RGPS Bay Area Returns to Graton With $500K GTD

The RunGood Poker Series (RGPS) is heading back to Northern California as Graton Resort & Casino in Rohnert Park hosts 11 consecutive days of tournament action from November 12 to 22. Operating under the tour’s Golden Expedition banner, the 2026 RGPS Bay Area festival features 18 ring events and more than $500,000 in total guaranteed prize pools, anchored by an accessible $300,000 guaranteed Main Event and the $200,000 guaranteed PokerNews PowerStack Mystery Bounty.

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Reduced Main Event Buy-In Retains $300,000 Guarantee

The centerpiece of the festival begins on Friday, November 20, bringing an appealing shift in structure for mid-stakes players. Tour organizers reduced the Main Event buy-in from its previous $1,100 price tag down to $800 while preserving the robust $300,000 guarantee. The tournament offers four starting flights running across Friday and Saturday, giving entrants ample opportunities to bag chips for Sunday’s Day 2 finale.

Players seeking a discounted route into the field can take advantage of on-site satellites, including $200 milestone qualifiers that award one Main Event seat for every five entries. When the field converges for the latter stages of the tournament, understanding proper ICM poker tournament strategy will be vital as contenders navigate the hefty payouts. Live updates, chip counts, and hand eliminations will be provided directly from the floor by PokerNews until the eventual champion is crowned. The Bay Area stop follows RGPS’s prior visit to Graton in March, where Aaron Overton navigated the former $1,100 edition to claim the championship ring and a top prize of $94,050.

Mystery Bounty Action and Mixed-Game Offerings

The action kicks off with the opening-weekend headliner: the $400 PokerNews PowerStack Mystery Bounty. Boasting a $200,000 guarantee, the tournament features five starting flights spread from November 12 through November 14 before surviving players return on Sunday, November 15, to draw bounties and contest the title.

Beyond the primary headliners, the 18-ring schedule provides balanced variety across diverse formats and price points:

Opening Events: The series opens with the $300 Series Opener on November 12, followed by a $400 Big Bounty on November 15.
Specialty Tournaments: Players can jump into the $300 Graton Harvest Classic, a $400 Monster Stack, a $400 Seniors 50+ event, and an entertaining Tag Team PLO/NLH tournament.
Four-Card Formats: Omaha enthusiasts have dedicated schedules featuring Pot-Limit Omaha, Limit Omaha 8, Mixed PLO, and Double Board Bomb Pot PLO.
Fast-Paced Options: Several low-buy-in turbo events round out the slate for players seeking quick tournament volume.

Golden Expedition Leaderboard Incentives

The stop coincides with an active stretch for the tour across the United States, including a concurrent engagement at Horseshoe Casino Tunica. Results at Graton feed directly into the 2026/27 RunGood Player of the Year race as well as the PokerNews PowerStack Leaderboard. Top performers across the PowerStack competition earn significant rewards, with the top 10 finishers claiming a travel package to Thunder Valley and an automatic invite into the $300 Dream Seat Invitational.

For US-based players wanting to warm up with fast-paced tournament action before hitting the live tables in Northern California, jump into soft daily guarantees on BetOnline Poker.

Source: PokerNews Online

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