1a
Entries
181
Players Left
35

Updated Chip Counts

Level 7 : 300/500, 500 ante
Player Chips Progress
Joe Kuether us
Joe Kuether
73,000 60,600
Randy Gil us
Randy Gil
58,000
JJ Velador us
JJ Velador
52,000 34,300
Dan Turner us
Dan Turner
46,000
Tyler Patterson us
Tyler Patterson
WSOP 1X Winner
WPT 1X Winner
45,000 13,400
Alfredo Girabaldi us
Alfredo Girabaldi
43,500 13,900
Bryan Piccioli us
Bryan Piccioli
WSOP 2X Winner
36,500 5,700
Alex Greenblatt us
Alex Greenblatt
36,000 16,800
Dan Soliven us
Dan Soliven
26,000 9,800
John Chase us
John Chase
24,000 6,600
Lexy Gavin us
Lexy Gavin
22,300 -7,700
Sam Cosby us
Sam Cosby
21,000 -3,600
Erick Lindgren us
Erick Lindgren
WSOP 2X Winner
WPT 2X Winner
17,700 -7,500
Peter Pap us
Peter Pap
Busted
Catherine Miller us
Catherine Miller
Busted

Level: 7

Blinds: 300/500

Ante: 500

Ryan Borst Improves on the River

Level 6 : 200/400, 400 ante

The board read {7-Clubs}{5-Diamonds}{3-Clubs}{6-Diamonds} and Ryan Borst was the first to bet. He made it 2,500 and got one caller.

The river was the {k-Hearts} and his opponent led for 3,500. Borst called with {k-Spades}{8-Spades} and was good against the {j-}{6-} of his opponent.

Player Chips Progress
Ryan Borst us
Ryan Borst
28,000

God of Thunder Sends Strikes Down Two

Level 6 : 200/400, 400 ante

A player in middle position moved all in for 6,200 and the next player shoved over the top for 9,400.

Brett Murray called from the small blind with {a-Diamonds}{q-Spades}. He was against the {k-Hearts}{q-Diamonds} and {a-Spades}{9-Hearts} of his opponents.

The board ran out {q-Hearts}{6-Clubs}{5-Hearts}{8-Diamonds}{10-Diamonds} and Murray won the pot — eliminating both players.

He said his nickname is the God of Thunder as he scooped the pot and his opponents headed to the rail.

Player Chips Progress
Brett Murray us
Brett Murray
44,000

Tags: Brett Murray

Level: 6

Blinds: 200/400

Ante: 400

Scott Nguyen Shoves on Thomas Cao

Level 5 : 200/300, 300 ante

The board was all clubs, {j-Clubs}{7-Clubs}{6-Clubs}, and Scott Nguyen checked to Thomas Cao.

Cao bet 1,500 and Nguyen raised to 4,000. Cao called.

The turn was the {5-Diamonds} and Nguyen led by moving all in for just under 20,000.

Cao thought for about 45 seconds before eventually folding the {6-Hearts}{8-Hearts} face up.

Player Chips Progress
Thomas Cao us
Thomas Cao
74,000 -10,000
Scott Nguyen us
Scott Nguyen
25,000

Tags: Thomas CaoScott Nguyen

Ha Kwon Takes One on the River

Level 5 : 200/300, 300 ante

The board read {10-Spades}{7-Clubs}{4-Diamonds} and the player in the small blind opened for 1,200 into a pot of about 2,400.

Two players called.

The small blind checked in the dark and the {9-Clubs} hit the turn.

The next player checked and Ha Kwon bet 1,800 on the button. The small blind fold and Kwon got one caller.

The river was the {7-Spades} and the player checked to Kwon. She bet 4,000 and her opponent folded.

Player Chips Progress
Ha Kwon us
Ha Kwon
36,000 -16,300

Tags: Ha Kwon

H.O.R.S.E. Whisperer David Diiorio Captured Third WSOPC Ring

Level 5 : 200/300, 300 ante
David Diiorio
David Diiorio

PokerNews is in town to live report both the $3,250 High Roller and $1,700 Main Event here at the World Series of Poker Circuit Thunder Valley, but that is just one of the gold ring events that will have played out by the end of the series.

In Event #5: $400 H.O.R.S.E., 68 runners created a $22,400 prize pool that was paid out to the top 11 players. Among those to cash but fall short of the final table were Arish Nat (11th - $583), Donna Blevins (10th - $630), and Alan Bittikofer (9th - $630).

In the end, David Diiorio beat Brendon Thomson after five hours of heads-up play to win the title, $7,125 in prize money, and hit third gold ring. It marked Thomson’s second runner-up finish of the stop after taking second to David Valdez in the $400 PLO event.

“It feels great, because I played against a super good opponent heads-up, so to be able to come out with the win feels really great,” said the Rhode Island native after the win. It was Diiorio’s second HORSE ring after winning that event at the Lake Tahoe stop back in 2012.

“At first, I just wanted to run him over, but as we got even stacks I had to play the cards and use my skills to beat him that way,” said Diiorio, a former commercial fisherman who now players poker full time. “I kind of specialize in Stud and I know that a lot of the other guys don’t play Stud. So, I was waiting for the Stud rounds to really get it all in. I know that he is a top-notch Omaha player, so I tried taking advantage of the Stud rounds.”

Final Table Results

PlacePlayerHometownPrize
1David DiiorioPlacerville, California$7,125
2Brendon ThomsonSacramento, California$4,404
3Braden MurphyFolsom, California$2,918
4Danny WoolardVentura, California$2,015
5Jeff LennonN/A$1,453
6Tom TsengSacramento, California$1,096
7Daniel PriceHenderson, Nevada$866
8AJ FernandesLas Vegas, Nevada$720