RGPS Thunder Valley Main Event | JC Tran defeats 1,086 players on home turf, securing 1 TP and 4 T163,700 in a head-to-head battle.

On August 4, 2026, the RunGood Poker Series (RGPS) Passport Season Finale concluded at the Thunder Valley Resort Casino in California with the $1,200 Million Dollar Main Event. Sacramento legend JC Tran defended his home turf, emerging victorious from a field of 1,086 entries to defeat Rajat Paliwal and claim the $163,700 Million Dollar champion prize.

This event resulted in a total prize pool of $1,140,300, marking Tran's first career RunGood Passport Season Finale title. Starting from the third chippatch at the final table, he overcame a deficit with pocket heads-up play, a three-way comeback, and a two-and-a-half-hour heads-up match before finally securing the victory.

RGPS Passport Season Finale Event Information

On Day 2, 108 players returned to the arena, with Tran leading K♠K♣ to complete the final elimination.

RGPS Main Event Final Table Results

All nine final table players are from the United States, with the minimum prize being 1TP 4T 16,400. Paliwal and Ricardo Bibat entered the final table with more chips, while Tran finished in third place.

More than 50 blindfolded players entered the final day.

Tran started the final day with over 50 big blinds, giving them enough overall chip depth to handle a long competition.

His first major breakthrough came against Samuel Panzica when he hit two pair on the turn, overtaking his opponent's pocket tens and securing the win. Later, Tran allowed Randy Gil to double up, but quickly regained his chip count by eliminating Michael Cervantes.

After reaching the nine-handed final table, Tran continued to look for opportunities to increase his chip count. In his elimination hand against Romeo Velasquez, he hit a 7 on the turn, sending his opponent to seventh place.

Pocket Six meets Pocket Eight: Four Paths to the Championship

Tran came closest to elimination when he went all-in against Jason Smith.

The blinds were 125,000/250,000, with a big blind ante of 250,000. Smith raised to 500,000 from the button, and Tran then went all-in for 6,075,000, which Smith quickly called.

JC Tran：6♦6♥
Jason Smith: 8♦8♥

Tran's pocket sixes were suppressed pre-flop, but the flop of 10♠6♠2♠ gave him a set, and the subsequent community cards brought out another six, ultimately completing a quad and a crucial double.

This hand not only saved Tran from elimination but also became one of the most important turning points in his championship run. He then faced Smith again and eventually eliminated him in fourth place, earning $61,000.

Pocket A eliminated Bibat, entering the head-to-head match with a nearly two-fold advantage.

With three players remaining in the match, Tran was still behind Paliwal on the scoreboard, but he quickly turned the tide by eliminating Ricardo Bibat.

Tran raised to 1,100,000 from the BTN position, Bibat pushed in all his chips, and Tran immediately called.

Ricardo Bibat：A♣5♣
JC Tran：A♥A♦

The community cards were Q♥2♥J♦10♦Q♣, and Bibat failed to beat the pocket aces, finishing in third place with $81,000. Tran, with a near two-to-one chip lead, entered heads-up play against Paliwal.

The champion's one-on-one battle lasted more than two and a half hours.

Despite Tran entering heads-up play with a clear chip lead, Paliwal did not fall quickly. The two played for over two and a half hours, during which the chip leader position changed hands multiple times, keeping the championship outcome uncertain for a long time.

Tran fell to about 15 big blinds at one point in heads-up play. With blinds at 300,000/500,000, he limped on the button, and Paliwal raised to 3,000,000; Tran went all-in for 7,400,000, and Paliwal called.

JC Tran：A♠4♦
Rajat Paliwal：Q♣J♣

The community cards were 2♥5♥2♠8♥6♥. Paliwal failed to hit the Q or J, and Tran held with A-high to complete the crucial double-up and return to the championship contention.

About ten minutes later, Tran won another large pot, squeezing Paliwal down to a very short chip stack, and the game began to turn in favor of the home team.

Pocket King defeats Pocket Nine to end the game.

The final hand occurred at level 35, with blinds of 300,000/600,000 and a big blind ante of 600,000.

Paliwal went all-in with approximately 5,000,000 chips from the button, and Tran quickly called.

Rajat Paliwal: 9♣9♥
JC Tran：K♠K♣

The flop of Q♠4♠Q♣ gave Tran a significant lead, but the turn 10♥ and the river 7♣ did nothing to help Paliwal. Tran's pocket kings held onto his advantage, securing the championship; Paliwal finished as runner-up, earning $109,000.

After the match, Tran said that although he hadn't played high-intensity heads-up play for a long time and felt a bit rusty at first, he gradually mastered Paliwal's style of play as the tournament progressed. He also admitted that he had several favorable results in key hands at the final table.

From global tours to family life

Beyond this victory, Tran's views on poker and life have also changed significantly in recent years.

He told PokerNews that he no longer aspires to constantly travel the world for tournaments as he used to. Currently, he values spending time with his children and family more and doesn't want to miss out on his children's growth due to long periods of travel.

Tran has coached his son's recreational basketball team for the past few seasons, leading them to a championship at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento. He described the satisfaction of achieving this feat with his children as even greater than winning some poker tournaments.

Therefore, Tran may not resume his intensive global tour in the future, but he still plans to selectively participate in some events while maintaining a balance between family life and competitive poker.

Winning the title at home proves that our competitiveness has not diminished.

Starting with over 50 big blinds on the final day, then coming back from four big blinds to defeat Jason Smith, and finally turning the tide in a two-and-a-half-hour heads-up match from 15 big blinds, JC Tran's path to the championship was far from easy.

He ultimately beat 1,085 other entries in the familiar Thunder Valley to win his first RunGood Passport Season Finale title, taking home $163,700.

For Tran, who currently prioritizes his family, this victory doesn't signify a full return to a high-density professional schedule, but it proves that even with fewer races, he still has the ability to complete deep runs and win championships in main races with thousands of participants.

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