Manjunath Mulinti Wins WSOPC Thunder Valley Main Event for $172,325 and First Ring

Manjunath Mulinti won the WSOP Circuit Thunder Valley Main Event during the second WSOPC series of 2026 at Thunder Valley, claiming his first WSOP Circuit ring and $172,325. Mulinti reached the same final table earlier in 2026 as a relative newcomer and returned months later with more experience, a high-level coach, and the chip lead to start the final table day.

Mulinti’s second trip to the WSOPC Thunder Valley Main Event final table

Mulinti first final tabled the WSOPC Thunder Valley Main Event at the start of 2026 and finished seventh. That result came with fewer than nine months of tournament history on his record. He retraced his path back to the same final table in the series held later in Northern California and converted the opportunity into a title and $172,325 in prize money.

He described the difference in his preparation and play since January:

"I was still a beginning player. I didn't know how to pick spots, and had never played a final table in my life," Mulinti said. "I did my studies and learned my lessons from the mistakes I made. I’ve been prepping for it." — Manjunath Mulinti

The 599-entry field produced the money that culminated in Mulinti's victory. The final table this time contained tougher opposition than his January run, including established regional regulars and pros.

Final-table dynamics and key opponents at WSOPC Thunder Valley Main Event

Mulinti called the January final table eye-opening and said this edition felt harder because several local tournament crushers were at the table. Notable opponents included runner-up Jesse Stephens, third-place finisher Jonathan Wang, and Northern California veteran JC Tran. Despite Tran being regarded as the man to beat, he finished eighth.

Mulinti said he had specifically studied those opponents: "Today, I was, and everyone was, scared of JC Tran. Jonathan is a really steady player; I learned a lot about him, and Jesse has been crushing low stakes the whole summer. I did my homework. It really paid off." The homework and adjustments showed when the field dwindled to three-handed play.

When play reached three-handed, Mulinti, Stephens and Wang were nearly even in chips. Mulinti won multiple smaller pots that allowed him to pressure the other two players, then extended his lead to hold roughly two-thirds of the chips in play before eliminating Wang in third place. He required only five hands of heads-up play to eliminate Stephens and clinch the title.

Coaching and prior results that shaped his run

Mulinti credited a step-up in study and a coaching relationship for his improved results. During the summer at the World Series of Poker Circuit Championship, he finished 16th in a field of 2,148 entries in the $1,700 Circuit Championship. It was at that series where he met Florian Pesce, the February 2025 WSOPC Cherokee Main Event champion, who later became Mulinti's coach.

Mulinti said he met Pesce during his deep run at the Circuit Championship and recruited him to help "plug my leaks." Pesce provided daily guidance during the Thunder Valley Main Event and specific coaching before the final table, a regimen Mulinti pointed to as a material factor in his more confident, assertive table play.

How Mulinti closed the title and his immediate plans

Mulinti used aggressive pressure and selective pot-winning to turn an even three-handed scenario into a dominant chip advantage. He eliminated Jonathan Wang in third and defeated Jesse Stephens heads-up after five hands to claim the ring and the first-place prize. The finish adds a high-profile victory to a resume that, nine months earlier, barely existed.

Mulinti plans to invest his winnings in continued tournament play, starting with the Bay 101 Shooting Star series at his home casino in San Jose and then additional World Series of Poker events. He described his trajectory as a work in progress and framed the Thunder Valley victory as the result of focused study and applied coaching.

What this result means for local and rising players

The turnaround from a seventh-place finish earlier in the year to a title shows a concrete path for new players who commit to study and coaching. Mulinti’s run also underlines the depth at Northern California Circuit stops, where established names like JC Tran still draw attention and where local grinders such as Jesse Stephens and Jonathan Wang can contend deep in large fields.

Mulinti’s next scheduled target is his local Bay 101 Shooting Star series, which he intends to play at his home venue in San Jose; readers tracking regional schedules can follow related series coverage on the events page. His win at Thunder Valley will keep him on the radar for upcoming WSOP Circuit and World Series of Poker festival coverage in the months ahead.