U Series of Poker aimed high and crushed it! The four starting flights attracted a smashing 1,336 entries for a new Vietnam Main Event record turnout and a prize pool that swelled to VN₫ 29,158,200,000 (~USD 1,212,000) for a non high roller series.
Held at the Crown Poker Club, the largest poker room in in Hanoi, Vietnam’s capital city, the abundance of tables still weren’t enough to accommodate the surge. The opportunity to compete for the richest prize pool was top priority. In the aftermath, another 89 made the cut for a combined 167 players set to return for Day 2.
Leading the pack into the next round is a very familiar local star, Bien Mai who bagged up the Day 1D turbo flight chip lead of 1,143,000, equivalent to a towering 143 bb. During the bubble round, Mai landed a massive double up on a full house over full house that sent his stack soaring. All in on the turn 
, Mai with 
against 
.
On the opposite end, Nam Phuong was given the hard boot by Lim Kar Hou to depart as the event’s last bubble. The bust was a crushing 
gut shot straight completed on the river 
to dust Phuong’s 
. Lim bagged up 68 bb.
Over at Day 1C, India’s Anuj Yadav finished as top rank with 825,000, equivalent to 103 bb. That placed him in fifth overall entering Day 2. Yadav crushed the hopes of series super high roller star Hoang Hai Nam with 
set on the flop defeating 
over pair. Mini Main Event champion Le Huy Thanh also ended strong with 86 bb.
Here’s a glance at the final two flights top 10 leaders. For the full list, click the link provided.
USOP Hanoi – MAIN EVENT – Chip Counts
End of Day 1C – Top 10 players
| Anuj Yadav | India | 825,000 |
| Yeh Hung Wei | Taiwan | 696,000 |
| Lê Huy Thành | Vietnam | 690,000 |
| Trinh Anh Dung | Vietnam | 666,000 |
| NguyễN Sáng | Vietnam | 658,000 |
| Hung Dinh | Vietnam | 635,000 |
| TrầN Huy TiếN | Vietnam | 608,000 |
| NguyễN MạNh Hưng | Vietnam | 597,000 |
| NguyễN Quang Huy | Vietnam | 569,000 |
| Gerardo Lubas | Philippines | 547,000 |
End of Day 1D (Turbo) – Top 10 players
| Mai Bien | Viet Nam | 1,143,000 |
| The Naing | Singapore | 559,000 |
| Lim Kar Hou | Malaysia | 547,000 |
| Phan HữU Minh Trí | Viet Nam | 465,000 |
| Vũ ĐứC Trung | Viet Nam | 465,000 |
| Graurav Sood | India | 444,000 |
| Lee Kuh Han | Taiwan | 436,000 |
| Terry Nguyen | Viet Nam | 393,000 |
| Edwin Delia Cruz | Philipines | 385,000 |
| Florent Remi | France | 371,000 |
USOP Hanoi – Main Event – Day 1C and Day 1D Updates
Date: September 9, 2023
Buy in: ₫25,000,000 (~USD 1,057)
Guarantee: VN₫ 12,000,000,000 (~USD 500,000)
Day 1A: 268 entries (175 unique) / 34 ITM
Day 1B: 357 entries {214 unique) / 45 ITM
Day 1C: 433 entries (285 unique) / 54 ITM
Day 1D (Turbo): 278 entries (153 unique) / 35 ITM
Total entries: 1,336
Prize pool: VN₫ 29,158,200,000 (~USD 1,212,000)
Day 1C – Chips in play: 17,320,000
23:35: Charles Pham eliminated on the bubble!
Level 18: 5,000-10,000 ante 10,000
Action folds to small blind Charles Pham who shoves his last 5 bb, big blind Adrian Chua calls. Pham 
, Chua 
, the board runs 
, Chua outdraws Pham on the bubble.
Adrian Chua – 524,000
Charles Pham – eliminated on the bubble
23:12: Hung Dinh with a four-bet win
Level 18: 5,000-10,000 ante 10,000
Under the gun+1 Hung Dinh raises to 20,000, small blind Dennis Smith calls, big blind Anuj Yadav three-bets to 80,000, back to Dinh who four-bets to 220,000, fold-fold.
Hung Dinh – 600,000
Dennis Smith – 150,000
Anuj Yadav – 700,000
23:05: Eugene Co wins the flip
Level 18: 5,000-10,000 ante 10,000
Eugene Co three-bet shoves his last 6 bb holding 
, initial raiser Tung Nguyen calls with . The board runs 
, Co doubles through.
Eugene Co – 140,000
Tung Nguyen – 70,000
22:57: Blinds up, 57 players remaining – bubble looms
Level 18: 5,000-10,000 ante 10,000
Bubble round approaching with 57 remaining and only 54 guaranteed a spot in the money round.
22:50: Michael Allen dominates to boot Chris Yea
Level 17: 4,000-8,000 ante 8,000
Cutoff Chris Yea shoves his last 50,000 holding , big blind Michael Allen calls with a dominating 
. With the board running , Yea goes bust.
