The RunGood Poker Series (RGPS) Golden Expedition season is approaching its final destination, with Thunder Valley Casino Resort in Lincoln, California, preparing to host the RGPS Dream Factory from November 27 through December 2.
After months of handing out championship rings across the country, the tour returns to Northern California for one last festival in 2026. There are 12 ring events on the schedule, including a $1,100 Main Event with a $250,000 guarantee, but the Dream Factory is about more than crowning another batch of RGPS champions.
Two exclusive tournaments will give previous ring winners the opportunity to secure seats in the PokerGO Tour (PGT) Championship, while the PokerNews PowerStack Leaderboard will reward ten players with packages to attend the season finale.
$250K Guaranteed Main Event Headlines Dream Factory
The biggest tournament on the Dream Factory schedule is the $1,100 Main Event, which comes with a $250,000 guaranteed prize pool and two starting flights.
Day 1A gets underway at 11 a.m. on Friday, November 27, with Day 1B following at the same time on Saturday, November 28. Those who survive their respective flights will return for Day 2 on Sunday, November 29, when the tournament plays down to a champion.
Players looking to qualify for less can take advantage of several $220 package satellites, which begin on November 23 and continue through the opening two days of the festival. Each satellite guarantees five packages, with the schedule offering seven opportunities to win a seat.
The Main Event isn’t the only tournament offering a substantial prize pool. Sunday’s $400 Dream Away 40K carries a $40,000 guarantee, while the $300 Summit Stack on November 30 promises at least $30,000.
The festival concludes on December 2 with the $300 RunGood 24K, which features a $24,000 guarantee and gives players one final opportunity to add an RGPS ring to their collection before the season ends.
Two PGT Championship Seats Await RGPS Ring Winners
While the Main Event will attract plenty of attention, two of the most interesting tournaments on the schedule are reserved for players who have already tasted success on the RunGood Poker Series.
The $300 RunGood Winner’s Circle takes place on Tuesday, December 1, before the $300 RunGood Dream Seat Invitational follows on Wednesday, December 2.
Both events are open exclusively to players who have won an official RGPS Championship Ring during the 2023, 2024, 2025 or 2026 seasons.
The Dream Seat Invitational already had a PGT Championship seat reserved for its winner, but PokerNews added a second seat to the festivities in October, sponsoring the top prize in the Winner’s Circle tournament.
That means two RGPS champions will leave Thunder Valley with the opportunity to compete at the PokerGO Studio in Las Vegas.
Both tournaments also offer additional prizes for the players finishing second and third.
| Place | Added Prize |
|---|---|
| 1 | PGT Championship Seat |
| 2 | $600 Hendon Mob Mid-Major Championship Seat |
| 3 | $400 PokerNews Cup Seat |
The Winner’s Circle also ties into the RunGood “Compete for the Seat” Gameshow, which takes place during the player party at Illusions Bar on December 1.
All Winner’s Circle participants will have a chance to be selected for the gameshow, where another $6,000 in prizes will be available.
PokerNews PowerStack Players Heading to Thunder Valley
The PokerNews PowerStack Leaderboard has been running throughout the Golden Expedition fall season, giving players another route to the Dream Factory through their performances in eligible PowerStack tournaments.
The top ten players on the leaderboard will each receive a package consisting of entry into the $300 Dream Seat Invitational, a $300 travel stipend and a two-night hotel stay at Thunder Valley.
The PowerStack initiative made its debut earlier this year, when its inaugural leaderboard sent 11 players to Thunder Valley for the $1,200 Million Dollar Main Event during the RGPS Passport Season Finale.
RGPS Dream Factory Schedule
Calum Grant
Senior Editor & Live Events Executive