Days: Day 1A / Day 1B / Day 1C / Day 1D / Day 2
More info: Chip counts / Payouts & Results / Tournament Info / Final day
Kim Tae Hyoeng wraps up Day 1B as chip leader, Won Chul Bae at his tail, 52 players advance
After twelve hours of play, Main Event Day 1B closed with Korea’s Kim Tae Hyoeng leading the 52 ITM qualifiers. Kim was a grinding force throughout the day claiming pot after pot with rarely a showdown. He dragged in one of the last pots at his table to just edge over fellow countryman Won Chul Bae for the day’s top spot.
Also advancing was 2024 USOP Taiwan Main Event champion Sam Chen Yu Hung with a decent 24 bb stack. He became the first USOP champion to qualify with Nguyen Ngoc Dai and The Naing both missing the mark today.
Main Event Day 1B was another record setter with 416 entries on record, marking it the largest Day 1B flight in USOP history. Combined with Day 1A, the cumulative entries is now 782 bringing the pot to around VN₫ 20 Billion.
Among the faces in the crowd today were WSOP bracelet holders Abhinav Iyer, Siyang Phua, Aayush Arya however they were unable to go the day’s distance. Also falling were notables Nam Hyung Kim, Pham Tien Dung, Dao Minh Phu, Gab Yong Kim, Edward Yam, Manish Lakhotia, and Ian Lee to mention a few. Luckily, there are still two more flights to run, both taking place on Saturday, March 30, 2024.
Date: March 29, 2024
Buy in: VN₫ 30,000,000 (~USD 1,235)
Guarantee: VN₫ 15,000,000,000 (~USD 614,500)
Day 1B: 416 entries (314 unique)
ITM: 52 players
Chips in play: 16,640,000
| Rank | Player | Flag | Stack | BB |
| 1 | Tae Hyoeng Kim | Korea | 883,000 | 88 |
| 2 | Won Chul Bae | Korea | 874,000 | 87 |
| 3 | Le Giang Nam | Viet Nam | 790,000 | 79 |
| 4 | Park Younghee | Korea | 774,000 | 77 |
| 5 | Xu Zhenbo | China | 650,000 | 65 |
| 6 | Le Ngoc Minh | Viet Nam | 622,000 | 62 |
| 7 | Anthony Lewis | USA | 581,000 | 58 |
| 8 | Trinh Anh Dung | Viet Nam | 545,000 | 55 |
| 9 | Son Ju Hyung | Korea | 537,000 | 54 |
| 10 | Nguyen Ngoc Son | Viet Nam | 461,000 | 46 |
| 11 | Buyu Sakurai | Japan | 453,000 | 45 |
| 12 | Sishu Peng | China | 442,000 | 44 |
| 13 | Lee Seok Jun | Korea | 427,000 | 43 |
| 14 | Peng Chen | China | 407,000 | 41 |
| 15 | Nguyen Duc Hai | Viet Nam | 405,000 | 41 |
| 16 | Gavin Flynn | Ireland | 398,000 | 40 |
| 17 | Jun Minsu | Korea | 375,000 | 38 |
| 18 | Chunhao Zhang | China | 354,000 | 35 |
| 19 | Sergei Poltavets | Russia | 346,000 | 35 |
| 20 | Yankai Zhang | China | 334,000 | 33 |
| 21 | Amit Kaushik | India | 321,000 | 32 |
| 22 | Waki Yasuhiro | Japan | 308,000 | 31 |
| 23 | Drasko Boskovic | Serbia | 291,000 | 29 |
| 24 | Kang Woo Sung | Korea | 282,000 | 28 |
| 25 | Nguyen Trung Ha | Viet Nam | 277,000 | 28 |
| 26 | Qiuyao Dong | China | 249,000 | 25 |
| 27 | Yixuang Dong | China | 243,000 | 24 |
| 28 | Chen Yu Hung | Taiwan | 239,000 | 24 |
| 29 | Nguyen Hoang Nam | Viet Nam | 233,000 | 23 |
| 30 | Raul Martinez | UK | 228,000 | 23 |
| 31 | Lee Chang Hwan | Korea | 218,000 | 22 |
| 32 | Thomas Young | Indonesia | 216,000 | 22 |
| 33 | Armon Van Wijk | Australia | 211,000 | 21 |
| 34 | Nguyen Quang Hoang | Viet Nam | 209,000 | 21 |
| 35 | Adam Kharman | Australia | 203,000 | 20 |
| 36 | Jun Young Park | Korea | 200,000 | 20 |
| 37 | Yejun Kim | Korea | 188,000 | 19 |
| 38 | Huynh Ngoc Thai | Viet Nam | 182,000 | 18 |
| 39 | Jun Ma | China | 177,000 | 18 |
| 40 | Wei-Chun Liu | Taiwan | 176,000 | 18 |
| 41 | Yu Xiao Tong | China | 173,000 | 17 |
| 42 | Lee Wooyoung | Korea | 169,000 | 17 |
| 43 | Chiu Kwok Kit | Hong Kong | 148,000 | 15 |
| 44 | Thanh Ha Duong | Viet Nam | 137,000 | 14 |
| 45 | Lee Wang Hee | Korea | 134,000 | 13 |
| 46 | Minku Kim | Korea | 122,000 | 12 |
| 47 | Wang Jing Yi | China | 118,000 | 12 |
| 48 | Chen Bo | China | 98,000 | 10 |
| 49 | Nishant Sharma | India | 91,000 | 9 |
| 50 | Shao Jian Bin | China | 86,000 | 9 |
| 51 | Florent Remi | France | 60,000 | 6 |
| 52 | Kim Sin Woo | Korea | 30,000 | 3 |
00:17: Bubble bursts! Younghee Park rails Sergei Iablokov
Level 18: 5000-10,000 ante 10,000
From utg, Younghee Park min-raises then tanks to button Sergei Iablokov’s shove of 143,000. Park finds the call and opens up 
, Iablokov ahead with 
. The board runs 
.
