The popular PokerNews Cup is heading to sunny California, the Thunder Valley Casino Resort to be exact, from July 16, and is bringing with it a juicy $250,000 guaranteed prize pool. Being part of the bustling RunGood Poker Series (RGPS) Passport Season Thunder Valley schedule marks the fourth time the PokerNews Cup has run in the United States. Will you become its champion and lift the PokerNews Cup trophy?
RGPS Passport Season Thunder Valley runs from July 13 through August 3. During that time, 20-ring awarding events guarantee more than $2.3 million, including a $1 million guaranteed Main Event, which PokerNews‘ live reporting team is covering in full.
$250,000 Guaranteed PokerNews Cup Runs July 16-19
| Date | Time | Tournament |
|---|---|---|
| Thu 16 Jul | 4:00 p.m. | $250,000 Gtd PokerNews Cup Day 1a |
| Fri 17 Jul | 11:00 a.m. | $250,000 Gtd PokerNews Cup Day 1b |
| 4:00 p.m. | $250,000 Gtd PokerNews Cup Day 1c | |
| Sat 18 Jul | 11:00 a.m. | $250,000 Gtd PokerNews Cup Day 1d |
| Sun 19 Jul | 11:00 a.m. | $250,000 Gtd PokerNews Cup Day 2 |
Those wishing to compete in the $400 buy-in, $250,000 guaranteed PokerNews Cup need to keep July 16-19 free in their diaries.
The 2026 PokerNews Cup has four flights to choose from, each allowing one re-entry during the first nine levels if you dust off your generous 25,000 starting stack. Each level lasts 30 minutes, providing plenty of room to maneuver and allowing the cream to rise to the top.
Whoever comes out on top on July 19 will walk away with the title of 2026 PokerNews Cup champion, with the bulk of the $250,000 guaranteed prize pool, and a commemorative PokerNews Cup trophy to proudly display on their mantlepiece.
Like the RGPS Main Event, PokerNews is live reporting from the PokerNews Cup.
Ahead of Thunder Valley, Look Back at the History of the PokerNews Cup
Share Your Story and Win PokerNews Merch
Look out for the PokerNews team throughout the RGPS Passport Season Thunder Valley festival because they’re giving away merch to those who share their story. Whether you have a ludicrous bad beat story, a fantastical poker journey, or simply want to tell people about the time you rubbed shoulders with some of poker’s elite, our team will be on hand to record and share your story with the wider PokerNews audience.
Five Players to Add to Your MyPlayers Feed During RGPS Passport Season Thunder Valley
PokerNews recently launched MyPlayers, a free tool that lets you follow your favorite poker players across PokerNews, from breaking news to live events, all in one place. Players from far and wide are expected to flock to RGPS Passport Season Thunder Valley throughout the series, and what better way to keep on top of things than by adding some grinders to your MyPlayers feed?
Although PokerNews cannot guarantee the following players will attend RGPS Passport Season Thunder Valley, the next few names are legitimate stars on the RunGood scene and are worth adding to MyPlayers regardless.
Daniel Lowery – A True RunGood Hero
Daniel Lowery is a RunGood superstar who, according to The Hendon Mob Database, tops the charts regarding titles won (12), top 10 finishes (47), in-the-money finishes (86), and prize money won ($562,795). Lowery is in hot form, having won the $1,200 RGPS Passport Season Palace Poker Dallas in late March for $100,007, a result that has helped push his lifetime earnings past $4.1 million.
Nicholas Rigby – Proud Owner of the “Dirty Diaper”
Nicholas Rigby was already extremely well-known on the RunGood circuit before he hit poker headlines during the 2022 World Series of Poker (WSOP) after his loose-aggressive style caught the eye. He was seen playing three-deuce offsuit, which he refers to as the “dirty diaper,” in a big pot, and a star was born.
Rigby has been grinding at the 2026 WSOP but is likely to head to Thunder Valley, not least because he currently occupies second place in the 2025/26 RunGood Poker Series Player of the Year rankings.
Craig Welko – The Current POY Leader
Craig Welko is worth adding to your MyPlayers feed because he is the current RGPS Player of the Year leader. Welko has racked up an impressive 30 cashes in RGPS events in 2026 alone, including 17 final table appearances. The St. Louis, Missouri, native knows his way around a RunGood poker table!
Brian Winter – An RGPS Crusher
Brian Winter topped the 2023/24 Player of the Year rankings. In fact, he completely ran away with the proceedings, earning 2,906.11 ranking points, some 1,245.81 more than the second-place finisher, Shaun Emery. To put that gap into context, Forrest Kollar finished third on the leaderboard with 1,250.12 points!
According to The Hendon Mob Database, Winter has 80 RGPS cashes, 39 top-10 finishes, and 9 titles. Those are some impressive numbers.
Cody Stanford – Champion of a PokerNews PowerStack Event
Cody Stanford is another RGPS regular who has an almost supernatural knack for going deep in RunGood events. With 59 cashes, 31 top-10 finishes, and nine titles, Stanford is one of the tour’s best-ever performers.
In March, Stanford won the $250 No-Limit Hold’em PokerNews PowerStack event in Tunica for $18,067. Could he add the 2026 PokerNews Cup title to his impressive resume?
Stay tuned to PokerNews throughout the RGPS Passport Season Thunder Valley festival, as we bring you all of the news, the best Share Your Story clips, and live reporting from the most prestigious events.
Matthew Pitt
Senior Editor