Cali-Born Travis Egbert Wins WSOPC Thunder Valley Main Event Title

Summary:

• Travis Egbert defeated a field of 812 entries and won the 2024 WSOPC Thunder Valley $1,700 no-limit hold’em main event. 
• Egbert earned a career-best $214,565 in prize money and also took home his third WSOPC gold ring.
• The win pushed his career earnings to close to $858,000; more than half comes from Thunder Valley wins.

California-born Travis Egbert seems to have quite the home-field edge when playing at the Thunder Valley Casino Resort in Placer County near Lincoln. 

The Northern California native has earned all three of his live tournament titles at the same venue while finishing inside the top three at the most recent World Poker Tour Thunder Valley main event.

His latest and most important victory saw him secure a monumental win in the 2024 World Series of Poker Circuit (WSOPC) Thunder Valley $1,700 no-limit hold’em main event. 

Egbert Defeated a Field of 812 Players 

Egbert outlasted a field of 812 entries to claim the title, earning a career-best $214,565 in prize money and his third WSOPC gold ring, all of which he’s won at this same venue.

His freshest victory adds to an already impressive resume at Thunder Valley. 

Earlier this year, he took down the $400 buy-in event for $14,270 and followed it up by winning the $3,250 high roller for $77,440. 

With this latest win, Egbert has pushed his career earnings to nearly $858,000, with more than half of that total coming from his achievements at Thunder Valley.

Beyond the substantial payout, Egbert also earned 912 Card Player Player of the Year (POY) points. 

With three titles and six final-table finishes this year, Egbert now ranks 115th on the 2024 POY leaderboard with 2,300 points.

114 Finishers Shared the $1,230,180 Prize Pool

The main event at the Thunder Valley Casino Resort easily surpassed its $1 million guarantee, amassing a final prize pool of $1,230,180. 

The top 114 finishers shared in the spoils, with several notable players making deep runs. 

Notables included bracelet winner Francis Anderson (34th), six-time WSOPC ring winner Scott Stewart (21st), WPT champion Pat Lyons (11th), and 2023 champion of this event, Michael Persky (10th).

Egbert’s final-table performance was dominant. His first knockout came when his A-10 held up against Kirk Acevedo’s A-8, eliminating Acevedo in sixth place for $38,380. 

He continued to build momentum, eliminating Thomas Morris in fifth place for $51,905 with A-9 against Morris’ pocket eights.

Brock Wilson, who has more than $9.8 million in career earnings, was eliminated in fourth place ($71,070) when his pocket aces were cracked by Xiong Thao’s pocket queens. 

Egbert then dispatched Gregory Pincombe (608 POY Points) in third place ($100,065) with a full house, setting up a heads-up battle with Thao. 

Travis Egbert began heads-up play with a massive lead and, after nearly five hours of action, clinched the title. 

Thao, holding A-8, called Egbert’s all-in with A-10, but Egbert’s pair of aces and better kicker sealed the win. 

Thao walked away with $142,540 as the runner-up, his first six-figure tournament score. He now has 760 POY Points.