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The 2026 RGPS Golden Expedition Houston will be held from October 12th to 18th at Champions Club Houston, featuring 11 championship ring tournaments over seven days. The series boasts a total guaranteed prize pool of $510,000, with the $600 Main Event offering a guaranteed prize pool of $250,000. PokerNews will provide full coverage of the Main Event.
The 2026 RunGood Poker Series (RGPS) Golden Expedition is coming to Houston, Texas. PokerNews announced on September 28 that the series will be held from October 12 to 18 at Champions Club Houston, featuring 11 RGPS championship ring events over seven days, with a total guaranteed prize pool of $510,000.
The flagship event of this Houston leg is the $600 RunGood Main Event, with a guaranteed prize pool of $250,000. Additionally, the $400 Monster Stack Opener offers a guaranteed prize pool of $100,000, and the $400 PokerNews PowerStack features a guaranteed prize pool of $50,000. The series encompasses a variety of tournament formats, from NLH and PLO to bounty tournaments, doubles teams, and women's events.
11 championship ring tournaments with a total guaranteed prize pool of $510,000.
The RGPS Golden Expedition Houston will officially kick off on October 12th with the $400 Monster Stack Opener. This NLH event offers a guaranteed prize pool of $100,000, making it the largest guaranteed event in the series outside of the main event.
Three different types of championship ring tournaments will be held on October 13th, including the $300 Seniors NLH, the $300 Big Stack, and the $300 Tag Team. The guaranteed prize money for the three tournaments is $10,000, $25,000, and $5,000 respectively.
In addition to the traditional NLH, a $300 Pot-Limit Omaha Championship Ring Tournament with a guaranteed prize pool of $30,000 will be held on October 15th; on the same day, there will also be a $300 Black Chip Bounty NLH with a guaranteed prize pool of $10,000 listed on the schedule.
PokerNews PowerStack offers a $50,000 guaranteed bonus.
Another highlight of this Houston event is the $400 PokerNews PowerStack Ring Event.
PowerStack will arrange two starting flights, Flight A and Flight B, on October 14th. The qualifiers will return on October 15th to participate in the final stage. The competition offers a guaranteed prize of $50,000.
PowerStack is also an important part of the RGPS 2026 season points system. According to PokerNews, the 2026 season will introduce the PokerNews PowerStack Leaderboard, where players can accumulate points in designated PowerStack events at various locations. At the end of the season, the top ten players on the leaderboard will receive a $1,200 RGPS Passport Thunder Valley Main Event ticket and two nights' accommodation.
The main event is guaranteed at $600 and $250,000, with six starting flights.
The highlight of the entire series, the $600 RunGood Main Event, will officially kick off on October 15th, with a guaranteed prize pool of $250,000.
According to the full schedule, the main event will have six departure flights:
Flight A will be conducted on October 15th;
Flight B and Flight C will be conducted on October 16th.
Flight D and Flight E will be conducted on October 17th;
Flight F Turbo will be scheduled for the morning of October 18th.
All players who successfully bagged their way to the next round will return for Day 2 at 2 PM on October 18th, with the tournament continuing until a final champion is crowned. PokerNews has also confirmed that it will provide live coverage throughout the main event until the new RGPS ring winner is determined.
2026 RGPS Golden Expedition Houston Full Schedule
| date | time | Tournament | Guaranteed bonus |
|---|---|---|---|
| October 6 | 6PM | $100 Ultimate Package Step Satellite | 5 seats guaranteed |
| October 8 | 6PM | $100 Ultimate Package Step Satellite | 5 seats guaranteed |
| October 12 | 12 PM | $400 Monster Stack Opener Ring Event | $100,000 |
| October 12 | 6PM | $375 RunGood Package Satellite | 2-ticket guarantee |
| October 13 | 10 AM | $300 Seniors NLH Ring Event | $10,000 |
| October 13 | 1PM | $300 Big Stack Ring Event | $25,000 |
| October 13 | 6PM | $300 Tag Team Ring Event | $5,000 |
| October 13 | Open anytime | $100 Flip & Go Ring Event Day1A | — |
| October 14 | 11 AM | $400 PokerNews PowerStack Flight A | $50,000 |
| October 14 | 2PM | $100 Turbo Satellite to PowerStack | — |
| October 14 | 6PM | $400 PokerNews PowerStack Flight B | $50,000 |
| October 14 | Open anytime | $100 Flip & Go Ring Event Day1B | — |
| October 15 | 12 PM | PokerNews PowerStack Finals | — |
| October 15 | 1PM | $300 Black Chip Bounty NLH | $10,000 |
| October 15 | 3PM | $300 Pot-Limit Omaha Ring Event | $30,000 |
| October 15 | 6PM | $600 Main Event Flight A | $250,000 |
| October 15 | Open anytime | $100 Flip & Go Ring Event Day1C | — |
| October 16 | 11 AM | Flip & Go Ring Event Day 2 | — |
| October 16 | 12 PM | $600 Main Event Flight B | $250,000 |
| October 16 | 3PM | $190 Turbo Main Event Satellite | — |
| October 16 | 6PM | $600 Main Event Flight C | $250,000 |
| October 17 | 9AM | $190 Turbo Main Event Satellite | — |
| October 17 | 11 AM | $600 Main Event Flight D | $250,000 |
| October 17 | 3PM | $190 Turbo Main Event Satellite | — |
| October 17 | 6PM | $600 Main Event Flight E | $250,000 |
| October 18 | 9AM | $600 Main Event Flight F Turbo | $250,000 |
| October 18 | 12 PM | $300 Ladies NLH Ring Event | $10,000 |
| October 18 | 2PM | Main Event Day 2 Restart | — |
| October 18 | 4PM | $400 Last Chance NLH Ring Event | $20,000 |
The aforementioned figures of $250,000 and $50,000 represent the overall guaranteed prize pool for the multi-flight events, and do not represent a single guaranteed prize pool for each flight. The full schedule also shows that there are pre-series satellite races on October 6th and 8th, with the official seven-day RGPS race starting on October 12th.
Multiple formats cover Houston station
Judging from the schedule, this RGPS Houston event is not solely focused on the NLH main event.
In addition to Monster Stack, Big Stack, and Main Event, the series also includes different formats such as Seniors, Tag Team, Flip & Go, Black Chip Bounty, PLO, and Ladies NLH. The final day features the $400 Last Chance NLH Championship Ring Tournament with a guaranteed prize of $20,000.
Champions Club Houston, the venue for this RGPS event, is the main venue for this stop. PokerNews' current tournament calendar also includes the 2026 RGPS Golden Expedition Houston from October 12th to 18th, highlighting two key tournaments: PowerStack and the $600 Main Event.
The Houston main event will be the biggest highlight of the series.
With the Monster Stack tournament kicking off on October 12, the RGPS Golden Expedition Houston will determine 11 champion ring winners over seven days.
The most anticipated event, the $600 Main Event, will feature six starting flights vying for a prize pool of at least $250,000, with the final showdown scheduled for October 18th. PokerNews will provide live coverage from the start of the Main Event, with the number of participants, the final prize pool size, the chip leader, and the champion being the focus of our coverage.
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