Younghee Park – 774,000 (77 bb)
Sergei Iablokov – eliminated
00:13: Kim Tae Hyoeng grinding
Level 18: 5000-10,000 ante 10,000
Kim Tae Hyoeng has been using his big stack to test the waters, successfully grinding to one of the big stacks. One of his most recent hands, from utg Kim opens 20,000, big blind tank-calls, both go see the flop 
, Kim c-bets 10,000, bb check-calls. On the turn 
, Kim fires 22,000 and wins it then and there.
Kim Tae Hyoeng – 875,000 (87 bb)
00:10: 54 players remaining
Level 18: 5000-10,000 ante 10,000
Getting close to the end of day with bagging time at 52 players.
00:04: Amit Kaushik rails Tetsuya Enoki
Level 17: 4000-8000 ante 8000
All in preflop, Amit Kaushik 
crushes Tetsuya Enoki’s 
on a board 
.
Amit Kaushik – 325,000 (32 bb)
23:45: Lee Chang Hwan dusts with kings
Level 17: 4000-8000 ante 8000
Lee Chang Hwan ships in a pot with pocket 
dusting 
on a board 
{10s).
Lee Chang Hwan – 150,000 (18 bb)
23:20: Buyu Sakurai burned on the river
Level 17: 4000-8000 ante 8000
Mid position Buyu Sakurai min-raise, cutoff shove 46,000, small blind calls, Sakurai four-bets 170,000, small blind calls. At the flop 
, Sakurai c-bets 214,000, sb check-folds. Sakurai opens 
, cutoff 
. The turn 
changes nothing but the river saves cutoff to ship a triple up.
Buyu Sakurai – 500,000 (62 bb)
22:50: Minku Kim has broadway
Level 16: 3000-6000 ante 6000
Buyu Sakurai opens 13,000, cutoff Minku Kim and big blind call. Flop it is checked to Kim who bets 120,000, big blind raises 75,000, Sakurai folds. Kim shoves and is called. Kim has the nuts straight, bg has 
lower straight. The turn and river is a double up for Kim.
Minku Kim – 192,000 (32 bb)
22:45: Buyu Sakurai soars to 700K
Level 16: 3000-6000 ante 6000
Utg+1 opens, hijack Buyu Sakurai three-bet, utg+1 four-bets, Sakurai calls. At the flop 
, utg+1 c-bets, Sakurai calls, pot now at 305,000. On the turn , utg+1 bets 120,000, Sakurai shoves, utg+1 tanks then folds.
Buyu Sakurai – 700,000
22:30: Blinds up, 85 players remaining
Level 16: 3000-6000 ante 6000
22:15: Tony Lewis on a roll
Level 15: 2500-5000 ante 5000
Utg Gavin Flynn raises 11,000 and is called by utg+1 Toby Lewis. Both players check the flop 
. On the 
turn, Lewis leads out 16,000, Flynn check-calls. The river both go back to checking. Flynn has , Lewis wins it with 
higher pair. Lewis triple barrels to the river, and wins it.
Tony Lewis – 333,000 (66 bb)
22:00: Tetsuya Enoki in the house and picks up a pot
Level 15: 2500-5000 ante 5000
Tetsuya Enoki is on his first USOP stint and is already causing a stir at the table. From mid-position he opens 13,000 and finds two callers to the flop . Enoki c-bets 21,000 and only small blind continues. Both players check the turn and river . Enoki wins the pot with .
