Days: Day 1A / Day 1B / Day 1C / Day 2
More info: Chip counts / Payouts & Results / Tournament Info
Artem Utevskii sets the bar sky high at Day 1B; 28 players advance
Kickoff Event Day 1B wrapped up with Russia’s Artem Utevskii bagging 94 bb to take the lead in the Day 2 counts. Utevskii’s standout moment came when he eliminated two players at once with his set of Jacks, earning the majority of his chips in one decisive hand. In second rank, though 40 big blinds behind, was Ireland’s Shaun Conroy who delivered the bubble.
Date: March 20, 2024
Buy in: VN₫ 8,800,000 (~USD 362)
Guarantee: VN₫ 2,000,000,000 (~USD 81,930)
Day 1B: 220 entries (175 unique)
ITM: 28 players
Chips in play: 6,600,000
| Player | Flag | Stack | BB |
| Artem Utevskii | Russia | 748,000 | 94 |
| Shaun Conroy | Ireland | 435,000 | 54 |
| Bui The Nguyen | Viet Nam | 392,000 | 49 |
| Jacob Johnston | Canada | 386,000 | 48 |
| Yu Ting | China | 314,000 | 39 |
| The Naing | Singapore | 312,000 | 39 |
| Qing Ye | Australia | 297,000 | 37 |
| Kyle Bao Diep | Viet Nam | 280,000 | 35 |
| Zhao Jun | China | 270,000 | 34 |
| Yoong Won Woo | Korea | 257,000 | 32 |
| Lee Jung Yeol | Korea | 243,000 | 30 |
| Farukh Tach | Afghanistan | 226,000 | 28 |
| Vitalii Polikarpov | Russia | 216,000 | 27 |
| Ahmed Ibrahimi | Morocco | 206,000 | 26 |
| Nguyen Thien Han | Viet Nam | 204,000 | 26 |
| Dang Minh Dat | Viet Nam | 203,000 | 25 |
| Corey Van Jaarsveldt | Australia | 195,000 | 24 |
| Nguyen Manh Hung | Viet Nam | 191,000 | 24 |
| Litasov Vladimir | Russia | 170,000 | 21 |
| Chi Zhao Tian | China | 163,000 | 20 |
| Nguyen Minh Thong | Viet Nam | 153,000 | 19 |
| Denis Semerenko | Russia | 145,000 | 18 |
| Tolin Jargalyn | Austria | 144,000 | 18 |
| Gavin Flynn | Ireland | 123,000 | 15 |
| Kisterev Vladimir | Russia | 114,000 | 14 |
| Uten Ungchusak | Thailand | 94,000 | 12 |
| Choe Hwanho | Korea | 86,000 | 11 |
| Phan Dinh Nam | Viet Nam | 83,000 | 10 |
20:05: Bubble bursts! Shaun Conroy burns Jerome Tan on the river
Level 18: 4000-8000 ante 8000
Down to 8 bb, Jerome Tan three-bets all in holding 
, initial raiser Shaun Conroy makes the easy call with his big stack and turns over 
. The board runs out 
giving Conroy the straight to wrap up Day 1B.
Shaun Conroy – 415,000
Jerome Tan – eliminated on the bubble
19:51: Bubble time! Vladimir Litasov doubles up
Level 18: 4000-8000 ante 8000
Vladimir Litasov three-bets all in with 
and is given a sweat by Hwanho Choe who calls with 
. The board runs 
, Litasov doubles through.
Vladimir Litasov – 190,000
Hwanho Choe – 85,000
19:46: Artem Utevskii skyrockets on a double KO
Level 18: 4000-8000 ante 8000
Utg Joshua Figuerres raises 16,000, hijack Artem Utevskii and bb call for a three-way to the flop 
. More chips tossed in the middle starting with Figuerres who c-bets 18,000, Utevskii calls, bb check-raises all in for 158,000, Figuerres joins with 193,000, and biggest stacked Utevskii calls placing both opponents at risk.
Utevskii 
set
Figuerres 
top pair
Big blind 
top pair
The turn brings a bit of hope to the the at risk players but with the river , it vanishes along with all of their chips.
Artem Utevskii – 700,000
Joshua Figuerres – eliminated
Big blind – eliminated
19:37: 35 players remaining, 7 busts to ITM
Level 18: 4000-8000 ante 8000
The bubble round is drawing near with 35 players remaining and 28 guaranteed to money.
19:28: Robert Sherwood survives the race
Level 17: 3000-6000 ante 6000
Down to 8 bb, Robert Sherwood risks it with 
then goes on to dodge Sean Conroy’s 
to stay in his seat.
