Days: Day 1 / Day 2
More info: Chip Counts / Payouts & Results / Tournament Info
Josh McCully invincible at Superstar Challenge Day 1, bags an enormous stack
Date: March 24, 2024
Buy in: VN₫ 120,000,000 (~USD 4,938)
Guarantee: VN₫ 3,000,000,000 (~USD 121,000)
Entries: 118 (72 unique)
Prize pool: VN₫ 12,819,500,000 (~USD 517,000)
ITM: 18 players
| Rank | Player | Flag | Stack | BB |
| 1 | Joshua McCully | Australia | 6,465,000 | 162 |
| 2 | Jang Dong Min | Korea | 2,225,000 | 56 |
| 3 | Nguyen Truong Giang | Viet Nam | 2,150,000 | 54 |
| 4 | Christian Harder | USA | 2,120,000 | 53 |
| 5 | Teoh Kok Wei | Malaysia | 1,560,000 | 39 |
| 6 | Czying Rui | China | 1,235,000 | 31 |
| 7 | Jin Hoon Lee | Korea | 1,160,000 | 29 |
| 8 | Nguyen Trung Quan | Viet Nam | 1,125,000 | 28 |
| 9 | Hoang Hai Nam | Viet Nam | 920,000 | 23 |
| 10 | Matthew Bevin | Australia | 835,000 | 21 |
| 11 | Pham Tien Dung | Viet Nam | 720,000 | 18 |
| 12 | Sua Shung Er | Malaysia | 530,000 | 13 |
| 13 | Dao Minh Phu | Viet Nam | 520,000 | 13 |
| 14 | Adam Kharman | Australia | 465,000 | 12 |
| 15 | Nam Hyung Kim | Korea | 410,000 | 10 |
| 16 | Victor Chong | Malaysia | 315,000 | 8 |
| 17 | Guy Taylor | UK | 245,000 | 6 |
| 18 | Milan Stojkovic | Australia | 215,000 | 5 |
02:33: Bubble bursts!
Level 19: 20,000-40,000 ante 40,000
Down to just 12 bb, Lin Jian Wei risked it all on Josh McCully’s shove and was ahead at the with 
against 
, but with the board dropping two fives, 
, that just about sealed the day with Lin falling on the bubble.
02:28: Jin Hoon Lee doubles up with queens
Level 19: 20,000-40,000 ante 40,000
Jin Hoon Lee 
dominates Teoh Kok Wei’s 
throughout the board for a double up during the bubble round.
Jin Hoon Lee – 1,850,000 (46 bb)
Teoh Kok Wei – 1,550,000 (38 bb)
02:13: Jack Salter eliminated by Jang Dong Min
Level 19: 20,000-40,000 ante 40,000
Down to 14 bb, Jack Salter shoves holding 
, Jang Dong Min calls with , board drops a bunch of clubs 
to send Salter to the exit.
Jang Dong Min – 2,150,000 (53 bb)
Jack Salter – eliminated
19 players remaining.
02:07: Mike Takayama eliminated by Nguyen Trung Quan
Level 19: 20,000-40,000 ante 40,000
Mike Takayama all in for his remaining 9 bb with 
then falls to Nguyen Trung Quan’s 
on board 
.
Nguyen Trung Quan – 1,050,000 (26 bb)
Mike Takayama – eliminated
20 players remaining.
01:57: Josh McCully calls down the big bets, Dao Minh Phu chunked
Level 19: 20,000-40,000 ante 40,000
From the button, Dao Minh Phu three-bets Josh McCully then triples barrels 125,000, 250,000, and 1,000,000 a board 
, McCully check-calls throughout, Dao mucks.
Josh McCully – 5,100,000 (127 bb)
Dao Minh Phu – 750,000 (40 bb)
01:50: New round begins, 22 players remaining
Level 19: 20,000-40,000 ante 40,000
Blinds up, 22 players remaining. Only four busts to reach ITM. From there, players race for a spot at the final table and be that much closer to winning the enormous VN₫ 3,222,800,000 (~USD 130k).
Top 5 in chips:
Josh McCully – 3,470,000 (86 bb)
Dao Minh Phu – 2,300,000 (57 bb)
Christian Harder – 2,200,000 (55 bb)
Nguyen Truong Giang – 2,200,000 (55 bb)
Hoang Hai Nam – 1,900,000 (75 bb)
01:32: Jang Dong Min send Jack Salter deep in the tank
Level 18: 15,000-30,000 ante 30,000
Utg Jack Salter raises 75,000, utg+2 Jang Dong Min calls, both check to the river 
. Salter leads out 125,000, Jang raises to 430,000, Salter tanks using up two time-banks then folds.
