As promised, USOP Danang 2024 delivered the richest U Series of Poker festival to date with two weeks of thrilling poker taking place in Danang, Vietnam. In partnership with Crown Poker Club and Lucky Poker, the festival ran from March 19 to April 1, 2024 at the Pullman Danang Beach Resort, paying out a jaw dropping VN₫ 226,182,700,000 (~USD 9,268,221) across 71 trophy events. This was VN₫ 63 Billion (~$2.5M) more than its previous high, setting a new brand record. Aside from the numbers were players displaying exceptional performances. Let’s have a look dow below.
USOP Danang 2024 – Festival Results
USOP Danang 2024 – Player of the Series Leaderboard
USOP Danang 2024 – Photo Gallery
USOP Danang 2024 by the numbers
Date: March 19 to April 1, 2024
Venue: Pullman Danang Beach Resort, Vietnam
Trophy events: 71
Guarantee: VN₫ 60,000,000,000 (~USD 2.45 Million)
Festival prize pool: VN₫ 226,182,700,000 (~USD 9,268,221)
Seven figure USD events: Main Event, Billionaire Club Challenge
Main Event results
Entries: 1,702
Prize pool: VN₫ 44,575,300,000 (~USD 1,800,000)
Champion: Ian Lee – Malaysia – VN₫ 7,120,000,000 (~USD 287,677)
High Roller Series
Events: 12
Guarantee: VN₫ 27,300,000,000 (~USD 1.09 Million)
High Roller Series prize pool: VN₫ 113,631,600,000 (~USD 4,540,770)
| High Roller Event | Guarantee | Prize pool in VN₫ | ~USD |
| Warm Up | 1,200,000,000 | 2,599,600,000 | 103,984 |
| Mystery Bounty | 1,500,000,000 | 3,104,000,000 | 124,160 |
| Deepstack | 1,800,000,000 | 6,111,000,000 | 244,440 |
| Single Day | 1,500,000,000 | 3,152,500,000 | 126,100 |
| Championship | 2,500,000,000 | 11,271,400,000 | 450,856 |
| Superstar Challenge | 3,000,000,000 | 12,819,500,000 | 512,780 |
| Bounty Hunter | 1,800,000,000 | 7,857,000,000 | 314,280 |
| Megastack | 2,100,000,000 | 11,475,100,000 | 459,004 |
| Super High Roller | 2,400,000,000 | 15,054,400,000 | 602,176 |
| Billionaire Club Challenge | 4,000,000,000 | 25,142,400,000 | 1,005,696 |
| The Finale | 4,000,000,000 | 11,872,800,000 | 474,912 |
| Last Chance | 1,500,000,000 | 3,171,900,000 | 126,876 |
Player achievements
Player of the Series: Tao Wei Chang – 11 cashes – VN₫ 2,617,500, (~USD 104,577) – 2,490 points –
Single largest tournament winner: Ian Lee – Main Event champion – VN₫ 7,120,000,000 (~USD 287,677)
Biggest earner: Josh McCully – VN₫ 12,332,800,000 (~USD 495,850)
Muti-winners: Josh McCully (2), Vladimir Litasov (2), Thanh Hung Tran (2), Rungrot Nuannoi (2), Jooree Kim (2)
Most final table cashes: Thanh Hung Tran (6)
Trophy by Flag: Korea (15), Vietnam (14), China (11), Australia (6), UK (5), Singapore (4), Russia (4), Malaysia (2), USA (2), Thailand (2), Hong Kong (1), Philippines (1), Taiwan (1), Serbia (1), India (1), Indonesia (1)
USOP Danang 2024 top performers
Ian Lee wins record breaking Main Event for career high VN₫ 7.1 Billion (~USD 287.6K)
The USOP Main Event generated a record-breaking VN₫ 44,575,300,000 (~USD 1,800,000) prize pool, surpassing its previous high by VN₫ 10 Billion. Drawing in 1,702 entries across four entry flights, the event saw Malaysia’s Ian Lee emerge as champion, securing the largest USOP payout ever of VN₫ 7,120,000,000 (~USD 287,677). This victory marked Lee’s first live title and the highest score of his career. Another interesting fact, the top four places paid out the equivalent of six figures USD.
Date: March 28 to April 1, 2024
Buy in: VN₫ 30,000,000 (~USD 1,235)
Guarantee: VN₫ 15,000,000,000 (~USD 614,500)
Total entries: 1,702
Prize pool: VN₫ 44,575,300,000 (~USD 1,800,000)
ITM: 213 players
Final table payouts
| Place | Player | Flag | Payout in VN₫ | ~USD |
| 1 | Ian Lee | Malaysia | 7,120,000,000 | 284,800 |
| 2 | Phan Quang Thai | Vietnam | 4,916,000,000 | 196,640 |
| 3 | Gabriel Carter | UK | 3,422,000,000 | 136,880 |
| 4 | Thomas Ward | New Zealand | 2,504,200,000 | 100,168 |
| 5 | Fan Ying Kan | China | 1,877,100,000 | 75,084 |
| 6 | Chun Hao Zhang | China | 1,512,000,000 | 60,480 |
| 7 | Truong Vu Tran Khanh | Vietnam | 1,230,700,000 | 49,228 |
| 8 | Buyu Sakurai | Japan | 960,300,000 | 38,412 |
| 9 | Alok Birewar | India | 712,800,000 | 28,512 |
Read up on his victory via the live updates.