Tetsuya Enoki – 218,000 (43 bb)
21:50: Dai Sy earns some off Yankai Zhang
Level 14: 2000-4000 ante 4000
Utg Yankai Zhang opens, next to act Dai Sy calls, both check the flop 
. On the turn , Dai Sy bets 12,000, Zhang check-calls, then both check the river . Zhang opens , Dai Sy wins with .
Dai Sy – 140,000 (35 bb)
Yankai Zhang – 75,000 (18 bb)
21:20: 106 players remaining
Level 14: 2000-4000 ante 4000
106 players remaining. Here are the top 5 in chips:
Lee Chang Wan – 320,000 (80 bb)
Buyu Sakurai – 400,000 (100 bb)
Younghee Park – 390,000 (97 bb)
Manish Lakhotia – 350,000 (87 bb)
21:02: Manish Lakhotia takes it to the river and ships
Level 13: 1500-3000 ante 3000
From cutoff, Manish Lakhotia calls a min-raise then calls a 4,000 bet on the flop . On the turn , Lakhotia bets 9,500 and is check-called. On the river , Lakhotia bets 10,000, challenger check-raises all in for 75,000, Lakhotia calls and wins with 
top pair over 
.
Manish Lakhotia – 350,000 (116 bb)
20:45: Double KO for Gavin Flynn
Level 13: 1500-3000 ante 3000
Lojack open shoves 5 bb, hijack Zhu Xian Yu 
calls, big blind Gavin Flynn 
three-bets all in for 31 bb, Yu with 23 bb joins to make it a three-way. The board runs , Flynn’s cowboys stand to boot out two simultaneously.
Gavin Flynn – 183,000 (61 bb)
Zhu Xian Yu – eliminated
20:40: Yonghee Park keeps firing
Level 13: 1500-3000 ante 3000
Cutoff Yonghee Park three-bets 21,000, button and utg+2 initial raiser call. Park c-bets 15,000 at the flop 
, only utg+2 calls. Park fires 50,000 on the turn , and this time takes it down with no challenge.
Yonghee Park – 300,000 (100 bb)
20:30: 127 players remaining at the new level
Level 13: 1500-3000 ante 3000
127 players remaining on the hunt for a spot in the money round. The flight bags up once 52 players is reached.
20:20: Le Ngoc Minh rails one
Level 12: 1000-2500 ante 2500
Following a button raise, small blind Le Ngoc Minh three-bets 19,500, big blind four-bets all in for 85,000, button folds, Minh calls. It’s a flip with Minh and big blind . Both improve on the board 
, Minh ships it with a set.
Le Ngoc Minh – 210,000 (84 bb)
20:17: Buyu Sakurai marches to the chip lead
Level 12: 1000-2500 ante 2500
Utg Nam Hyung Kim opens and finds two callers. All three check the flop 
to get a free turn . Kim bets 30,000, cutoff raises 75,000, big blind Buyu Sakurai check-raises 200,000, no takers. Sakurai kindly shows his straight.
Buyu Sakurai – 430,000 (172 bb)
20:10: Kim Tae Hyoeng drags in two good pots
Level 12: 1000-2500 ante 2500
Kim Tae Hyoeng was seen claiming a couple of sizable pots to join the leaders tier. First hand, Kim calls a raise from cutoff, button three-bets 20,000, initial raiser utg calls, Kim four-bets all in for 42 bigs, button calls, utg folds.
Kim Tae Hyoeng
Button
Board runs 
, Kim lands the nut flush for a double up. Following that hand, Kim triple barrels a board 
, no caller on the river bet.
Kim Tae Hyoeng – 260,000 (104 bb)
20:05: Yu Xiao Tong with quads
Level 12: 1000-2500 ante 2500
Battle of the blinds betting war leads to small blind all in 30 bb with , big blind Yu Xiao Tong calls and covers with . It’s overkill on the board , Yu ships it and boots one in the process.
Yu Xiao Tong – 160,000 (64 bb)
19:50: 165 players remaining
Level 12: 1000-2500 ante 2500
165 players remaining at the start of Level 12. Flight plays down to ITM of 52 players.
19:45: The Naing with the diamond takedown
Level 11: 1000-2000 ante 2000
Reigning USOP Danang champion The Naing improved to a nut flush for his to dust a player’s that was deemed counterfeit on a board .
The Naing – 100,000 (50 bb)
19:15: Big stacks
Level 11: 1000-2000 ante 2000
| Manish Lakhotia | 270,000 |
| Krishna Wadeesirisak | 280,000 |
| Jun Ho Kim | 240,000 |
| Nguyen Trung Quan | 200,000 |
| Buyu Sakurai | 260,000 |
19:10: Day 1B registration closes at 416 entries
Level 11: 1000-2000 ante 2000
A new USOP Main Event Day 1B flight record with 416 entries! That’s back-to-back flight record breakers. This brings the cumulative entries to 782 entries. The pot is currently over VN₫ 20 Billion with two flights yet to play out tomorrow. For now, the next agenda for players is to reach bagging time which is at ITM of 52 players.