Jang Dong Min – 1,250,000 (41 bb)
Jack Salter – 600,000 (30 bb)
01:20: Nguyen Truong Giang keeps pressure on Jang Dong Min
Level 18: 15,000-30,000 ante 30,000
Utg Nguyen Truong Giang raises 65,000, cutoff Jang Dong Min three-bets 155,000, Nguyen four-bets 330,000, Jang stops the betting bounce by calling. At the flop 
, Nguyen fires 205,000, Jang folds.
Nguyen Truong Giang – 2,200,000 (70 bb)
Jang Dong Min – 1,000,000 (33 bb)
01:13: Dao Minh Phu claims a good pot
Level 18: 15,000-30,000 ante 30,000
Utg+1 Josh McCully raises to 65,000, utg+2 Dao Minh Phu and big blind Guy Taylor call then all three check to the turn board 
. McCully bets 70,000, Dao calls, Taylor folds. It is back to checking on the river 
. McCully shows 
, Dao wins it with 
pair.
Dao Minh Phu – 1,900,000 (63 bb)
Josh McCully – 2,250,000 (75 bb)
Guy Taylor – 400,000 (13 bb)
01:08: Vietnamese sharks face-off
Level 18: 15,000-30,000 ante 30,000
Utg+1 Nguyen Trung Quan min-raises, cutoff Dao Minh Phu calls, both see a flop 
and both check. The turn sees Nguyen bet 50,000, Dao calls. On the 
turn, Nguyen checks, Dao jumps out with a 150,000 bet, Nguyen opts to fold.
Dao Minh Phu – 1,700,000 (56 bb)
Nguyen Trung Quan – 900,000 (30 bb)
Superstar Challenge – Day 1
Date: March 24, 2024
Buy in: VN₫ 120,000,000 (~USD 4,938)
Guarantee: VN₫ 3,000,000,000 (~USD 121,000)
Entries: 118 (72 unique)
Prize pool: VN₫ 12,819,500,000 (~USD 517,000)
ITM: 18 players
01:00: 23 players remaining
Level 18: 15,000-30,000 ante 30,000
23 players remaining… only five to ITM then they play down to the final table.
00:49: Christian Harder knocks out Lester Edoc and Nishant Sharma
Level 17: 10,000-25,000 ante 25,000
Three way all in pre initiated by button Lester Edoc to 50,000, small blind Nishant Sharma three-bet shoves 365,000, big blind Christian Harder four-bet shoves his massive stack, back to Edoc who calls for his remaining 550,000.
Nishant Sharma
Christian Harder
Lester Edoc
The board runs 
. Everyone misses, big slicked Harder sweeps.
Christian Harder – 2,300,000 (92 bb)
Nishant Sharma – eliminated
Lester Edoc – eliminated
00:43: Dao Minh Phu pumps up the pot then takes it
Level 17: 10,000-25,000 ante 25,000
Two players call Mike Takayama’s 40,000 raise and head to the flop . Action checks to cutoff Dao Minh Phu who slides out 70,000. Big blind folds, Takayama calls. Same action on the turn and river . Takayama check-calls Dao’s 100,000 and 200,00 bets. Dao shows his 
pair, Takayama mucks.
Dao Minh Phu – 1,300,000 (52 bb)
Mike Takayama – 650,000 (32 bb)
00:34: Dao Minh Phu’s top pair picks up some chips
Level 17: 10,000-25,000 ante 25,000
Utg Nam Hyung Kim min-raises, big blind Dao Minh Phu defends, flop runs . Kim c-bets 35,000, Dao check-calls. Both players check the 
turn, then Kim calls Dao’s 100,000 lead out bet. Dao shows 
, Kim mucks.
Dao Minh Phu – 700,000 (28 bb)
Nam Hyung Kim – 1,000,000 (40 bb)
00:23: Thomas Ward falls on set over set
Level 17: 10,000-25,000 ante 25,000
Lyu Junqiang opens and is joined by two players to the flop 
. Junqiang c-bets 75,000, one player folds, big blind Thomas Ward check-raises all in for 400,000. Junqiang snap-calls and turns over set, Ward has a lower set . With the turn and river , Ward is elminated.
Lyu Junqiang – 1,100,000 (44 bb)
Thomas Ward – eliminated
00:18: Pham Tien Dung calls off 80 percent of his stack to Josh McCully
Level 16: 10,000-20,000 ante 20,000
Utg+1 Pham Tien Dung calls Josh McCully’s 140,000 three-bet from the small blind. When the board completes , Pham calls McCully ‘s every street bet – 90,000, 245,000, 500,000 – then mucks to McCully’s full house.
