USOP: Poker 2U Taiwan Series 20M guaranteed in less than a week! – February 10 to 19 at CTP Club

 

In just under a week, U Series of Poker makes landfall in Taipei City, Taiwan! This is the brand’s first venture into the live arena and it aims to be highly memorable featuring 23 trophy events and TWD 20 Million (~$625,600) in guaranteed prize pools. If you missed our earlier posts, no fret as we will run through what’s lined up, just scroll down. 

The much anticipated inaugural USOP: Poker2U Taiwan Series takes place at the Chinese Texas Hold’em Poker Association (CTP Club) from February 10 to 19, 2023. This is the most popular card room in Taiwan with international festivals hosted at least once a month. With the event fast approaching, players still have time to avail of the Early Bird Package. Two prices are offered: Standard $660 and Premium $1,733.

For new visitors, poker boomed in Taiwan in 2019 and has since kept its pace. Due to its proximity, weather, safe environment, and all around fun yet competitive vibe, it has become one of the top choices for poker players in Asia. In November 2022, Taiwan opened its borders to numerous countries around the world. This resulted in a record breaking World Poker Tour Prime Taiwan Main Event with over TWD 25 Million paid out.

Guaranteed Events

The USOP – Poker2U Taiwan Series serves up 23 tournaments with five of them boasting of guaranteed prize pools amounting to a combined TWD 20 Million. These select tournaments range in buy ins from as low as TWD 8,000 to the highest of TWD 66,000. 

Tournament	Dates	Guarantee	Buy in
MAIN EVENT	February 15 to 19	TWD 10,000,000	TWD 20,000
Kick Off	February 10 to 11	TWD 2,000,000	TWD 8,000
Mystery Bounty	February 11 to 13	TWD 3,000,000	TWD 10,000
High Roller	February 14 to 15	TWD 3,000,000	TWD 66,000
Megastack	February 18 to 19	TWD 2,000,000	TWD 15,000

Main Event – TWD 10,000,000 (~US$ 326,300) guaranteed

The event everyone should not miss out on is the TWD 10 Million guaranteed Main Event which runs from February 15 to 19. The first three days are dedicated to entry flights. Four are scheduled with the last one a Turbo format. Buy in is TWD 20,000 (~US$ 660), certainly one of the more affordable of all the international festivals that have been staged in Taiwan. 

Big prizes await the inaugural live champion such as bragging rights, largest chunk of the pot, and the grand prize Main Event trophy. To try to get in for even cheaper, three Main Event Satellites are offered with buy in of just TWD 4,000 (~US$ 140). 

Kick Off – TWD 2,000,000 (~US$ 65,260) guaranteed

The Kick Off event blasts open the series with a TWD 2,000,000 guaranteed prize pool. This event sets the tone as players battle for the first live title of the brand new series. Only two flights are offered, both running on opening day, February 10. Keep in mind that the first flight is at 1pm and the second is a Turbo format which starts at 6pm. Buy in is TWD 8,000 (~US$ 260). 

Mystery Bounty – TWD 3,000,000 (~US$ 97,890) guaranteed

The Mystery Bounty lights up the action on the second day. This is currently the most popular bounty format worldwide. What sets it apart is literally the term “luck of the draw”. Only players that reach ITM have a chance at bounty rewards. Plenty of drama as well as bounty prizes remain a mystery until they are drawn and revealed. 

The event runs from February 11 to 13. The first two days will each see two flights run, one regular format and one turbo. All the survivors merge on the third day to chase down the largest bounty rewards. Buy in is TWD 10,000 (~US$ 330) with TWD 4,500 per entry going to the bounty pool. 

High Roller – TWD 3,000,000 (~US$ 97,890) guaranteed

Players seeking a combination of tough competition, small fields, and large pots will find that the TWD 3 Million guaranteed High Roller is the perfect fit. With its costly price tag of TWD 66,000 (~US$ 2,160), it will attract a tight group of players with deep pockets. The event runs from Feb 14 to 15. Late registration is open on Day 2. This is one of four high roller events scheduled. 

Megastack – TWD 2,000,000 (~US$ 65,260) guaranteed

The Megastack bookends the series with a minimum TWD 2 Million prize pool for the picking. While the structure has yet to be released, players can assume a big starting stack to allow for plenty of time on the felt. To enter, two flights are scheduled on February 18 with buy in of TWD 15,000 (~US$ 500). All of the survivors move on to Day 2 which takes place on the festival’s final day, February 19. 

High Roller Events

In addition to the High Roller TWD 3M guaranteed are three other high roller events of varying buy ins however no guaranteed prize pools attached. 

Mini High Roller – February 13 – TWD 33,000 (~US$ 1,080)
Single Day High Roller – February 16 – TWD 44,000 (~US$ 1,450)
Super High Roller – February 18 to 19 – TWD 100,000 (~US$ 3,300)

Other events

The rest of the side events are a variety of NLH formats that include Turbos, Bounty Hunter, Ladies Event, and newbie Run It Twice. For other variants, Pot Limit Omaha enthusiasts will see two listed and for Short Deck players only one which runs on the final day. 

Brief history of USOP

Launched in 2021, U-Series of Poker (USOP) World of Champions first showcased its brand of competitive tournament poker at online app UPoker. It ran for nine consecutive weekends from late-January to March with over 2M in guaranteed prizes. The first Main Event grand champion was Leo Cutait from Sao Paulo, Brazil. 

Due to its huge success, a second one was quickly held from August to mid-September then a third one in 2022 which ran the longest from July 17 to September 4. 

For more on the brand, head to the USOP website