PokerNews PowerStack Returns With PGT Championship Dream Seat on the Line

The PokerNews PowerStack Leaderboard is back for the 2026 Fall RunGood Poker Series season, with another group of players set to turn their results on the felt into a trip to Thunder Valley Casino Resort.

After making its debut earlier this year, the season-long race returns with an even bigger prize at the end of it. The top 10 players on the PokerNews PowerStack Leaderboard will each earn a package to Thunder Valley and entry into the exclusive $300 Dream Seat Invitational.

The Invitational takes place during the RunGood Dream Factory Festival from November 27 through December 3, where the winner will secure a seat in the PGT Championship at the PokerGO Studio in January 2027.

That gives PowerStack players a route from a $400 tournament on the RunGood circuit all the way to competing alongside some of poker’s biggest names.

Top 10 Heading to Thunder Valley

Every eligible PokerNews PowerStack result throughout the fall season will earn leaderboard points, with players able to build their totals across multiple RGPS stops.

Once the final points have been tallied, the top 10 will each receive a package consisting of:

• Entry into the $300 Dream Seat Invitational
• $300 travel stipend
• Two-night hotel stay at Thunder Valley Casino Resort

The Dream Seat Invitational will bring together RunGood champions and qualifiers, with its winner earning the chance to represent RunGood in the PGT Championship.

The full Fall PokerNews PowerStack schedule, leaderboard scoring system and updated standings will be announced throughout the season.

PowerStack Sends 11 Players to Thunder Valley in Inaugural Season

The first edition of the PokerNews PowerStack race saw 11 players earn seats into the $1,200 Million Dollar Main Event at the RGPS Passport Season Finale at Thunder Valley in July.

Nicholas Rigby finished on top of the inaugural PokerNews leaderboard, but it was Paul Schreiner and Sean Hold who managed to turn their free Main Event entries into cashes. Both made the money for $5,400.

The tournament itself was eventually won by Thunder Valley regular and poker legend JC Tran.

Tran defended his home turf by outlasting a field of 1,086 entries, taking down the RGPS Passport Season Finale Main Event for the first time in his accomplished career. The huge turnout generated a $1,140,300 prize pool, with Tran collecting $163,700 for the victory.

First Fall PowerStack Heads to Indiana

Players won’t have to wait long to begin collecting points in the new race, with the first PokerNews PowerStack of the fall taking place at the RGPS Golden Expedition at Caesars Southern Indiana in Elizabeth, Indiana.

The six-day festival runs from August 18-23 and features 10 ring events with $260,000 in guarantees.

The $400 PokerNews PowerStack gets underway on August 19 and carries a $50,000 guarantee. Two starting flights will play out that day, beginning at noon and 6 p.m., with surviving players returning at noon on August 20 to play down to a champion.

Players can also qualify for the PowerStack through $105 turbo satellites, with one seat awarded for every five entries.

The festival culminates with the $800 RGPS Golden Expedition Main Event, which comes with a $200,000 guarantee. Four starting flights run from August 20-22 before the remaining players return for the finale on August 23.

PokerNews will be on site providing live reporting coverage of the Main Event from start to finish.

Calum has been a part of the PokerNews team since September 2021 after working in the UK energy sector. He played his first hand of poker in 2017 and immediately fell in love with the game.

Calum has written for various poker outlets but found his home at PokerNews, where he has contributed to various articles and live updates, providing insights and reporting on major poker events, including the World Series of Poker (WSOP).