USOP Taiwan Day 6 highlights: Jennifer Cassell ships Mini Main; Yita Choong, Keon Young Oh lift #2; Seung Hun Ko, Lin Wei Ka, Wei Ting Chen score wins
With Day 6 in the books, the U Series of Poker (USOP) season opener is now halfway through at Asia Poker Arena in Taipei City, Taiwan. The wall-to-wall action saw Yita Choong and Keon Young Oh become the first multi-winners, Jennifer Cassell rise at the Mini Main, joined by three other USOP maiden title-holders Seung Hun Ko, Lin Wei Kai, and Wei Ting Chen. Here are the highlights.
USOP Taiwan – Coverage
USOP Taiwan – Player Guide
USOP Taiwan – Festival Results
USOP Taiwan – Main Event info
“Staying patient and disciplined” granted JENNIFER CASSELL the Mini Main Event victory
Wedged in the middle at the start of Day 2, Australia’s Jennifer Cassell went on to glory at the Mini Main for her first win outside of home soil. Cassell banked NTD 1,176,000 (~USD 37,775) and her first USOP title.
“I’m very fortunate to be able to travel to other countries and play poker. Taipei is my favorite place I’ve visited for poker, which makes this win even sweeter. I’m very excited and feel as though it’s a great achievement! It feels amazing to have such great support behind me from my partner Bert Perry & fellow Australians, some that have also travelled here and others back home.
It’s a great feeling to start the year with a significant win. It will set me up for a nice year ahead, I hope. As for the tournament itself: it’s incredibly tough to run so deep in a large field MTT, you really need a lot of luck on your side. For me staying disciplined and patient while short stacked was a key to my success.”
The two-day Mini Main drew a towering crowd of 747 entries propelling the prize pool to NTD 6,525,500 (~USD 209,786). Among the 95 advancing players, frontrunners Chau Hau Tsai and Alan Lau Kin Lun were in prime form to take it very deep. Tsai secured a spot at the final table, finishing in 5th place, however Lau was not so fortunate, stopped early in 66th place.
For Malaysia’s Chang Xiang Guang,it was another impressive run. Heearned his third final table cash with a 3rd place berth.
Date: January 8 to 10, 2024
Buy in: NTD 10,000 (~USD 320)
Guarantee: NTD 2,000,000 (~USD 64,297)
Entries: 747
Prize Pool: NTD 6,525,500 (~USD 209,786)
ITM: 95 places
| Rank | Player | Flag | Payout in NTD |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jennifer Cassell | Australia | 1,176,000 |
| 2 | Daniel Yang | Taiwan | 825,000 |
| 3 | Chang Xiang Guang | Malaysia | 531,600 |
| 4 | Pi Ying Hsu | Taiwan | 393,200 |
| 5 | Chau Hau Tsai | Taiwan | 300,300 |
| 6 | Chih Wei Chen | Taiwan | 238,000 |
| 7 | Tzu Shaing Chen | Taiwan | 197,000 |
| 8 | Shun Jian Yee | Singapore | 155,600 |
| 9 | Kuo Wei Kao | Taiwan | 117,600 |
| 10 | Kai Jan Chou | Taiwan | 97,500 |
| 11 | Nguyen Huu Cao | Vietnam | 97,500 |
| 12 | Kai Liang Chang | Taiwan | 97,500 |
| 13 | Li Wei Wang | Taiwan | 77,600 |
| 14 | Cheng En Tsai | Taiwan | 77,600 |
| 15 | Fan Yu Tseng | Taiwan | 77,600 |
| 16 | Yashiro Naoki | Japan | 64,200 |
| 17 | Chien Wei Lin | Taiwan | 64,200 |
| 18 | Kuan An Chen | Taiwan | 64,200 |
| 19 | Chun Wei Shiao | Taiwan | 52,600 |
| 20 | Tse An Lee | Singapore | 52,600 |
| 21 | Wingsze Ho | Hong Kong | 52,600 |
| 22 | Chi Ho Ling | Hong Kong | 44,700 |
| 23 | Tan Ong Kwan | Malaysia | 44,700 |
| 24 | Zhiyu Wang | Australia | 44,700 |