Malaysia’s Ian Lee wins USOP Danang 2024 Main Event for ₫7.12 Billion (~$287K)
Josh McCully earns VN₫ 12,332,800 (~USD 495,850) for festival’s biggest earner
Australia’s Josh McCully was on fire at the series, racking up five high roller event cashes with massive takedowns at two of the Super High Roller events Due to this, he emerged the richest earner, walking away with a combined VN₫ 12,332,800,000 (~USD 495,850) in winnings.
| Event # | Event | Place | Payout in VN₫ | ~USD |
| Event 12 | High Roller Deepstack | 7th | 232,600,000 | 9,304 |
| Event 24 | High Roller Championship | 2nd | 2,160,200,000 | 86,408 |
| Event 30 | Superstar Challenge | 1st | 3,222,800,000 | 128,912 |
| Event 46 | Super High Roller | 20th | 167,200,000 | 6,688 |
| Event 55 | Billionaire Club Challenge | 1st | 6,550,000,000 | 262,000 |
Interview with Josh McCully after winning the Billionaire Club Challenge
SMP: You take the word “challenge” out of the Super High Roller events! How does it feel to win the Billionaire Club Challenge just after the Superstar Challenge? And how did you endure the 19 hours and keep sharp?
Josh: It was an incredible run and amazing to finally get some back-to-back massive scores! I feel very blessed and grateful. Firstly, I always make sure I am heavily caffeinated and have a good supply of snacks and liquids to get me through the grueling hours. Also I am very fortunate I have my supportive partner Bella who is always there to provide whatever I need throughout the series.
SMP: What was the toughest part?
Josh: Staying focused and dialled in. But I always try to do my best to reset my mindset.
SMP: At the Billionaire Club Challenge, you were up against many of the same players leading up to it but this was Soo Jo Kim’s first appearance. You were behind at the start of heads up, what was your strategy against him?
Josh: I’ve played with SJ many many years ago and he usually plays quite well so I was just looking to play my usual game and then switch up if necessary. When I took the lead, it wasn’t an easy hand. He was representing a bigger Ace than my A2 hearts. I eventually put the chips in and fortunately he was bluffing.
SMP: Coming off a Triton event where the stakes were much much higher, did you take anything from that experience and apply it at this event?
Josh: It was my first Triton experience and on my first event I was fortunate enough to final table however after all the events were concluded, I ended up in a net loss. The competition in Triton Jeju was certainly much touger so I was back in my comfort zone playing USOP events where I’ve played often with my competition.
SMP: With all this success, when will you be back in Asia?
Josh: I’m sure I’ll be back sometime this year for some of the bigger series. Poker in Asia is booming so I would recommend for anyone to experience it as it is enjoyable and great atmosphere.
Tao Wei Chang rakes in 11 cashes to win Player of the Series
Taiwan’s Tao Wei Chang aka David Chang was another strong force cashing out in an impressive 11 events! At one point he was seen multi-tabling the Mini Main and the High Roller Megastack. Despite having no victories, Chang’s stats dominated to become the first ever USOP Player of the Series winner. He was awarded the first USOP Ring and is now frontrunner in the USOP Player of the Year race. In total, he accumulated VN₫ 2,617,500,000 (~USD 104,700) in winnings.
| Event # | Event | Place | Payout in VN₫ | ~USD |
| Event 4 | Mini High Roller | 2nd | 223,100,000 | 8,924 |
| Eent 19 | High Roller Single Day | 4th | 298,400,000 | 11,936 |
| Event 27 | Pot Limit Omaha – Turbo | 2nd | 67,900,000 | 2,716 |
| Event 31 | Short Deck | 4th | 33,900,000 | 1,356 |
| Event 11 | Bounty Hunter – Hyper Turbo | 11th | 10,200,000 | 408 |
| Event 35 | Mini Main Event | 33rd | 69,800,000 | 2,792 |
| Event 41 | High Roller Megastack | 2nd | 1,769,500,000 | 70,780 |
| Event 56 | Mystery Rush Bounty | 26th | 12,400,000 | 496 |
| Event 57 | Tag Team Event | 10th | 21,100,000 | 844 |
| Event 65 | Mixed NLH/PLO | 2nd | 90,300,000 | 3,612 |
| Event 71 | Hyper Turbo | 4th | 20,900,000 | 836 |
Korea captures the most trophies
Throughout the series, several international contingents were present fielding large numbers. One of the biggest was Korea which saw the presence of top pros Steve Yea, Gab Yong Kim, Yoh Wan Lim, Soo Jo Kim, Hyun Sup Kim, Nam Hyung Kim, to name a few. The latter Nam Hyung was one of players from Korea to score a trophy, his first USOP win.
Another noteworthy player was Jooree Kim who bagged two events taking down the Ladies Event and the record breaking Megastack where she outlasted the 381 entry field.
Thanh Hung Tran cashes at six final tables
Vietnam’s Thanh Hung Tran impressed with seven cashes, six of them were final table finishes and two were victories.
| Event # | Event | Place | Payout in VN₫ | ~USD |
| Event 20 | Deepstack | 4th | 53,300,000 | 2,132 |
| Event 27 | Pot Limit Omaha Turbo | 1st | 113,600,000 | 4,544 |
| Event 31 | Short Deck | 1st | 159,700,000 | 6,388 |
| Event 37 | Freezeout | 3rd | 78,900,000 | 3,156 |
| Event 63 | Megastack | 4th | 235,200,000 | 9,408 |
| Event 70 | Short Deck Turbo | 2nd | 86,200,000 | 3,448 |
Up next: USOP Hanoi in late May
With USOP Danang Part 1 in the books, players can start preparing for the brand’s next festival which will take place in Hanoi, Vietnam at the Crown Poker Club. Exact dates and other information has yet to be revealed.
Links:
USOP Danang 2024 – Festival Results
USOP Danang 2024 – Player of the Series Leaderboard
USOP Danang 2024 – Photo Gallery
USOP Danang 2024 – News
USOP Danang 2024 – Schedule
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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