Xiong Thao leads the pack on the opening day of the $400 PokerNews Cup.

Xiong Thao leads Group A on Day 1 of the $400 PokerNews Cup at Thunder Valley with 994,000 chips and a total guaranteed prize pool of $250,000.

The poker room at Thunder Valley Casino Resort was filled with excitement and anticipation as the first 142 players competed in the $400 PokerNews Cup Return Event.

On the opening day of the RunGood Passport Season Finals Music Festival, Group A started fast-paced from the beginning, followed by a long bubble period, eventually resulting in a chip leader with a significant lead – everyone was chasing the guaranteed prize pool of $250,000.

Xiong Thao capitalized on his large chip stack as he approached the prize money, frequently raising to build a significant lead and ultimately breaking the bubble himself. Thao packed 994,000 chips, amassing nearly 301 TP3T of chips in the Day 1 group.

Nabil Zumout (569,000) is in second place, having briefly taken the chip lead after winning a large pot from Thao. A total of 14 players qualified for Day 2, and four more survived the bubble stage to earn $700.

Day 1a Chip Quantity

The tournament started with some sparks, with Zackary Moore hitting a royal flush and becoming one of the biggest chip stacks in the game over the next few hours. Moore later played a crucial hand against Dennis Shirron, doubling up before losing the rest of his chips. Shirron survived the bubble but failed to qualify for Day 2.

Brian Winter, the 2023-24 RGPS Player of the Year, missed both of his shots, but he can try again in the remaining group rounds this weekend.

Joshua Moessner, one of the participants in our "Share Your Story" event, received a PokerNews souvenir after chatting with Chad Holloway during a break. Moessner later went all-in with a Big Slick but was eliminated after being overwhelmed.

Thao eliminated Abel Valle during the bubble stage, leading the field into the money. Shirron was subsequently eliminated before the end of the tournament, along with Michael Cohen, Andrew Duffy, and Harvey Tran.

Holloway is expected to join the day with Group B, resuming the tournament on Friday, July 17th at 11:00 AM. Players will start with 25,000 chips and blinds of 100/200. The tournament will be played at nine-handed tables, with each level lasting 30 minutes and a break every two hours.

The remaining groups will continue to allow one re-entry per group, and late entries will close before Level 9 begins. The tournament will proceed again until players reach the money bubble, with the top 12.5% players receiving at least $700.

The top 10% players will then advance to the finals alongside the survivors of Group A from Day 1. Players who did not qualify in the earlier groups can participate in Group C from Day 1, which will begin at 4:00 PM on Friday.

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