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$400 PokerNews Cup
Day 1bc Completed
2026 PokerNews Cup Thunder Valley
$400 PokerNews Cup
Day: 1bc
Players Left 88 / 901
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Chip Counts
Chip Counts
Level 16
: Blinds 6,000/12,000, 12,000 ante
Action continues in the $400 PokerNews Cup, with full chip counts and information for the late flight to be posted in the morning.
Chip counts can also be found at the conclusion of play on the RunGood Rewards App.
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Level 16
: Blinds 6,000/12,000, 12,000 ante
It did not take long for the Thunder Valley Casino Resort poker room to fill up on Friday, as the RunGood Passport Season Finale series continued with a big crowd and plenty of exciting poker action.
The second flight of the $400 PokerNews Cup attracted 204 entries, bringing the overall tournament total to 346 through Day 1b. Of those, 26 made the money but only the top 20 players bagged up for the final day to battle for a share of the guaranteed prize pool of $250,000.
After the final knockout, it was Eric Estrellado leading the way with a stack of 662,000 chips. Estrellado had a deep run in the 2022 RGPS Thunder Valley Main Event, finishing in 11th place to narrowly miss out on the final table.
Estrellado will have a shot a surpassing that score, sitting well ahead of Eric Lee (567,000) in second spot with two more flights to come. The overall leader is Xiong Thao, who set a staggering pace in the opening flight to collect 994,000 chips.
Day 1b Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Eric Estrellado | United States | 662,000 |
| 2 | Eric Lee | United States | 567,000 |
| 3 | James Lee | United States | 444,000 |
| 4 | Daniel Evans | United States | 441,000 |
| 5 | Stephane Jardonnet | United States | 277,000 |
| 6 | Robert Garvin | United States | 245,000 |
| 7 | Michael Riddle | United States | 227,000 |
| 8 | Michael McGonigle | United States | 220,000 |
| 9 | Arturo Murillo | United States | 213,000 |
| 10 | Deven Cannon | United States | 203,000 |
The poker room filled up quickly, as entries from Day 1b passed the opening flight total by the end of Level 3. It was a great start for Robert Garvin, who showed quads while building an early stack. Garvin would continue to build from there, finishing up in sixth place with 245,000.
The day also included some fun stories shared with Chad Holloway, including Thunder Valley regulars Sharon and Albert Sanchez. They grabbed some PokerNews Cup merchandise, and you can do the same on the weekend during the Share Your Story campaign at Thunder Valley.
Holloway then joined the action, hanging on to his short stack past late registration until James Lee spiked a set on the turn to score the knockout. Lee would ride that momentum through the night, collecting 444,000 chips in his bag.
Among the other notable names in action was Brian Winter, who found river value after making a straight to kickstart his ride into Day 2.
The two bubble hands played out shortly after, as Travis Fujisaka flipped with Daniel Evans (441,000) for a spot in the money. Winter then brought the night to a close by knocking out Bryan Stilwell to finish with 195,000 chips.
Registration had closed in Day 1c at the time of this post, with an additional 190 entries taking part. The top 19 from that field will bag up to join the 34 players already qualified for Day 2.
One last flight remains on Saturday, July 18 at 11:00 a.m. local time, where the final spots in the money will be up for grabs. Entrants will begin with 25,000 chips, seeing opening blinds of 100/200 with a 200 big blind ante.
All levels will be 30 minutes in duration, and players will earn breaks following every two hours of action.
The final flight will continue to allow a single reentry, with late registration open until the start of Level 9. From there, the top 12.5 percent of the field will lock up a minimum of $700, while the last 10 percent advance to the final day.
Don’t miss any of the action this weekend, as the PokerNews live reporting team will continue to provide full coverage of the final flight at Thunder Valley.
Level 16
: Blinds 6,000/12,000, 12,000 ante
Level 16
: Blinds 6,000/12,000, 12,000 ante
The final 20 players have earned a spot in Day 2, and play has concluded for the night.
Stay tuned for final chip counts, and a recap of the action.
Level 16
: Blinds 6,000/12,000, 12,000 ante
Bryan Stilwell moved his last 30,000 into the middle, and Brian Winter made the call in the small blind.
Bryan Stilwell: 9♥8♠ 
Brian Winter: J♦10♦
Winter improved to a pair on the J♠7♦2♦, also picking up a diamond draw. Stilwell found a straight draw, but could not complete it on the 4♣ turn or 6♠ river.
That sent Stilwell out in 21st place, as the remaining 20 players bagged up for the night.
Level 16
: Blinds 6,000/12,000, 12,000 ante
Action folded around to Victor Paredes in the small blind, who moved his short stack all in. James Lee made the call in the big blind, and the hands were turned up.
Victor Paredes: Q♠7♦
James Lee: K♦J♠
Lee found two pair on the A♠J♣K♠ flop, while Paredes could not complete his straight draw on the 2♥ turn or 6♣ river to end his tournament run.
Level: 16
Blinds: 6,000/12,000
Ante: 12,000
Level 15
: Blinds 5,000/10,000, 10,000 ante
Eric Estrellado fired a bet of 20,000 from the small blind on the 3♦9♣K♠ flop, and Eric Lee called in middle position. Kyle Hill moved all in from the cutoff, with Estrellado calling and Lee getting out of the way.
Kyle Hill: Q♥J♦
Eric Estrellado: K♦8♣
Estrellado improved to two pair on the 8♥ turn, with the 7♠ river confirming Hill's exit in the money.
Level 15
: Blinds 5,000/10,000, 10,000 ante
