William Ferguson Ed Smith Among Early WSOP Circuit Winners in Thunder Valley
The World Series of Poker Circuit (WSOPC) is underway across the US and recently saw Michael Estes winning the WSOPC Hammond Main Event for $198,576. Now, the WSOPC Thunder Valley stop is taking place in northern California and has already produced several Circuit ring winners.
The WSOPC Thunder Valley stop has created $927,490 in prize money so far across seven events and culminates with the currently underway $1,700 buy-in Main Event.
Here’s a look at the players who have picked up Circuit rings so far in Thunder Valley.
William “Skip” Ferguson Wins Big in The Opener
The first and biggest winner so far at WSOPC Thunder Valley was William “Skip” Ferguson, who shipped the $400 Opener event, which drew 1,458 entrants for a prize pool of $481,140, for $66,782 by defeating heads-up opponent Ricardo Bibat.
The final table also included Jeremy Gonzalez (3rd - $32,085), Michael Lin (4th - $23,642) and local Sasha Sabbaghian (9th - $6,196), whose previous results at Thunder Valley Casino Resort includes a victory in the 2021 RunGood Poker Series (RGPS) Thunder Valley Main Event for $40,485.
The victory marked a career-best score for Ferguson and his first live victory in 25 years after he won a Reno Fall Pot of Gold event in 2009 for $3,666.
$400 No-Limit Hold’em - The Opener Final Table Results
| PLACE | PLAYER | PRIZE (IN USD) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | William “Skip” Ferguson | $66,782 |
| 2 | Ricardo Bibat | $44,354 |
| 3 | Jeremy Gonzalez | $32,085 |
| 4 | Michael Lin | $23,642 |
| 5 | Joe Nguyen | $17,834 |
| 6 | Rommel Damasco | $13,427 |
| 7 | Simon Tran | $10,251 |
| 8 | Victor Wan | $7,919 |
| 9 | Sasha Sabbaghian | $6,196 |
Ryan Awwad, Ed Smith Pick Up Rings
In the next event, Ryan Awwad topped a field of 277 runners and defeated runner-up John Grisler for $19,950 and his first Circuit ring.
In Event #3: $600 Omaha 8, Ed Smith came out on top for $12,715 and his second Circuit ring after taking down a Thunder Valley Circuit event a year ago for $11,080. Smith is a longtime grinder whose live cash resume dates back to 2008. Since then, he’s amassed dozens of live cashes and picked up $107,410 in Hendon Mob earnings.
Other Circuit ring winners so far in Thunder Valley include Greg Feirman (Event #4: $400 Monster Stack - $31,000), Yoshiaki Kasugahara (Event #6: $600 Limit 2-7 Triple Draw - $10,255) and Man Pham (Event #7: $600 Pot-Limit Omaha - $16,055), who defeated poker media member and recent RGPS Thunder Valley Million Dollar Main Event champion Terrance Reid during heads-up play.
A full list of Circuit ring winners so far at WSOPC Thunder Valley is available in the table below.
WSOPC Thunder Valley Circuit Ring Winners So Far
| EVENT | ENTRANTS | PRIZE POOL | WINNER | HOMETOWN | PRIZE (IN USD) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WSOPC Event #1: $400 No-Limit Hold’em - The Opener | 1,458 | $481,140 | William “Skip” Ferguson | Gardnerville, NV | $66,782 |
| WSOPC Event #2: $400 No-Limit Hold’em | 277 | $91,410 | Ryan Awwad | Ann Arbor, MI | $19,950 |
| WSOPC Event #3: $600 Omaha 8 | 89 | $45,835 | Ed Smith | Twentynine Palms, CA | $12,715 |
| WSOPC Event #4: $400 Monster Stack | 520 | $171,600 | Greg Feirman | Granite Bay, CA | $31,000 |
| WSOPC Event #5: $600 H.O.R.S.E. | 79 | $40,685 | Ariel Shefer | United Kingdom | $11,800 |
| WSOPC Event #6: $600 Limit 2-7 Triple Draw | 65 | $33,475 | Yoshiaki Kasugahara | Santa Clara, CA | $10,255 |
| WSOPC Event #7: $600 Pot-Limit Omaha | 123 | $63,345 | Man Pham | Elk Grove, CA | $16,055 |
Connor Richards is an Editor & Live Reporter for PokerNews and host of the Life Outside Poker podcast. Connor has been nominated for two Global Poker Awards for his writing.
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