Mulinti Wins Thunder Valley WSOP
Manjunath Mulinti captured his first WSOP Circuit ring in the $1,700 Thunder Valley Main Event, topping 599 entries for $172,325 and a WSOP Paradise package.
First Ring for Mulinti at Thunder Valley
Manjunath Mulinti has won the $1,700 No-Limit Hold'em Main Event at the WSOP Circuit stop at Thunder Valley Casino Resort in Lincoln, California, earning his first WSOP Circuit gold ring and a career-best $172,325 payday.
Mulinti topped a field of 599 entries, generating a prize pool of $907,485. He defeated Jesse Stephens heads-up for the title. Stephens collected $114,660 as runner-up, while Jonathan Wang finished third for $79,490.
The victory completed a notable turnaround for Mulinti at the same venue. Earlier in 2026 he reached the final table of the Thunder Valley Main Event and finished seventh for $26,920. Returning roughly nine months later, he entered the final table as chip leader and converted the second deep run into a championship.
A Final Table With Experience
The final table included Stephens, Wang and longtime Northern California standout JC Tran, who finished eighth for $16,730. Mulinti pulled away from the field before closing out Stephens in a brief heads-up battle.
Thunder Valley Main Event Final Table Results
- 1st: Manjunath Mulinti - $172,325
- 2nd: Jesse Stephens - $114,660
- 3rd: Jonathan Wang - $79,490
- 4th: Dawson Dvorak - $56,090
- 5th: Henry Acain - $40,310
- 6th: Andrew Nguyen - $29,510
- 7th: Bin Duan - $22,010
- 8th: JC Tran - $16,370
- 9th: $12,970
A 16-Ring Series at Thunder Valley
The Main Event anchored a 16-ring series that spanned nearly two weeks of tournament action at Thunder Valley. The schedule covered a wide range of buy-ins and formats, from a $400 Seniors event to a $3,300 High Roller.
The $400 Mini Main Event drew 1,072 entries and produced a $309,520 prize pool, with Jonathan Epstein taking the title and $53,150. Other notable winners included Mark Egbert in the $3,300 No-Limit Hold'em High Roller, Lee Markholt in Event #14, and William Chao in the $600 H.O.R.S.E. event.
Full List of Thunder Valley Ring Winners
- Event #1: $400 No-Limit Hold'em Seniors - Lance Oliver - $15,270
- Event #2: $400 No-Limit Hold'em Freezeout - Gregory Meder - $9,670
- Event #3: $400 No-Limit Hold'em Mini Main Event - Jonathan Epstein - $53,150
- Event #4: $400 No-Limit Hold'em - Zachary Smyth - $16,100
- Event #5: $600 Pot-Limit Omaha - Travis Fujisaka - $7,945
- Event #6: $400 No-Limit Hold'em Mirror Mystery Bounty - Frank Lin - $9,265
- Event #7: $600 H.O.R.S.E. - William Chao - $9,875
- Event #8: $400 No-Limit Hold'em Knockout - Alan Turabayev - $6,510
- Event #9: $600 Omaha 8 - Eugene Chun - $11,265
- Event #10: $400 No-Limit Hold'em Monster Stack - Michael Hubbard - $36,400
- Event #11: $600 Limit 2-7 Triple Draw - Rudolph Sisson - $7,195
- Event #12: $3,300 No-Limit Hold'em High Roller - Mark Egbert - $50,210
- Event #13: $1,700 No-Limit Hold'em Main Event - Manjunath Mulinti - $172,325
- Event #14: $400 No-Limit Hold'em - Lee Markholt - $14,410
- Event #15: $1,100 No-Limit Hold'em Knockout - Alejandro Madrigal - $11,475
- Event #16: $400 No-Limit Hold'em Series Finale - Warren Kashiwagi - $10,310
WSOP Paradise Packages on the Line
As with every stop on the 2026 WSOP Circuit, each ring winner at Thunder Valley also received a $5,000 WSOP Paradise package. The package includes a seat in the 2026 WSOP Circuit Championship Mystery Bounty, a $2,750 buy-in event, along with complimentary accommodations at Baha Mar Resort in The Bahamas.
The added prize gives Circuit ring winners a path to compete on one of poker's biggest international stages. The value of that route was illustrated at WSOP Paradise 2025, when Mark Darner turned his qualification into a career-defining result. Darner won the $2,750 WSOP Circuit Championship No-Limit Hold'em Mystery Bounty title, earning his second WSOP gold bracelet along with the tournament's $350,000 first-place prize.
What the Result Means
For Mulinti, the win represents both a first Circuit ring and a career-best score, achieved at a venue where he had already proven he could navigate a large field to a final table. The Thunder Valley series once again brought together established champions, rising tournament players and regional poker enthusiasts across nearly two weeks of competition, reinforcing the depth of the WSOP Circuit schedule.
FAQ
- Manjunath Mulinti won the $1,700 No-Limit Hold'em Main Event, earning his first WSOP Circuit ring and $172,325 after topping a field of 599 entries.