As the WPT Rolling Thunder Championship heads towards its business end, a host of well-known players are still in the hunt for the $257,600 first-place prize money.
The $3,500 event at the Thunder Valley Casino Resort in California attracted 404 entrants , between them building a prize pot of $1,292,800, and the remaining 28 players (at time of writing) include numerous former champions, a former WPT Player of the Year and a man better known for his on-camera appearances than his tournament resume.
With Day 2 in the books and the tournament in the money, let’s take a look at some of the potential winners of an event that has seen the cream rise to the top.
Who’s in the final 28?
Holding the chip lead as the event enters Day 3 of 4 is Eric Afriat, a three-time WPT champion with close to $6M in recorded tournament earnings.
Some readers may recognize Afriat from a key hand against eventual champion Barny Boatman at last year’s EPT Paris, while keen followers of the WPT will almost certainly have seen him before; his three WPT victories to date puts him just one below Darren Elias’ record total of four. Another win for Afriat here would see the Canadian share the record with Elias.
Dan Sepiol, second in chips headline into Day 3, has a long string of excellent tournament results to his name, but none more eye-catching than the $5.2M win at the 2023 WPT World Championship at Wynn Las Vegas.
It was an epic performance against a field of close to 4,000 runners, which came to a head at a final table that featured the likes of high-stakes crushers Andrew Lichtenberger, Chris Moorman and Artur Martirosian.
No one-hit wonder, Sepiol added to his reputation with victory at the WSOP last summer, picking up a bracelet in the $1,500 NLH Shootout.
Ari Engel currently sits 6th in chips, and is no stranger to success having bagged a record-setting 19th WSOP Circuit ring just earlier this month.
As well as being a consummate tournament grinder, Engel is a member of the PokerOrg Player Advisory Board and was the subject of an award-nominated feature piece by Paul Orensteen.
While we’re keeping as impartial as ever, we surely wouldn’t be alone in wishing Engel success in the WPT — a tour he’s cashed in over 20 times, but so far without a final table appearance.
Is the ‘Jeff Platt curse’ real? A superstition among players has spread in recent years, suggesting that being interviewed by Platt while playing a tournament spelled imminent doom. The well-known poker presenter now finds himself hitting Day 3 at Thunder Valley ninth of 28, with a payout of at least $9,600 already locked up.
His previous best result on the WPT came in 2022, banking $6,275 for finishing 100th at the WPT Lucky Hearts Open, while he also booked a small cash on last year’s WPT Prime Voyage.
Now, sitting in the top third of the field with $257K to aim at, will Platt be asking himself some tough questions? And if he does, will he curse himself?
One spot behind Platt when play resumes later today is JC Tran, a former WPT Player of the Year and current number 3 on California’s all-time money list.
Tran’s list of tournament victories includes multiple WPT Championships and a WSOP bracelet, but perhaps most telling this week is his track record here in Thunder Valley. Since 2014, Tran’s trips out to Lincoln have seen him enjoy two wins in WSOP Circuit High Rollers, as well as a first place finish in a previous WPT Rolling Thunder Championship.
This event should hold few surprises for JC Tran, then, and with his top 10 stack he’s surely a player to be feared.
Nick Marchington finds himself down in chips, 25th of 28 remaining, but it wouldn’t be wise to count the Englishman out just yet. Last month saw Marchington score over $185K for a win at the Grosvenor UK Poker Open, the second tournament victory of his career after a $765K win at the North American Poker Tour in Las Vegas.
The kicker? Both wins came in the last six months.
Marchington is marching on, and those in his way at Thunder Valley may soon be all-too-aware that the British, once again, are coming.
Day 3 of the WPT Rolling Thunder Championship commences in just a few hours’ time, and those names above are just some of those ready to duke it out.
Who will emerge from the fray clutching the trophy and the $257,600 top prize? Check back soon for more from Thunder Valley.
Additional images courtesy of Katerina Lukina/Joe Giron/Rachel Kay Winter.
