Days away from another exciting U Series of Poker (USOP) chapter – January 5 to 15 at Asia Poker Arena in Taiwan
In just a few days, U Series of Poker (USOP) is set to open its 2024 calendar season in Taipei City! Reminiscing last year’s opener, the brand launched in Taiwan with the Main Event drawing a full house of players eager to experience what the newcomer had to offer.
Since then, the brand has successfully hosted three additional festivals, all taking place in Vietnam. Each festival grew in size and in overall prize pool. The season concluded with a spectacular finale, boasting the largest Main Event field and Superstar Challenge ever seen in the country up to that point. Excluding China-based festivals, it was the third richest event in Asia for 2023, eclipsed only by APT Incheon and APT Hanoi Billions.In total, USOP paid out the equivalent of over USD 15 Million across four festivals. Quite impressive for a newcomer!
| Festival | Festival Prize Pool |
# of Events
|
|---|---|---|
| USOP Taiwan | NTD 48,718,400 (~USD 1,606,700) | 23 |
| USOP Vietnam | VN₫ 56,967,420,000 (~USD 2,426,700) | 28 |
| USOP Hanoi | VN₫ 104,438,509,000 (~USD 4,312,900) | 39 |
| USOP Da Nang | VN₫ 163,438,680,000 (~USD 6,741,140) | 53 |
Now, as the new year begins, USOP is gearing up for another exciting chapter. Taking cues from its past experiences, the brand has raised its bar to a mighty NTD 40 Million (~USD 1.3 Million) in guaranteed prize pools.
Continuing its partnership withChinese Texas Hold’em Poker Association (CTP), the festival is set to deliver a diverse lineup of 45 trophy eventsat the Asia Poker Arena. This is the largest brick and mortar poker room in the region.
USOP Taiwan
Date: January 5 to 15, 2024
Venue: CTP Asia Poker Arena, Taipei City, Taiwan
Guarantee: TWD 40 Million (~US$ 1.3 Million)
Trophy tournaments: 45
For all the info, schedule, buy ins, tournament structures, etc… head to the link provided:
Combing the roster, the festival features numerous key events and side events with buy ins from NTD 5,000 (~USD 160) up to NTD 50,000 (~USD 1,590) for the Superstar Challenge. The 11-day series is headlined by the NTD 15,000,000 (~US$ 478,270) guaranteed MAIN EVENT with buy in set at NTD 33,000 (~USD 1,075). Given the brand’s track record and the incredible popularity of Taiwan poker around the region, this figure will be easily surpassed.
Other highly sought after multi-day events returning are the Mystery Bounty – NTD 3M guaranteed, Megastack – NTD 1.5M guaranteed, both events cost NTD 16,500 to enter (~US$ 528), and the Mini Main Event – NTD 2M guaranteed which has a lower buy in of NTD 10,000 (~USD 320).
For High Rollers, as always, there’s plenty to fill up one’s calendar. These big buy in events have grown immensely in interest that players should expect some of the region’s biggest names challenging for these coveted USOP titles and trophies.
Newcomers to Taiwan
Taiwan has consistently been a magnet for international poker events, captivating players from every corner of the globe. With USOP securing its place on the calendars of many poker athletes, a surge of new players is anticipated to join the thrilling action in Taiwan. Here are some tips to get by.
Currency – New Taiwan Dollar
Transportation from Airport to venue – Uber and Taxi roughly 45 minutes, Train takes 1-1.5 hours
Weather – it’s a great time of year in Taiwan, it is mostly sunny and cool with temperature ranging from 12 degrees celsius (55 fahrenheit) to 23 degrees celsius (75 fahrenheit)
Accommodations – there are a slew of hotels near the venue with prices and service for every type of traveler and wallet
Best way to see the city – Hop On Hop Off bus
Famous landmarks – Taipei 101, National Palace Museum, Chiang Kai-shek Memorial, Ximending
Famous street food – Pepper pork buns at Raohe Night Market