Robert Andrew Sherwood – 86,000
Sean Conroy – 130,000
19:14: Kyle Bao Diep wins the flip
Level 17: 3000-6000 ante 6000
From cutoff, Kyle Bao Diep opens, big blind three-bets 32,000, Diep four-bet shoves 
, and is called by bb with 
. At the flop 
, bb improves but it’s short-lived with the turn . The river completes the board, Diep ships and boots a player.
Kyle Bao Diep – 390,000
19:12: 46 players remaining
Level 17: 3000-6000 ante 6000
46 players remaining. Players are dropping fast. Day 1B bags up once ITM is reached of 28 players.
19:00: Bui The Nguyen knocks out Pham Bao in Round 2
Level 16: 3000-5000 ante 5000
Minutes after Pham Bao cracked Bui The Nguyen’s kings, it was payback time. From utg+1, Nguyen three-bets 28,000 and utg Pham flats. The flop comes 
, Nguyen c-bets 30,000, Pham check-calls. On the turn 
, Nguyen shoves, Pham check-calls for his tournament life. Nguyen opens up 
, Pham is behind , the river 
doesn’t produce the two-outer to finish off Pham.
Bui The Nguyen – 360,000
Pham Bao – eliminated
18:57: Pham Bao cracks Bui The Nguyen’s cowboys
Level 16: 3000-5000 ante 5000
Following a called min-raise, hijack player Pham Bao looked down at 
and three-bet all in for 55,000. Cutoff Bui The Nguyen four-bet to 100,000, this was enough to isolate Pham. Nguyen revealed and was way ahead until the turn 
, giving Pham the set. With the river , Pham breathe a sigh of relief.
Pham Bao – 143,000
Bui The Nguyen – 170,000
18:54: Nguyen Manh Hung on a knockout spree
Level 16: 3000-5000 ante 5000
Another takedown by Nguyen Manh Hung this time with a lucky dusting Jun Li’s on a board 
.
Nguyen Manh Hung – 290,000
Jun Li – eliminated
18:50: Vladimir Litasov boots fellow Russian Anatolii Gorbushin
Level 16: 3000-5000 ante 5000
All in preflop, Russia’s Anatolii Gorbushin at risk with 
falls to fellow countryman Vladimir Litasov’s 
on a head turning board 
.
Vladimir Litasov – 170,000
18:47: 57 players remaining
Level 16: 3000-5000 ante 5000
57 players remaining and still a long way to go to reach ITM with 28 guaranteed to advance.
18:36: Nguyen Manh Hung wins the flip
Level 15: 2000-4000 ante 4000
Nguyen Manh Hung opens then calls a 60,000 shove. Nguyen goes on to win the flip with 
staying ahead of on a board .
Nguyen Manh Hung – 250,000
18:27: Corey Van Jaarsveldt flushes one off the field
Level 15: 2000-4000 ante 4000
Utg+2 raises 8,500, small blind Corey Van Jaarsveldt defends, flop runs 
. Utg+2 c-bets 7,000, Jaarsveldt check-raises 22,000, utg+2 replies with a three-bet of 34,000 Jaarsveldt jams and utg+2 calls for everything behind. Jaarsveldt has draw, utg+2 with 
top pair. The turn grants Jaarsveldt the flush, and with the river , utg+2 misses the boat for Jaarsveldt ship it.
Corey Van Jaarsveldt – 240,000
18:21: Nguyen Manh Hung lands a double with big slick
Level 15: 2000-4000 ante 4000
All in preflop, Nguyen Manh Hung doubles up with dominating .
Nguyen Manh Hung – 171,000
18:18: Kyle Bao Diep sends one packing
Level 15: 2000-4000 ante 4000
From the button, USOP Ambassador Kyle Bao Diep calls a players shove and opens which is live against . Diep finds better luck on board 
to boot one out of the running.
Kyle Bao Diep – 140,000
18:14: 64 players remaining
Level 15: 2000-4000 ante 4000
64 players remaining and still a long way to go to reach ITM with 28 guaranteed to advance. Yu Ting is the new chip leader with 360,000 in chip.
18:10: Yu Ting skyrockets at the nutty runout
Level 14: 1500-3000 ante 3000
Button player opens, small blind calls, big blind Yu Ting three-bets 21,000, button calls, small blind four-bets all in for 101,000. Yu five-bets all in and pushes out the button.
Yu Ting
Small blind
Board runs out a nutty 
for a straight over set takedown. Yu Ting skyrockets to 360,000 and has taken the lead.
