Bilguun Odgerel Wins World Series Of Poker Circuit Thunder Valley Main Event for $195,194

Bilguun Odgerel – Photo Credit: WSOP Circuit/Thunder Valley

Two starting flights at the World Series of Poker Circuit’s second stop of 2023 built a field of 679 entries at Thunder Valley Casino Resort in Lincoln, California.

The $1,700 buy-in no-limit hold’em tournament had a prize pool worth $1,028,685, and the top 102 players all cashed for at least $2,558 in prize money during the four-day event.

There were 106 players that returned for day 2, and the money bubble burst early in the day before the field played down to the final nine players. The final table resumed play on Monday, Jan. 23 to crown the second WSOP Circuit champion of the year.

That champion was Bilguun Odgerel, and the $195,194 in prize money he was awarded is the biggest score of his career. The player from Oakland, California now has tournament earnings close to $300,000. This was also his first tournament victory.

The final table took just over seven hours to decide a winner. Odgerel came in with the third largest stack at the beginning of play. Angela Jordison was the chip leader at the start, but her tournament run came to a close when she busted in fifth place. Brandon Zuidema was the only other player that held more chips than Odgerel to start the day, and the two would eventually face-off in the heads-up final.

“I’m ecstatic. It’s kind of hard to believe it right now. I’m grateful for the opportunity and I’m grateful that my family is here to rail me,” said Davis to the WSOP Circuit reporters after the victory.

Odgerel defeated Zudiema in the final match between two California players with pocket eights defeating pocket sixes on the final hand. Zudiema took home $120,643 for his deep run in the tournament, and his career earnings now sit at $792,760.

Odgerel also paid a compliment to his final opponent during his winner’s interview, “Brandon’s a really tough player. He’s a friend of mine. I knew it was going to be really tough, and I just tried my best to not give up my chips as best as possible and get the job done.”

A few other notables that cashed in the event included Joshua Morrow (15th), Justin Lapka (23rd), Dann Turner (25th), Kyle Kitagawa (29th), Amir Lehavot (37th), Brett Murray (38th), Pat Lyons (45th), Adam Curchack (46th), Jarod Minghini (58th), and Curt Kohlberg (79th). Many of these players are regulars at the Thunder Valley Poker Room, and they play there year-round at multiple tournament series.

Here is a look at the payouts awarded at the final table:

The next WSOP Circuit event is already underway at the Horseshoe Casino in Tunica, Mississippi, and it runs through Jan. 30. The $1,700 buy-in main event begins on Thursday, Jan. 26. You can see the full schedule for the tournament series right here.