18:20: Last level to register underway!
Level 10: 1000-15000 ante 1500
Main Event Day 1B has now entered the last level of late registration, and good news, the 400 entry mark has been reached and a new flight record has been set! Currently 401 entries on record with registration closing at the start of Level 11 at 7:10pm.
Random Stacks
| Gab Yong Kim | 75,000 |
| Pham Tien Dung | 185,000 |
| Adam Kharman | 60,000 |
| Abhinav Iyer | 35,000 |
| Sam Hung | 130,000 |
| Khoi Nguyen | 110,000 |
| Zhi Yuan Xu | 75,000 |
| Ian Lee | 110,000 |
| The Naing | 40,000 |
| Song Li | 43,000 |
| Edward Yam | 70,000 |
| Lester Edoc | 25,000 |
17:40: 380 entries… will it reach 400?
Level 9: 600-1200 ante 1200
17:30: Day 1A entries surpassed! 370 entries and rising
Level 8: 500-1000 ante 1000
Another immense turnout with Day 1B already exceeding the 366 Day 1A entries. There are two more levels of late reg to play out, closing at the start of Level 11.
17:20: More notables in the house
Level 8: 500-1000 ante 1000
More notable players scattered rubbing elbows, among them are WSOP bracelet holders Abhinav Iyer, Siyang Phua, Aayush Arya, along with numerous notables Tran Hung Thanh, Anatolii Gorbusin, Gavin Flynn, Nguyen Trung Ha, Amit Kaushik, Le Ngoc Minh, Huy Pham, Lester Edoc, Harry Duong, Do Anh Tai, and Gab Yong Kim.
17:00: Champions in the house
Level 8: 500-1000 ante 1000
USOP Vietnam champion Nguyen Ngoc Dai is among the new arrivals. Also in the field is Sam Chen Yu Hung. Reigning USOP Danang champion The Naing has already won a side event but has not yet made his Main Event appearance.
16:10: 322 entries and rising
Level 7: 400-800 ante 800
New round with the field now well over the 300 mark. The Day 1A 366 entries is looking like a goner soon. For those planning to sign up late, registration closes at the start of Level 11 at approximately 7:10pm.
16:00: Notables in the field
Level 6: 300-600 ante 600
With the room at capacity, among those riding elbow to elbow are Aayush Arya, Armon Van Wijk, Dong Van Tan, Pham Tien Dung, Khoi Nguyen, Vladimir Litasov, Dhaval Mudgal, Michael Kim Falcon, Guy Taylor, Pham Bao, Lee Suya, Hyeonho Shin, Matthew Bevin, and Joree Kim – newest Ladies Event champion.
15:30: Halfway through registration, guarantee dusted!
Level 6: 300-600 ante 600
Day 1B is halfway through registration. 282 entries on record which puts the prize pool well past the guarantee. At this pace, the possibility of surpassing Day 1A entries is high. Registration stays open until the start of Level 11 at approximately 7:10pm
14:00: Blinds up, 174 entries
Level 4: 200-400 ante 400
174 entries and rising fast. Registration stays open until the start of Level 11 at approximately 7:10pm
13:20: Blinds up, 136 entries
Level 3: 200-300 ante 300
136 entries and rising at the start of the new round. Registration stays open until the start of Level 11 at approximately 7:10pm
12:40: Blinds up, 102 entries!
Level 2: 100-200 ane 200
And just like that, triple digits during the first level. Currently 102 entries with 2 already eliminated and back at the tables. It’s going to be a huge day! Registration stays open until the start of Level 11 at approximately 7:10pm
12:00: Cards in the air for Day 1B!
Level 1: 100-100 ante 100
Cards are now flying for Main Event Day 1B with several tables running at the starting gun. More players are making their way. Registration stays open until the start of Level 11 at approximately 7:10pm
The U Series of Poker – USOP Danang 2024 festival opens today with MAIN EVENT – Day 1B up next! The crown jewel of the series runs from March 28 to April 1 at the Pullman Danang Beach Resort featuring VN₫ 15 Billion (~USD 614,500) guarantee. With record-breaking turnouts witnessed at various events and Day 1A itself setting a new record, the chances of surpassing the brand’s previous Main Event prize pool record of VN₫ 34,801,800,000 (~USD 1,434,000) are quite promising.
To enter, buy in is VN₫ 30,000,000 (~USD 1,235). Starting stack is 40,000. Day 1B will see blinds increase every 40 minutes. Registration closes at the start of Level 11.
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)
Day 1A: 366 entries / 46 advanced to ITM round
Day 1B: Friday, March 29
Day 1C: Saturday, March 30
Day 1D (Turbo): Saturday, March 30
Day 2: Sunday, March 31
Final Day: Monday, April 1
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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