Yu Ting – 360,000
18:04: Zhang Yuwei’s jam sends a player deep in the tank
Level 14: 1500-3000 ante 3000
Action packed preflop kicks off with utg min-raising, called by utg+1, small blind Zhang Yuwei three-bets 18,000, utg calls, +1 folds. At the flop , Zhang fires 15,000, utg calls, turn comes . Zhang announces all in sending utg to the tank. After using up 3 time-banks, utg folds.
Zhang Yuwei – 140,000
17:53: Corey Van Jaarsveldt double barrels to take it
Level 14: 1500-3000 ante 3000
Utg+2 Corey Van Jaarsveldt three-bets 18,000 and initial raiser utg+1 Jacob Johnston calls. Jaarveldt c-bets 28,500 on the flop , Johnston folds.
Corey Van Jaarsveldt – 145,000
Jacob Johnston – 110,000
17:48: 75 players remaining
Level 14: 1500-3000 ante 3000
75 players remaining but still a long way to go to reach ITM with 28 guaranteed to advance. Farukh Tach maintains his lead with 285,000 in chips.
17:40: Cooler catapults Corey Van Jaarsveldt
Level 13: 1000-2500 ante 2500
From utg+1 Corey Van Jaarsveldt opens and finds two callers to the flop . Heavy betting follows with bb leading out 11,000, called by Jaarsveldt, raised by lojack, bb folds, and Jaarsveldt calls showing . Lojack has and soon falls with the turn and river . Jaarsveldt ships it, lojack busts, bb said he had pocket Jacks though we shall never know for sure.
Corey Van Jaarsveldt – 150,000
17:22: 94 players remaining, Farukh Tach in the driver’s seat
Level 13: 1000-2500 ante 2500
Players are dropping fast with the field now below 100. Currently in the driver’s seat is Farukh Tach with 285,000. To help Tach get there, he won a splashy five handed pot without having to show.
Farukh Tach – 285,000
17:19: Back to back pots for Barry Lei
Level 12: 1000-2000 ante 2000
Barry Lei three-bets from the small blind and is called by initial raiser Vitalii Polikarpov. Lei c-bet the flop and wins the pot with no challenge.
Following that hand, Lei calls a player’s shove and ships it with dominating throughout the board 
.
Barry Lei – 115,000
17:12: Jacob Johnston dominates and cleans up
Level 12: 1000-2000 ante 2000
Facing a min-raise, cutoff Jacob Johnston calls, small blind thre-bets all in for 35,000, initial raiser folds, Johnston calls. Johnston’s is ahead of sb”s 
. The board brings no close calls for a clean takedown by Johnston.
Jacob Johnston – 135,000
17:00: 117 players remaining
Level 12: 1000-2000 ante 2000
Still a long way to go to reach the money round with 117 players remaining and only 28 guaranteed to advance.
16:58: Jan Christoffer spikes two-outer
Level 11: 1000-1500 ante 1500
Cutoff Xu Bo three-bets 10,500, initial raiser Jan Christoffer flats to see the flop . Xu c-bets all in his massive stack, Christoffer check-calls for his last 20,000, and is behind to Xu’s . With the turn and river , Christoffer is saved and ships a double up.
Jan Christoffer – 65,000
Xu Bo – 160,000
16:54: Xu Bo continues to dominate the table
Level 11: 1000-1500 ante 1500
Button player min-raises and is called by the blind position, flop runs . Button c-bets 5,500, sb Xu Bo calls, bb folds. On the turn, Xu check-calls the 37,000 button shove and is ahead top pair to . The river seals the win and the elimination.
Xu Bo – 190,000
16:48: Xu Bo hard-bets The Naing for the pot
Level 11: 1000-1500 ante 1500
Utg Xu Bo raises 3500, beside him The Naing three-bets 10,500, Xu answers with a four-bet of 24,000 which is enough to get The Naing to fold.
Xu Bo – 45,500
The Naing – 29,000
16:42: Jinlong Hu doubles through
Level 11: 1000-1500 ante 1500
Action folds to Jinlong Hu on the small blind, he shoves his last 14 bb holding , gets called by big blind . Luck finds Jinlong on the board .
Jinlong Hu – 45,500
16:40: Day 1B registration closes at 220 entries
Level 11: 1000-1500 ante 1500
Huge turnout at Kickoff Day 1B resulting in 220 entries for a combined 361 entries with Day 1A attracting 141. That means the put is currently at VN₫ 2.8 Billion, and with one more flight to play out, it will increase further.
