History of the PokerNews Cup: From Melbourne to Thunder Valley

When looking over the history of the PokerNews Cup, what becomes instantly clear is that adaptability is the tournament’s true defining trait.

While the tournament first took place 2007, it has since transformed from a traveling international festival into a headline feature of massive destination events, continually reshaping its identity to match the shifting landscapes of both live and online poker.

That legacy of evolution continues into its latest chapter. For its summer edition, the tournament heads to Northern California as part of the RunGood Poker Series (RGPS) Passport Season Finale at Thunder Valley Casino Resort. Running from July 16–19, the $400 buy-in PokerNews Cup features a $250,000 guaranteed prize pool, anchoring an expansive 20-ring schedule in association with one of the most popular mid-major tours in the United States.

To understand how the tournament found its newest home in California, look at how the PokerNews Cup has consistently broken boundaries and re-established its footprint since its post-pandemic resurgence.

Solid Foundations in Melbourne

The first-ever PokerNews Cup took place in October 2007 at the Crown Melbourne, Australia, as part of an 11-event festival.

The inaugural Main Event saw 428 entrants, generating a prize pool of A$1.1 million. It was Australia native Dory Zayner who emerged victorious to become the inaugural PokerNews Cup champion and take home $266,959.

The Cup returned to Melbourne the next year, as the Main Event saw a field of 410 entrants to generate an A$820,000 prize pool. Australia’s Nali Kaselias emerged victorious in the A$2,000 buy-in event to pocket $171,670, denying Denmark’s Kenneth Damm a second title of the festival after he won the Tony G Celebrity Shootout Event.

New Destinations in South Africa and Europe

Bolstered by this success, the brand expanded into South Africa and Austria in 2008. First, Darren Kramer was crowned champion of a 175-player field in South Africa, taking home $140,575.

Then, Erich Kollman took down a 201-entry PokerNews Cup field in Austria for a €120,600 prize. The event returned to Melbourne one final time in 2009, with Con Tsapkounis topping a 381-player field to win $140,537, before the tournament firmly shifted its focus northward.

Moving to Casino Alpine in Innsbruck, Austria, the 2009 event saw the Netherlands’ Marc Naalden secure the trophy and $63,094, topping a 129-player field and becoming the first PokerNews Cup champion on European soil.

The Cup Returns After Hiatus

Following a brief multi-year hiatus, the PokerNews Cup did not return until 2014, when a €250 buy-in event was held at the Montesio Pokertainment Center in Vienna, Austria. Hanh Tran defeated a 403-player field to win €19,010.

However, the following year, the Cup found its most enduring European home at King’s Casino Rozvadov.

The early 2015 edition saw Christian Krupp navigate a massive 1,550-entry field to lock up €57,473. Later that same year, Germany’s Daniel Can won the 689-runner PokerNews Cup at King’s for $17,898.

By 2016, the tournament’s popularity peaked in the region when the €270 buy-in event attracted a colossal 1,082 entries. Timur Caglan conquered the massive field to secure a career-defining $67,541.

In 2017, Germany’s Holger Bansner emerged victorious over 617 entries to win $28,277, notably denying Caglan an incredible back-to-back title as the former champ finished as the runner-up.

Simultaneously, 2016 marked the Cup’s first official splash in the United States. Ryan Van Sanford took down a 120-entry field at the iconic Borgata in Atlantic City, banking $68,676.

Before the live poker world paused, the PokerNews Cup made one final European stop in 2019 at the Finix Casino in Kulata, Bulgaria, where Greece’s Panagiotis Panagiotidis outlasted 141 players to take home $20,708.

Viva Las Vegas

In the biggest evolutionary shift since its creation, 2022 saw the PokerNews Cup head to the bright lights of Sin City, partnering with the Golden Nugget in downtown Las Vegas.

The event introduced a $1,100 buy-in paired with the player-favorite Mystery Bounty format. The results were historic. The tournament blew past its $1 million guarantee as 1,245 entries generated a $1,207,650 prize pool, the largest in the history of the Golden Nugget. American Gary Gelman claimed the top spot, pocketing a career-best $202,725.

Proving that success was no fluke, the Cup returned to downtown Vegas in 2023 with the exact same formula. This time, the field exploded to 2,331 entries, generating a staggering prize pool of over $2.2 million to become the largest PokerNews Cup ever held.

The United Kingdom’s Johnny Kelly survived an intense final table, including a miraculous one-outer with pocket aces against a flopped set of tens, to secure the trophy and $176,540 following a three-way deal

Modern Partnerships: Goliath and Thunder Valley

Continuing its modern strategy of aligning with community-focused festivals, the Cup returned to live European soil in 2025. It partnered with Grosvenor Poker to anchor itself within the legendary Goliath festival at the CBS Arena in Coventry, England, famed for being the largest live poker tournament held outside of Las Vegas.

The £550 PokerNews Cup drew a highly competitive field of 797 entries, where Kartik captured the trophy and the top prize of £76,600 after defeating British veteran Kully Sidhu heads-up.

Now, the journey comes to the present day. By partnerhing with the RunGood Poker Series (RGPS) at Thunder Valley Casino Resort, the PokerNews Cup continues to do what it does best: bring unparalleled mid-stakes tournament action directly to the players.

List of PokerNews Cup Champions

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PokerNews Cup FAQs

Connor Richards is a Senior Editor U.S. for PokerNews and host of the Life Outside Poker podcast. Connor has been nominated for three Global Poker Awards for his writing.