The U Series of Poker returns to Vietnam for what will be the first international live poker tournament in the country in the current year following a series of cancellations during the spring and summer months. Initially scheduled to take place in Da Nang, the next USOP stop on Vietnamese soil has now been finalized and is set to run from September 11 to 23 in Hai Phong.
Host venue of the upcoming two week long series is the Dream Dragon Resort in the vibrant coastal city in northern Vietnam. It is the third-largest city in the country and is the principal port city of the Red River Delta known for rich history, and soothing landscapes.
What To Expect At USOP Hai Phong
USOP Hai Phong will feature a total of 66 numbered tournaments with more than VND 60 Billion in guaranteed prize pools, of which one quarter is reserved for the marquee VND 30 Million (~USD 1,200) buy in Main Event. Four starting days are available across September 19 to 21 of which each flight will play down to the top 12.5% of the field. The survivors then return in the money on September 22 when the action concludes once 18 hopefuls remain.
The tournament buy-ins start with as little as VND 2.5 Million ($100) and the most expensive tournament on the schedule costs a whopping VND 250 Million ($10,000) to enter. That happens to be the Billionaire Club Challenge, which has a guarantee of VND 4 Billion. The two-day event runs alongside the opening two Main Event flights on September 19 and 20 with registration open for the first two levels on Day 2.
Among the notable events right at the start of the series with a lower buy-in threshold is the Madness Kick Off Event, which costs VND 9 Million to enter ($360) and has seen the guarantee boosted to VND 5 Billion. It is followed by the VND 16.5 Million Championship Event with three starting days on September 13 and 14 with at least VND 4 Billion in prize money to be awarded.
Likewise, the Mini Main Event has a total of three starting days with each of them playing down to the top 12.5% in each heat on September 16 and 17. The tournament comes with a price tag of VND 11 Million ($440) and will offer a prize pool of at least VND 3 Billion up for grabs.
Tournament Highlights
Madness Kick Off Event
Buy-in: VND 9 Million (~USD 360)
Guarantee: VND 5 Billion
Four starting days available
Date: Sept 11 – 13, 2024
Championship Event
Buy-in: VND 16.5 Million (~USD 660)
Guarantee: VND 4 Billion
Four starting days available
Date: Sept 13 – 15, 2024
Mini Main Event
Buy-in: VND 11 Million (~USD 440)
Guarantee: VND 3 Billion
Three starting days available
Date: Sept 16 – 18, 2024
USOP Main Event
Buy-in: VND 30 Million (~USD 1,200)
Guarantee: VND 15 Billion
Four starting days available
Date: Sept 19 – 23, 2024
Event #58 Megastack
Buy-in: VND 11 Million (~USD 440)
Guarantee: VND 1 Billion
Date: Sept 22 – 23, 2024
High Roller Schedule
Of course, it would not be an international live poker event in South East Asia without a slate of High-Roller tournaments to attract those with deeper pockets. There are several high-stakes contests available culminating in the aforementioned Billionaire Club Challenge, which is the most expensive tournament on the entire schedule.
It all kicks off with the High Roller Warm Up Single Day on the opening day of the series with a buy-in of VND 44 Million ($1,760) and the next high-stakes competition is the High Roller Charity Event on September 12 and 13. From the VND 55 Million price tag, VND 3 Million will be donated to charity and Day 1 will play down to the final table.
Among the highlights are certainly the High Roller Championship on September 14 and 15 with an entry fee of VND 150 Million ($6,000) and VND 2.5 Billion guarantee as well as the High Roller – The Finale on the tail end of the series. For a buy-in of VND 66 Million ($2,640), at least VND 4 Billion in prize money will be up for grabs.
Several other high-calibre tournaments won’t burn the pockets as much but promise heavy payouts and you can find the key details below.
High Roller Warm Up Single Day
Buy-in: VND 44 Million ($1,760)
Guarantee: VND 1.2 Billion
Date: Sept 11, 2024
High Roller Charity Event
Buy-in: VND 55 Million ($2,200)
Guarantee: VND 1.5 Billion
Date: Sept 12-13, 2024
Superstar Challenge
Buy-in: VND 120 Million ($4,800)
Guarantee: VND 3 Billion
Date: Sept 13 – 14, 2024
High Roller Championship
Buy-in: VND 150 Million ($6,000)
Guarantee: VND 2.5 Billion
Date: Sept 14 – 15, 2024
High Roller Sunday Special
Buy-in: VND 55 Million ($2,200)
Guarantee: VND 1.5 Billion
Date: Sept 15 – 16, 2024
High Roller 6-Max Event
Buy-in: VND 66 Million ($2,640)
Guarantee: VND 1.8 Billion
Date: Sept 16 – 17, 2024
High Roller Megastack
Buy-in: VND 77 Million ($3,080)
Guarantee: VND 2.1 Billion
Date: Sept 17 – 18, 2024
Billionaire Club Challenge
Buy-in: VND 250 Million ($10,000)
Guarantee: VND 4 Billion
Date: Sept 19 – 20, 2024
High Roller – The Finale
Buy-in: VND 66 Million ($2,640)
Guarantee: VND 4 Billion
Date: Sept 22 – 23, 2024
Bargain Satellite Program Available
For all major tournaments on the extensive schedule in Hai Phong, the USOP will also be running numerous satellites as well with 26 of them included from September 11 to 23, 2024. For example, the opening day gives players the opportunities to win their seat for the Madness Kick Off Event for a mere VND 2 Million ($80) whereas the High Roller Warm Up satellite costs VND 5 Million ($200).
The vast majority of the satellites feature a level duration of 12 minutes and a starting stack of 8,000 in chips. As has been the case in many international tournaments, the milestone format comes into play and participants lock up their seats once they have accumulated at least 40,000 in chips.
Main Event satellites commence on September 18 and cost VND 6.6 Million to enter ($264) with either three or two seats guaranteed. The last one of them will run in the evening of September 21. Furthermore, Flipout satellites are available on demand on September 20 and 21, each of which will come with a price tag of VND 3 Million ($120).
A full overview of all available satellites can be found on the USOP website.
USOP Hai Phong – Schedule
*Article by Christian Zetzsche
Tricia David
Tricia David has long experience as a recreational poker player and has been covering poker events since 2010 for numerous outfits in Asia. She spent one year working part time with Poker Portal Asia then became editor and lead writer for all event coverage of the Philippine Poker Tour (PPT). Under the PPT, she overlooked content for their website, and produced live updates on all their events. In addition, she served as the live and online events website content writer for the Asian Poker Tour. Currently, she does live events reporting in Asia for online news site Somuchpoker and is also one of their news contributors.
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