Josh McCully – 2,100,000 (105 bb)
Pham Tien Dung – 240,000 (12 bb)
00:10: Teoh Kok Wei earns some off Victor Chong
Level 16: 10,000-20,000 ante 20,000
Cutoff Teoh Kok Wei raises to 50,000, button Victor Chong three-bets 105,000, Teoh calls. Both players check the flop 
. On the turn , Teoh leads out 50,000, Chong flats. Another 50,000 bet on the river 
by Teoh, this time Chong gives up his stake on the pot.
Teoh Kok Wei – 740,000 (37 bb)
Victor Chong – 450,000 (22 bb)
00:02: Nguyen Quang Huy’s challenge ends with aces cracked
Level 16: 10,000-20,000 ante 20,000
Unfortunate end for Nguyen Quang Huy with his cracked by Lester Edoc’s . From the button, Nguyen shoved 20 bb, small blind Edoc joined the shove to push out the big blind. Board ran .
Lester Edoc – 960,000 (48 bb)
Nguyen Quang Huy – eliminated
00;01: Xiao Sheng Zheng runs into Nam Hyung Kim’s queens
Level 16: 10,000-20,000 ante 20,000
Another heavy preflop betting that ends in shoves. Cutoff Xiao Shen Zheng opens 40,000, button Nam Hyung Kim three-bets 200,000, Zheng four-bets all in for 650,000, Kim calls.
Zheng
Kim
The board run 
. The ladies clean out Zheng.
Nam Hyung Kim – 1,550,000 (77 bb)
Xiao Sheng Zheng – eliminated
23:54: Matthew Bevin rivers it to get the boost
Level 16: 10,000-20,000 ante 20,000
From hijack, Christian Harder bumps it up to 45,000, small blind Matthew Bevin three-bets all in for 310,000, Harder calls and it’s a flip. Bevin , Harder , board lands for a higher pair to Bevin spiked on the river.
Matthew Bevin – 660,000 (33 bb)
Christian Harder – 1,300,000 (65 bb)
23:47: Mike Takayama rails one, continues to ascend
Level 16: 10,000-20,000 ante 20,000
Mike Takayama adds 9 bb to his stack after calling then railing the short stack. Takayama’s stayed ahead of that missed the board completely.
Mike Takayama – 1,500,000 (75 bb)
23:38: Josh McCully wins the flip, rails Ivan Lee
Level 16: 10,000-20,000 ante 20,000
Hon Cheong Lee raises 40,000, big blind Josh McCully three-bets 120,000, Lee four-bets all in (300,000), McCully calls. Lee with 
, McCully 
, flop quickly grants the higher pair which holds to the end .
Josh McCuly – 1,200,000 (60 bb)
Ivan Lee – eliminated
23:35: Top 5 in chips
Level 16: 10,000-20,000 ante 20,000
Christian Harder – 1,800,000 (90 bb)
Nam Hyung Kim – 1,550,000 (77 bb)
Mike Takayama – 1,300,000 (65 bb)
Nguyen Truong Giang – 1,300,000 (65 bb)
Josh McCully – 900,000 (45 bb)
23:19: Josh McCully dominates and rails Florent Remi
Level 15: 10,000-15,000 ante 15,000
Facing an open from cutoff, button Josh McCully three-bets 80,000, small blind Florent Remi fout-bets all in, initial raiser folds, McCuly calls and is ahead to Remi’s . No help comes for Remi on board . Remi is eliminated.
Josh McCully – 800,000 (53 bb)
Florent Remi – eliminated
23:17: Guy Taylor successfully defends the big blind
Level 15: 10,000-15,000 ante 15,000
Utg+2 Pham Duh Anh bumps it up to 32,000, Guy Taylor defends the big blind. At the flop , Pham c-bets 40,000, Taylor check-calls. Both players opt to check the turn and river . Taylor turns over , Pham mucks.
Guy Taylor – 630,000 (42 bb)
Pham Duy Anh – 610,000 (40 bb)
23:12: Nguyen Quang Huy takes it on fourth street
Level 15: 10,000-15,000 ante 15,000
Utg+2 Nguyen Quang Huy opens and big blind Shung Er Sua defends to bring the flop . Nguyen c-bets 40,000 and Sua check-calls. On the turn Nguyen fires 80,000, and takes it as Sua opts to fold.
Nguyen Quang Huy – 480,000 (32 bb)
Shung Er Sua – 300,000 (20 bb)
23:07: Mike Takayama pushes for the pot
Level 15: 10,000-15,000 ante 15,000
Three players in on a raised pot, the flop runs . Blinds check to utg+2 Nguyen Trung Quan who c-bets 25,000, smal blind Mike Takayama check-raises 76,000, big blind folds, back to Nguyen who three-bets 200,000, Takayama shoves and wins the pot as Nguyen folds.
Mike Takayama – 1,100,000 (73 bb)
Nguyen Trung Quan – 570,000 (38 bb)
22:59: Josh McCully wins a splash
Level 15: 10,000-15,000 ante 15,000
Utg+2 opens 31,000, two players call, small blind Josh McCully jams 453,000, no takers.
Josh McCully – 576,000 (38 bb)
22:56: Small pocket for Mike Takayama
Level 15: 10,000-15,000 ante 15,000
Utg+1 Lin Jian Wei opens and finds two callers. All three check the flop . On the turn Lin bets 50,000, only cutoff Mike Takayama continues to the river . Both check. Lin opens , Takayama wins it with .
Mike Takayama – 850,000 (56 bb)
Lin Jian Wei – 1,100,000 (73 bb)
Dao Minh Phu – 800,000 (53 bb)
22:49: Lester Edoc bets to win it
Level 15: 10,000-15,000 ante 15,000
Lester Edoc defends the big blind and heads to the flop . Edoc check-calls the aggressor Nam Hyung Kim‘s 28,000 c-bet then both check the turn . On the river, Edoc leads out 50,000 and wins without a challenge.
Lester Edoc – 390,000 (36 bb)
Nam Hyung Kim – 1,050,000 (70 bb)
22:45: 36 players left
Level 15: 10,000-15,000 ante 15,000
Still a long way to go with 36 players remaining and ITM at 18 players. Just a reminder, the top prize is VN₫ 3,222,800,000 (~USD 130,200).
22:37: Wei Guoliang wakes up with Kings on the big blind
Level 14: 6000-12,000 ante 12,000
Cutoff Pham Duy Anh raises 30,000, button Jack Salter three-bets 50,000, big blind Wei Guo Liang four-bets all in 151,000, Pham calls while Salter opts to fold.
Liang
Pham
No changes on the board for a double to Liang.
Wei Guo Liang – 370,000 (31 bb)
Pham Duy Anh – 600,000 (50 bb)
Jack Salter – 450,000 (37 bb)
22:22: The unstoppable Josh McCully
Level 14: 6000-12,000 ante 12,000
Again a preflop shove by Josh McCully with up against Ivan Lee’s . The board ran 
for McCully to claim his fourth double up.
Several hands later, McCully raises 25,000 from utg+1 and finds two callers to the flop . McCully c-bets 33,000, button folds, big blind Jin Hoon Le calls then both check the turn . On the river , McCully shoves, Lee tanks using up one time back then folds.
Josh McCully – 429,000 (35 bb)
Jin Hoon Lee – 700,000 (58 bb)
22:20: Anton Lu losing chips
Level 14: 6000-12,000 ante 12,000
Having just doubled up Josh McCully, Anton Lu engages in a preflop betting war with Jin Hoon Lee leading to another showdown. Lu with , Lee , board runs , kings hold.
Jin Hoon Lee – 822,000
Anton Lu – 600,000
22:14: Josh McCully back up to good health
Level 14: 6000-12,000 ante 12,000
Josh McCully was down to just 9,000 but three double ups later, he now sits with 12 bb. His latest win was three-betting against Anton Lu’s on a board .
Josh McCully – 152,000
Anton Lu – 1,000,000
22:10: Jack Salter doubles through Nguyen Truong Giang
Level 14: 6000-12,000 ante 12,000
Chip leader Nguyen Truong Giang opens 25,000 from utg, two spots over Jack Salter three-bets it all, Nguyen calls and it’s a flip with Salter , Nguyen , board runs 
. With no spades around, Salter scores a double.
Jack Salter – 452,000 (37 bb)
Nguyen Truong Giang – 1,300,000 (108 bb)
21:30: Nguyen Truong Giang chip leader
Level 13: 5000-10,000 ante 10,000
The only female left in the field, Nguyen Truong Giang, is currently chip-leading the 48 remaining players.
Superstar Challenge – Day 1
Date: March 24, 2024
Buy in: VN₫ 120,000,000 (~USD 4,938)
Guarantee: VN₫ 3,000,000,000 (~USD 121,000)
Entries: 118 (72 unique)
Prize pool: VN₫ 12,819,500,000 (~USD 517,000)
ITM: 18 players
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:
