WSOPC Thunder Valley (October)

The Main Event is underway at Thunder Valley

Day 1A of the WSOPC Thunder Valley Main Event is underway with 34 players taking their seats to start the day.

12 levels of late registration with two re-entries are available in each of the two starting flights.

The WSOP Circuit is back at Thunder Valley

The WSOP Circuit is back in beautiful Northern California at Thunder Valley Casino Resort in Lincoln, just northwest of Sacramento.

Thunder Valley is widely known on the Circuit as one of the most player-friendly and popular stops on tour, with big fields, big prizes, and big fun!

Fall 2025 WSOPC Thunder Valley Main Event champion Rayo Kniep

Our $1,700 Main Event champion here last fall , Rayo Kniep, personifies that vibe. I mean, look at that winner photo!

January’s champion , Jaime Haletky, is maybe the exception that proves the rule, as the more reserved, calculated winner brought a quiet intensity to his triumph.

January 2026 WSOPC Thunder Valley Main Event champion Jaime Haletky

Both continued the lineage of great local champions here that includes Nick Pupillo, Brett Murray, Dann Turner, Travis Egbert, Paul Richardson, Brett Murray, and many more, with another deserving champion to be crowned in just days.

The action begins at 11 am PT on Friday for the first of two starting flights, with survivors returning for Day 2 on Sunday, October 4, and the final table on Monday, October 5.

Here’s a look at the key details you need to know:

• $1,700 buy-in / 40,000 starting chips
• Levels 1-15: 40 minutes / Levels 16-end: 60 minutes
• Registration and two re-entries available until the start of Level 13
• Day 1s play to the final 15% of the field in the money
• Players receive a 15-minute break every two hours of play
• Players receive a 75-minute dinner break at the end of Level 9 on Day 1

Following their debut in Texas, action clocks will be in use again at Thunder Valley

Omar Sader

A new wrinkle to the Main Event is that shot clocks will be put into play beginning in Level 16. Players will receive five 30-second time extensions at that point, and receive five more once 27 players remain, and five more for the final table.

Players will have 15 seconds to act preflop and 30 seconds for each subsequent action.

PokerOrg is here at Thunder Valley to bring you all the action, so keep your eyes on our Instant Live feed updates from the floor and on our social media channels for bonus coverage that you won’t find anywhere else.