Michael Persky Wins Another WSOP Circuit Main Event; Vornicu Gets 13th Ring

Michael Persky Wins Another WSOP Circuit Main Event; Vornicu Gets 13th Ring

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

PLACEPLAYERHOMETOWNPRIZE (IN USD)
1Michael PerskyNovato, CA$170,780
2Tracy OtoSacramento, CA$105,550
3Xing WeiSan Francisco, CA$78,030
4Amir LehavotN/A$58,360
5John KooNovato, CA$44,160
6Travis EgbertN/A$33,820
7Jonathan WangSan Francisco, CA$26,210
8Fan YouSan Mateo, CA$20,560
9Derrick GeliberteElk 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

EVENTENTRANTSPRIZE POOLWINNERHOMETOWNPRIZE (IN USD)
WSOPC Event #1: $400 Seniors226$75,240Michael PetersYuba City, CA$17,392
WSOPC Event #2: $400 No-Limit Hold'em - The Opener1,559$515,470Fan YouSan Mateo, CA$76,100
WSOPC Event #3: $600 No-Limit Hold'em137$70,555Min HanCupertino, CA$18,815
WSOPC Event #4: $400 No-Limit Hold'em119$39,270Sami BechahedCosta Mesa, CA$10,850
WSOPC Event #5: $600 H.O.R.S.E.66$33,990Ed SmithTwentynine Palms, CA$11,080
WSOPC Event #6: $400 Knockout Bounty162$37,260Cheri SvensonTracy, CA$9,440
WSOPC Event #7: $600 Omaha 8100$51,500Kevin LutzSacramento, CA$15,100
WSOPC Event #8: $400 Monster Stack305$100,650Rommel DamascoWest Sacramento, CA$22,140
WSOPC Event #9: $600 2-7 Triple Draw58$32,700Valentin VornicuSan Diego, CA$11,000
WSOPC Event #10: $600 Pot-Limit Omaha76$38,760Jeff LennonFresno, CA$12,140
WSOPC Event #11: $1,700 Main Event594$899,910Michael PerskyNovato, CA$170,780
WSOPC Event #12: $1,125 No-Limit Hold'em - Last Call115$115,000Mitchell CollinsLake Forest, CA$31,820
WSOPC Event #13: $400 No-Limit Hold'em - Series Finale80$26,400Lian LiuPittsburg, CA$8,250

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