| 25 | Federico Faranda | Germany | 37,200 |
| 26 | Chi Jen Chen | Taiwan | 37,200 |
| 27 | Zi Wei Tung | Taiwan | 37,200 |
| 28 | Chi Der Lei | China | 30,500 |
| 29 | Joe Chen | Taiwan | 30,500 |
| 30 | Thomas Liffick | UK | 30,500 |
| 31 | Chun An Chou | Taiwan | 30,500 |
| 32 | Sorawit Suriyakarn | Thailand | 30,500 |
| 33 | Dexter Santos | Philippines | 30,500 |
| 34 | Lee Kuang Hung | Taiwan | 30,500 |
| 35 | Phat Nguyen | Australia | 30,500 |
| 36 | Gingyu Huang | Taiwan | 30,500 |
| 37 | Kaiser Huang | Taiwan | 26,600 |
| 38 | Ya Ting Chou | Taiwan | 26,600 |
| 39 | Chih Feng Li | Taiwan | 26,600 |
| 40 | Chia Ta Tsai | Taiwan | 26,600 |
| 41 | Yu Yong Lin | Taiwan | 26,600 |
| 42 | Mongsong Kuo | Taiwan | 26,600 |
| 43 | Hsu Sheng Chang | Taiwan | 26,600 |
| 44 | Weihao Huang | Taiwan | 26,600 |
| 45 | Jim Wang | Singapore | 26,600 |
| 46 | Hsinhui Peng | Taiwan | 23,500 |
| 47 | Yan Xin Ng | Singapore | 23,500 |
| 48 | Jereld Sam | Singapore | 23,500 |
| 49 | Chang Le Lin | Taiwan | 23,500 |
| 50 | Yan Wen Yee | Malaysia | 23,500 |
| 51 | Romain Bier | France | 23,500 |
| 52 | Rundulf Martin Gonzales | Philippines | 23,500 |
| 53 | Paul Yugendra | Malaysia | 23,500 |
| 54 | John Jay Magadan | Philippines | 23,500 |
| 55 | Oliver Schulze | Germany | 21,300 |
| 56 | Chien Hsiang Hung | Taiwan | 21,300 |
| 57 | Masato Nagamine | Japan | 21,300 |
| 58 | Fu An Huang | Taiwan | 21,300 |
| 59 | Yiu Cheong Ho | Hong Kong | 21,300 |
| 60 | Richard Kim | Canada | 21,300 |
| 61 | Juns Leong | Malaysia | 21,300 |
| 62 | Jonathan Looi | Malaysia | 21,300 |
| 63 | Napat Buranatavonsom | Thailand | 21,300 |
| 64 | Yuan Fu Lo | Taiwan | 19,400 |
| 65 | Justin Jerome Geronimo | Philippines | 19,400 |
| 66 | King Lun Alan Lau | Hong Kong | 19,400 |
| 67 | Chien Yu Lin | Taiwan | 19,400 |
| 68 | Tran Duc Kien | Vietnam | 19,400 |
| 69 | Shaotang Lu | Taiwan | 19,400 |
| 70 | Ta Wei Wei | Taiwan | 19,400 |
| 71 | Kim Hak Do | South Korea | 19,400 |
| 72 | Meng Ling Lin | Taiwan | 19,400 |
| 73 | Yun Lam Kevin Choi | Hong Kong | 19,400 |
| 74 | Pak Hei Chan | Hong Kong | 17,600 |
| 75 | Shao Hong Yu | Taiwan | 17,600 |
| 76 | Wai Shun Poon | Hong Kong | 17,600 |
| 77 | Haram Joo | South Korea | 17,600 |
| 78 | Tsung En Yeh | Taiwan | 17,600 |
| 79 | Xsien Lee Qu | Taiwan | 17,600 |
| 80 | Yun Ping Li | Taiwan | 17,600 |
| 81 | Kaihung Hu | Taiwan | 17,600 |
| 82 | Yungyu Chen | Taiwan | 17,600 |
| 83 | Lai Koon Lim | Singapore | 15,900 |
| 84 | Haruto Murata | Japan | 15,900 |
| 85 | Wen Yen Chiu | Taiwan | 15,900 |
| 86 | Yick Kuen Hiew | Singapore | 15,900 |
| 87 | Seo Hojin | South Korea | 15,900 |
| 88 | Wai Huen Lee | Hong Kong | 15,900 |
| 89 | Kei Hong Leong | Singapore | 15,900 |
| 90 | Zong Chi He | Taiwan | 15,900 |
| 91 | Si Yang Phua | Singapore | 15,900 |
| 92 | Ka Hei Choi | Hong Kong | 14,300 |
| 93 | Dou Houng Chien | Taiwan | 14,300 |
| 94 | Aladin Reskallah | France | 14,300 |
| 95 | Yi Chun Lin | Taiwan | 14,300 |
YITA CHOONG lifts second series title at High Roller Megastack
Second series win for Yita Choong! The Australian high roller’s first USOP visit was in Da Nang in November where he missed his chance at victory numerous times. Not the case though in Taiwan. Choong won the opening day Mini High Roller, then at Day 6, he outshined at the High Roller Megastack for his series second title. Choong became the first player to win two trophies at USOP Taiwan.
