button in SafariTime for the Final Flight of the $400 PokerNews Cup at Thunder Valley
Three flights down this week at Thunder Valley Casino Resort, and just one to go in the return of the $400 PokerNews Cup. The first major event of the RunGood Passport Season Finale series resumes today at 11:00 a.m. local time, as Day 1d will determine the final contenders to battle for the trophy on Sunday, July 19.
The event has already seen 536 entries over the first two days of action, with 52 places already secured for Day 2. Today’s flight will likely be the biggest of the week, with the prize pool expected to surpass the $250,000 guarantee.
The three chip leaders from each flight occupy the top spots on the leaderboard, paced by Xiong Thao (994,000) after collected 30 percent of the chips in play on Day 1a.
Ryan Carr (721,000) is the newest addition to the top of the counts, building a big lead in the third flight to sit behind Thao. Day 1b leader Eric Estrellado (662,000) rounds out the top three, who will all return with more than 60 big blinds on the final day.
Top 10 Overall Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Xiong Thao | United States | 994,000 |
| 2 | Ryan Carr | United States | 721,000 |
| 3 | Eric Estrellado | United States | 662,000 |
| 4 | Joseph Stevens | United States | 571,000 |
| 5 | Nabil Zumout | United States | 569,000 |
| 6 | Eric Lee | United States | 567,000 |
| 7 | James Lee | United States | 444,000 |
| 8 | Daniel Evans | United States | 441,000 |
| 9 | Gopal Palvatla | United States | 388,000 |
| 10 | Rachel Delatorre | United States | 361,000 |
Share Your Story, Win PokerNews Merch
Players participating in the PokerNews Cup can find the PokerNews team throughout weekend, giving away merchandise 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 our audience.
The final flight features nine-handed tables with a starting stack of 25,000 chips, and blinds of 100/200 to begin the day. All levels will be 30 minutes each, and participants will see scheduled breaks after every two hours of play.
Each player is permitted one reentry, and late registration for the final flights will close at the start of Level 9. The top 12.5 percent of the field will earn a minimum of $700, and action will continue until just 10 percent remains to bag for Day 2.
The returning players will combine to battle in the money, when tables will be eight-handed for the rest of the event. Time chips will also be introduced, as players will get five at the start of the final day plus five more once the final table is reached.
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Be sure to stay tuned to PokerNews, as our live reporting team will have full coverage from Thunder Valley throughout this exciting weekend.