Some titles are won at the death; this one was never in doubt. Xiong Thao led the $400 PokerNews Cup at Thunder Valley Casino Resort from the very first day to the very last hand, running wire-to-wire to a $48,340 payday and his fourth RunGood Poker Series ring.
- Xiong Thao won the $400 PokerNews Cup at Thunder Valley, running wire-to-wire.
- The event drew 901 entries and built a $306,340 prize pool.
- Thao beat Farzad Abbaszadeh heads-up for $48,340 and his fourth RGPS ring.
- The win came one day short of a year after his first RGPS title at the same venue.
Xiong Thao captured the $400 PokerNews Cup title at Thunder Valley Casino Resort after dominating the tournament from start to finish. The victory marked his fourth RunGood Poker Series ring and came just one day short of a calendar year after he claimed his first RGPS title at the very same venue.
Thao entered the final day with a commanding chip lead over the remaining 88 contenders, having bagged nearly 40 starting stacks on Day 1a. That advantage never wavered as he methodically worked his way through the field, turning a strong position into an unassailable one.
Staying Present
Reflecting on his championship run, Thao admitted that a big chip lead has not always been his friend. He tends to overthink when out in front — but this time he leaned on a simpler mindset.
“I almost feel like for myself, I tend to self-sabotage sometimes. I changed it up this time and just kind of was very present, was very in the moment.”
— Xiong Thao
Final Table Payouts
The tournament attracted 901 entries and generated a $306,340 prize pool. Thao defeated Farzad Abbaszadeh in heads-up play to seal the title and the $48,340 top prize.
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Xiong Thao | $48,340 |
| 2nd | Farzad Abbaszadeh | $32,000 |
| 3rd | Vijesh Suseela | $23,800 |
| 4th | Elijah Obel-Jorgensen | $17,800 |
| 5th | Khamla Kounlavouth | $13,500 |
| 6th | Vy Nguyen | $10,300 |
| 7th | Jeevandeep Singh | $7,900 |
| 8th | Christopher Johnson | $6,100 |
At the final table, Thao did the bulk of the damage himself. After the early exits of Christopher Rudd, Christopher Johnson, Jeevandeep Singh and Vy Nguyen, he sent Khamla Kounlavouth out in fifth, Elijah Obel-Jorgensen in fourth and Vijesh Suseela in third before closing out Abbaszadeh in the heads-up battle.
A Career on the Rise
Thao's recent hot streak stretches well beyond this trophy. He won a qualifier to the 2026 RGPS Passport Japan series in April, initially postponing the trip for personal reasons before finally making it to Japan two weeks before this victory — an experience he described as transformative.
He also took down a $300 No Limit Hold'em event at Thunder Valley during last December's RGPS Dream Factory for $48,340 — a figure that, fittingly, matches his PokerNews Cup prize and ranks among the four largest scores of his career, according to The Hendon Mob database.
