Bilguun Odgerel wins the World Series of Poker in Thunder Valley main ring for $195,194

Bilguun Odgerel – Image source: WSOP The Circle / Thunder Valley

Two flights depart World Series of Poker Circuit The second leg of 2023 built a 679-entry field at the Thunder Valley Casino Resort in Lincoln, California.

The $1,700 Hold’em tournament had a prize pool of $1,028,685, and the top 102 players received a minimum of $2,558 in prize money during the four-day event.

There were 106 players back for a second day, and the money bubble burst early in the day before the field was down to the last nine players. The final table resumed play on Monday 23 January to claim their second title WSOP Circuit Champion of the year.

That champion was Bilgun Odgirl, and the $195,194 prize money he earned 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 championship win.

The final table took just over seven hours to determine the winner. Odgerel came in with the third-most cumulative total in a game start. Angela Jordison was leading the chip initially, but her championship run came to an end when she fell to fifth. Brandon Zuidema was the only other player with more chips than Odgerel to start the day, and the two would eventually face off in the heads-up final.

“I’m high. It’s kind of hard to believe right now,” Davis told WSOP Circle correspondents after the victory.

He defeated Odgerel Zudiema in the final between two California players by eight pocket defeating pocket sixes in the final hand. Zudiema earned $120,643 for his championship career and his career earnings are now $792,760.

Odgerel also complimented his latest opponent during his winner’s interview, “Brandon is a really tough player. He’s a friend of mine. I knew it was going to be really tough, and I did my best not to drop my chips as best I could and get the job done.”

Other notables cashed in at the event include Joshua Morrow (15th), Justin Lapca (23rd), Dan Turner (25th), Kyle Kitagawa (29th), Amir Lehavot (37th) and Brett Murray (38th). Pat Lyons (45th), Adam Korchak (46th), Jarrod Mengeni (58th) and Kurt Kohlberg (79th). Many of these players are regulars at the Thunder Valley Poker Room, and play there throughout the year in multiple tournament series.

Here’s a look at the payouts awarded in the final schedule:

next one WSOP Circuit The event is already underway at Horseshoe Casino in Tunica, Mississippi, and runs through January 30th. The main event starts at $1,700 on Thursday, January 26th. You can view the full tournament series schedule here.