Cards are now being dealt. Tournament director Jimmy Chun has just announced that the flight will play down to 28 players (ITM of 12.5% of the field). Leading the 135 remainnig players is Russia’s Vitalii Polikarpov with 160,000 (106 bb) in chips.
16:00: Last level to enter Day 1B
Level 10: 600-1200 ante 1200
Over 200 entries so far with one level of late registration for Kickoff Day 1B! If you haven’t yet signed up, this is one juicy event guaranteeing VN₫ 2,000,000,000 (~USD 81,930). Without a doubt, that figure will be breached before the end of registration.
Buy in is VN₫ 8,800,000 (~USD 362). Starting stack is 30,000. Blinds increase every 25 minutes. Day 1B ends once the money round is reached, which is 12.5% of the field.
15:00: 181 entries with registration still open, Hai Rong You leads
Level 8: 400-800 ante 800
More players have made their way raising the entries to 181 with registration still open until the start of Level 11. Still plenty of time to make your bid for a piece of the VN₫ 2,000,000,000 (~USD 81,930) guarantee. Buy in is VN₫ 8,800,000 (~USD 362). Starting stack is 30,000. Blinds increase every 25 minutes. Day 1B ends once the money round is reached, which is 12.5% of the field.
Currently in the lead is Hai Rong You with 115,000 (143 bb) in chips.
14:25: 2023 USOP Danang Main Event champion in the house!
Level 6: 300-500 ante 500
Singapore’s The Naing has been spotted! The 2023 USOP Danang Main Event champion is getting in some early practice before he defends his title.
14:20: Notables in the field
Level 6: 300-500 ante 500
Day 1A fallouts and new arrivals on the felt include notables Jinlong Hu, Michael Kim Falcon, Pham Bao, and 2023 USOP Danang multiple title series winner Romain Bier.
14:13: 146 entries at the half
Level 6: 300-500 ante 500
Day 1B has reached the halfway point of registration with an impressive 146 entries, surpassing Day 1A’s tally. Still plenty of time to jump in and make a bid for a piece of the VN₫ 2,000,000,000 (~USD 81,930) guarantee. Buy in is VN₫ 8,800,000 (~USD 362). Starting stack is 30,000. Blinds increase every 25 minutes. Registration closes at the start of Level 11 at approximately 16:40. Day 1B ends once the money round is reached, which is 12.5% of the field.
13:45: 128 entries after the first break
Level 5: 200-400 ante 400
Close to reaching the halfway mark of Day 1B registration and it looks like the 141 Day 1A entries will be crushed. Still plenty of time to jump in and make a bid for a piece of the VN₫ 2,000,000,000 (~USD 81,930) guarantee. Buy in is VN₫ 8,800,000 (~USD 362). Starting stack is 30,000. Blinds increase every 25 minutes. Registration closes at the start of Level 11 at approximately 16:40. Day 1B ends once the money round is reached, which is 12.5% of the field.
13:15: 100 marker breached!
Level 4: 200-300 ante 300
Day 1B is looking to be a big one with the 100 entry mark already breached. Currently 109 entries on record with registration open until the start of Level 11, at approximately 4:40pm. for those interested, time is flying. Buy in is VN₫ 8,800,000 (~USD 362). Starting stack is 30,000. Blinds increase every 25 minutes. Day 1B ends once the money round is reached, which is 12.5% of the field.
12:50: Level 3 begins, 71 entries and climbing
Level 3: 100-200 ante 200
The field has now grown to 71 entries. Still plenty of time to jump in and make a bid for a piece of the VN₫ 2,000,000,000 (~USD 81,930) guarantee. Buy in is VN₫ 8,800,000 (~USD 362). Starting stack is 30,000. Blinds increase every 25 minutes. Registration closes at the start of Level 11 at approximately 16:40. Day 1B close once the money round is reached, which is 12.5% of the field.
12:00: Kickoff Day 1B underway!
Level 1: 100-100
Cards are now flying for Day 1B of the Kickoff Event taking place here at Pullman Danang Beach Resort. 47 players are already on the hunt which is an even better start than opening day. This is the second of three flights scheduled. The event features a VN₫ 2,000,000,000 (~USD 81,930) guarantee. Buy in is VN₫ 8,800,000 (~USD 362). Starting stack is 30,000. Blinds increase every 25 minutes. Registration closes at the start of Level 11 at approximately 16:40. From there, players race for a spot in the money round which is 12.5% of the field.
At yesterday’s opening flight, a total of 141 entered with 18 players advancing to the ITM round. Vietnam’s Le Giang Nam topped the counts with 494,000 (33 bb).
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.
Follow Me:
