The first round match-ups of the U Series of Poker (USOP) Hanoi – Heads Up Challenge has been determined! Revealing the pairings at Crown Poker Club were USOP Chief Operating Officer Alex Wong and poker player Meo Xinhh.
“The response from all of you has been nothing short of incredible. This event is going to be one for the books! Without further ado, it’s time to commence the draw to determine the first round match-ups.”
Round 1 – 32 players
The 32 players are divided into two brackets, 16 players per side, 8 heads up matches per side. The winners advance to Round 2 – 16 players. Each bracket plays down to one player for the ultimate battle to the inaugural title and the VND 500,000,000 (~USD 20,760) champion’s purse. The event pays out top 4 places.
Bracket 1
| Gaurav Sood | vs | Dao Minh Phu |
| Julien Tran | vs | Lim Kar Hou |
| Wilson Tan | vs |
Nguyen Trung Quan
|
| Fabrizio Falzei | vs | Dinh Manh Hung |
| Renji Mao | vs | Philbert Lim |
| Florent Remi | vs | Terry Sua |
|
Nguyen Nang Quang
|
vs |
Pham Ngoc Quoc Bao
|
| Chris Tong | vs | GACKT |
Bracket 2
| Calvin Tan | vs |
Leo Du Boisbeaudry
|
|
Alan Anh Minh Pham
|
vs | Ankit Jajodia |
| Simon Lim | vs | Yeh Hung-Wei |
| Yohei Kitazato | vs | Leroy Fan |
| Sebastian Tan | vs | Ian Lee |
|
Nguyen Huu Vinh
|
vs | Anton Lu |
| David Erquiaga | vs | Nguyen Huu Tuan |
| William Jia | vs |
Nguyen Quang Minh
|
Heads Up Challenge – Payouts
Buy in: VND 33,000,000 (~USD 1,370)
Entries: 32
Prize pool: VND 931,200,000 (~USD 38,660)
ITM: 4 places
|
Place
|
Payout in VND |
| 1 | 500,000,000 |
| 2 | 250,000,000 |
| 3 | 90,600,000 |
| 4 | 90,600,000 |
Heads Up Challenge – Schedule and Structure
Round 1 (32 players) – 11:30am
Round 2 (final 16 players) – 2:30pm
Round 3 (final 8 players) – 5:30pm
Round 4 (final four players) – 8:30pm
Round 5 (final 2 players) – 11:30pm
The 32 contenders have a six-day window to strategize and assess their foe. The Heads Up Challenge takes place on September 8, 2023. This is one of the newest additions to the schedule and due to positive response, Wong confirmed it will be featured in the upcoming USOP festivals.
USOP Hanoi – VND 32 Billion in guarantees
USOP Hanoi is the young brand’s third event since its break out to the live scene on February 2023. With its variety of offerings and buy ins that cater to all types of bankrolls, the USOP has quickly become one of the most sought after festivals in the region.
If you haven’t heard yet, for this edition, the brand has spiced up the schedule with VND 32 Billion in guaranteed prize pools. Games run from September 1 to 11, 2023. The star attraction is the Main Event which carries a mighty VND 12 Billion guarantee, that’s over half a million USD! Mark these dates, Main Event runs from September 7 to 11, 2023. Buy in is VND 25,000,000 (~USD 1,060).
Hoodies have become the go-to choice of table attire for poker players, and at USOP, participants who register and have their chips in play during Level 1 of the Main Event will be gifted the newest USOP hoodie. It’s advisable to join on Day 1A as supply is limited to a total of just 250 pieces.
New Events
In addition to the Heads Up Challenge, several new events have also been added. One of the most enjoyable will be the Tag Team Event. Strategy is the key. The winning team will receive two trophies, one for each player. Buy in is VND 6,600,000 per player / VND 13,200,000 per team. Teammates must register together. Event takes place on September 8, 2023.
The first 8 levels is individual play with teams battling at separate tables. As soon as Level 9 kicks in, teammates combine their stacks and play Tag Team poker from then on. Teammates can switch off anytime as long as they are not in an active hand.
Other new events to look out for are listed below:
Run It Twice – September 3, 2023
Mixed NLH/PLO – September 5, 2023
Freezeout – September 10, 2023
Livestrean Events
| Event | Date |
| Mini High Roller | September 1, 2023 |
| High Roller Warm Up | September 2, 2023 |
| Mystery Bounty | September 3, 2023 |
| Superstar Challenge | September 4, 2023 |
| High Roller Superstack | September 4, 2023 |
| Mini Main Event | September 6, 2023 |
| High Roller Megastack | September 6, 2023 |
| Super High Roller | September 7, 2023 |
| Heads Up Challenge | September 8, 2023 |
| Main Event | September 11, 2023 |
| High Roller Finale | September 11, 2023 |
Final table promo
In addition to the Hoodie promo, players that reach the final table of any trophy event will receive a newly designed USOP cap. Three colors are available: black, white, and pink.
Links:
[Vietnamese Translation]
USOP Hanoi – Coverage
USOP Hanoi – Full Schedule
USOP Hanoi – Festival Results
USOP Hanoi – Photo Gallery
USOP Hanoi – Heads Up Challenge players revealed
USOP Hanoi: Bigger, Fresher, More Lucrative
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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