The High Roller Megastack attracted an elite crowd of 92 runners for a substantial prize pool of NTD 8,120,900 (~USD 261,076). The top 14 got paid with Choong banking the NTD 2,436,300 (~USD 78,250) first prize. He is now closing in on NTD 3M in series winnings.
Date: January 9 to 10, 2024
Buy in: NTD 100,000 (~USD 3,215)
Guarantee: NTD 2,500,000 (~USD 80,372)
Entries: 92
Prize Pool: NTD 8,120,900 (~USD 261,076)
ITM: 14 places
| Rank | Player | Flag | Payout in NTD |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yita Choong | Australia | 2,436,300 |
| 2 | Hon Cheong Lee | Hong Kong | 1,502,400 |
| 3 | Punnat Punsri | Thailand | 901,400 |
| 4 | Win Meng Tan | Malaysia | 588,800 |
| 5 | Jeong Yim | South Korea | 454,800 |
| 6 | Seung Mook Jung | South Korea | 373,600 |
| 7 | Hoong Kiat Alex | Malaysia | 316,700 |
| 8 | Webster Chih Wei Lim | Malaysia | 276,100 |
| 9 | Matthew Belcher | UK | 243,600 |
| 10 | Justin Tsui | Australia | 215,200 |
| 11 | Paul Nattapatsiri | Thailand | 215,200 |
| 12 | William Jia | Australia | 215,200 |
| 13 | Anton Zhen Zhao Lu | Australia | 190,800 |
| 14 | Dae Woong Song | South Korea | 190,800 |
USOP newcomer SEUNG HUN KO wins Midweek Superstack
On his first-ever USOP stop, South Korea’s Seung Hun Ko rose above the sizable 161 entry field of the popular Midweek Superstack to capture the coveted win and the NTD 560,400 (~USD 18,000) top prize. Strong finish as well for High Roller Warm Up champion William Jia who placed 4th.
Date: January 10, 2024
Buy in: NTD 15,000 (~USD 480)
Guarantee: NTD 1,000,000 (~USD 32,149)
Entries: 161
Prize Pool: NTD 2,108,300 (~USD 67,779)
ITM: 21 places
| Rank | Player | Flag | Payout in NTD |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Seung Hun Ko | South Korea | 560,400 |
| 2 | Juns Leong | Malaysia | 367,000 |
| 3 | Kennie Tay | Singapore | 216,300 |
| 4 | William Jia | Australia | 131,700 |
| 5 | Conor Grimsley | UK | 101,600 |
| 6 | Toshio Kataoka | Japan | 84,200 |
| 7 | Yung Yu Chen | Taiwan | 72,900 |
| 8 | Dou Houng Chien | Taiwan | 64,300 |
| 9 | Jun Li | United | 56,000 |
| 10 | Kuan Hua Huang | Taiwan | 48,500 |
| 11 | Kwok Yip | Hong Kong | 48,500 |
| 12 | Kyle Bao Diep | Vietnam | 48,500 |
| 13 | Napat Buranatavonsom | Thailand | 41,100 |
| 14 | Napat Chokejindachai | Thailand | 41,100 |
| 15 | Ting Yao Lin | Taiwan | 41,100 |
| 16 | Oliver Schulze | Germany | 34,200 |
| 17 | Kaiser Huang | Taiwan | 34,200 |
| 18 | Ya Ting Chou | Taiwan | 34,200 |
| 19 | Edwin Dela Cruz | Philippines | 27,500 |
| 20 | Lee Ka Chun | Hong Kong | 27,500 |
| 21 | John Tech | Philippines | 27,500 |
Local player LIN WEI KAI wins Pot Limit Omaha
With a long list of deep runs and wins at CTP local events, Lin Wei Kai added a USOP title for his victory at Pot Limit Omaha. The event attracted a strong field of 66 entries. Lin denied Pot Limit Omaha Turbo winner Shao Me Yang a second title, defeating him at heads up. For his triumph, Lin earned a cool NTD 242,000 (~USD 7,775).
Date: January 10, 2024
Buy in: NTD 12,000 (~USD 384)
Entries: 66
Prize Pool: NTD 691,500 (~USD 22,231)
ITM: 9 places
| Rank | Player | Flag | Payout in NTD |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lin Wei Kai | Taiwan | 242,000 |
| 2 | Shao Me Yang | Taiwan | 138,400 |
| 3 | Liang Su | Taiwan | 84,700 |
| 4 | Zhiyu Wang | Australia | 60,500 |
| 5 | Tiger Beng Wei Ong | Malaysia | 46,700 |
| 6 | Rundulf Martin Gonzales | Philippines | 36,300 |
| 7 | Chih Feng Li | Taiwan | 31,100 |
| 8 | Kuan Yu Lin | Taiwan | 27,600 |
| 9 | Cheli Lin | Taiwan | 24,200 |
Second series title for KEON YOUNG OH at Freezeout
Another multi-winner emerged at Day 6 with South Korea’s Keon Young Oh bringing it home at the Freezeout event. Oh was the last man standing out of the 104 player field to turn his NTD 6K buy in to a cool NTD 160,000 (~USD 5,140). Oh’s first win was at the Bounty Hunter Turbo two days prior.
Date: January 10, 2024
Buy in: NTD 6,000 (~USD 192)
Entries: 104
Prize Pool: NTD 524,600 (~USD 16,865)
ITM: 13 places
| Rank | Player | Flag | Payout in NTD |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Keon Young Oh | South Korea | 160,000 |
| 2 | Yin Sum Chan | Hong Kong | 98,400 |
| 3 | Kensuke Tajika | Japan | 60,300 |
| 4 | Hok Shing Ho | Hong Kong | 39,300 |
| 5 | Maeng Seonghun | South Korea | 30,700 |
| 6 | Haram Joo | South Korea | 24,500 |
| 7 | Xin Hua Lai | Singapore | 20,900 |
| 8 | John Jay Magadan | Philippines | 18,100 |
| 9 | Chia Yu Lin | Taiwan | 16,000 |
| 10 | Tzi Wei Hwang | Taiwan | 14,400 |
| 11 | Lee Jung Yeol | South Korea | 14,400 |
| 12 | Tomohiro Yamada | Japan | 14,400 |
| 13 | Yashiro Naoki | Japan | 13,200 |
WEI TING CHEN wins first USOP title at 10/10/10
The last event of the day was the uber-fast short stacked 10/10/10 event. Players start with a 10k stack, blinds go up every 10 minutes, and players only have 10 seconds to act. Needless to say it was a rush to the finish line with Taiwan’s Wei Ting Chen prevailing for his first USOP win and NTD 90,700 (~USD 2,900). Among the finishers was Philippine player Justin Jerome Geronimo for his second final table cash.
Date: January 10, 2024
Buy in: NTD 5,000 (~USD 160)
Entries: 59
Prize Pool: NTD 251,900 (~USD 8,098)
ITM: 8 places
| Rank | Player | Flag | Payout in NTD |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wei Ting Chen | Taiwan | 90,700 |
| 2 | Bojia Su | Taiwan | 53,300 |
| 3 | Ho Koon Leong | Singapore | 33,400 |
| 4 | Yi Hsuan Chen | Taiwan | 22,700 |
| 5 | Justin Jerome Geronimo | Philippines | 17,600 |
| 6 | Nam Ho Kim | South Korea | 13,900 |
| 7 | Dexter Santos | Philippines | 11,300 |
| 8 | Chien Hua Lo | Taiwan | 9,000 |
USOP Taiwan 2024
In partnership with theChinese Texas Hold’em Poker Association (CTP), USOP Taiwan runs from January 5 to 15, 2024at the largest brick and mortar poker room in the region,Asia Poker Arena in Taipei City. With six days in the books, 26 of the 45 trophies have already been claimed.Time to win yours!
*Photos by CTP and USOP