Michael Allen – 190,000
Chris Yea – eliminated
22:46: Two pair for Yeh Hung Wei to claim it
Level 17: 4,000-8,000 ante 8,000
Under the gun Tung Ding raises to 17,000, two players call, the flop comes . All check to the turn 
, Tung bets 25,000, utg+1 William Jia raises to 75,000, button Yeh Hung Wei calls, Ding calls. The river 
, action is checked to Yeh who bets 123,000, Ding calls, Jia folds. Tung Ding turns over 
which is no good against Yeh’s two pair.
Yeh Hung Wei – 700,000
Tung Ding – 200,000
William Jia – 420,000
22:35: Wilson Tan claims a head
Level 17: 4,000-8,000 ante 8,000
Under the gun+2 Phan Minh Duc shoves 8 bb, big blind Wilson Tan calls and opens a dominating 
over Phan’s . The board runs low , Phan is eliminated.
Wilson Tan – 190,000
Phan Minh Duc – eliminated
22:27: Quang Huy with a lucky two-outer
Level 17: 4,000-8,000 ante 8,000
Quang Huy raises to 16,000, big blind Do Quang Thang three-bets to 40,000, Huy four-bets all in and Thang calls. Huy 
, Thang . When the board runs , Huy catches the two-outer to double up and chunk Thang.
Quang Huy – 450,000
22:25: Trinh Anh Dung wins the flip on the river
Level 17: 4,000-8,000 ante 8,000
Button Trinh Anh Dung opens then four-bets the big blind Phan Minh Duc all in holding 
. Phan calls with . Board runs 
. Trinh improves to a full house on the river to double up.
Trinh Anh Dung – 496,000
Phan Minh Duc – 65,000
22:14: Blinds up, 63 players remaining
Level 17: 4,000-8,000 ante 8,000
Blinds up, 63 players remaining in the hunt for a spot in the money round. Only 54 are guaranteed to advance.
22:03: One card flush for Gerardo Lubas
Level 16: 3,000-6,000 ante 6,000
Hijack Thanh Trung Nguyen raises to 14,000, cutoff Gerardo Lubas three-bets to 38,000, big blind Minh Hai four-bet shoves 139,000, initial raiser folds, Lubas calls with more behind.
Gerardo Lubas
Minh Hai
Lubas need some luck which arrives on a board 
for a one-card flush. Hai is eliminated.
Gerardo Lubas – 590,000
Thanh Trung Nguyen – 260,000
Minh Hai – eliminated
21:58: Another boost for Hung Dinh
Level 16: 3,000-6,000 ante 6,000
Hijack Hung Dinh raises to 12,000, small blind Arsh Grover three-bets 203,000, big blind calls for everything (162,000), back to Dinh who risks it all as well for a three-way.
Adrian Chua
Arsh Grover 
Big blind
The board runs 
. Dinh wins the main pot, Grover takes the side pot, big blind is eliminated.
Hung Dinh – 400,000
Arsh Grover – 127,000
21:45: Adrian Chua’s aces pad him up big
Level 16: 3,000-6,000 ante 6,000
Button Adrian Chua opens, blinds call, flop comes . Big blind Linh Ran Nguyen shoves, Chua calls, small blind check-raises all in, Chua calls for his tournament life.
Linh Ran Nguyen 
bottom pair
Small blind top pair
Adrian Chua
The turn and river keep Aces ahead to clean out Nguyen and double up through the small blind.
Adrian Chua – 380,000
Linh Ran Nguyen – eliminated
21:25: Blinds up, 73 players remaining
Level 16: 3,000-6,000 ante 6,000
Blinds are up, 73 players remaining in the quest for a spot in the money round. Only 54 are guaranteed a seat.
21:20: Cowboys hold for Tien Pham
Level 15: 3,000-5,000 ante 5,000
Under the gun +1 Shih Chien Kuei all in for 90,000 and on hand, Tien Pham calls with . The board runs .
Tien Pham – 450,00)
Shih Chien Kuei – eliminated
21:05: Tien Tran Huy wins the flip
Level 15: 3,000-5,000 ante 5,000
Tien Tran Huy all in holding eliminates Ly Dac Dung 
on a board running [4c}
.
Tien Tran Huy – 310,000
Ly Dac Dung – eliminated
20:55: Charles Lesmana rivers a two-outer
Level 15: 3,000-5,000 ante 5,000
Bui Ming Cong all in for 16 bb holding , hijack Charles Lesmana three-bets all in, no takers for a showdown. Lesmana is dominated with . The dealer lays out the board 
, Lesmana rivers a set to dust Bui.
Charles Lesmana – 400,000
Bui Minh Cong – eliminated
20:50: Set for Nguyen Tuan Anh
Level 15: 3,000-5,000 ante 5,000
Under the gun Nguyen Tuan Anh raises to 11,000, two players call, the flop runs . Nguyen c-bets 22,000, utg+1 folds, button Bui Minh Cong calls. The turn , Nguyen fires another 50,000, Bui shoves, Nguyen calls and shows set. Bui has . The river is changes nothing for a double up to Nguyen.
Nguyen Tuan Anh – 400,000
Bui Ming Cong – 80,000
20:44: Blinds up, 86 players remaining
Level 15: 3,000-5,000 ante 5,000
Blinds are up, 86 players remaining in the quest for a spot in the money round. Only 54 are guaranteed a seat.
20:40: Tien Pham earns some for the overpair
Level 14: 2,000-4,000 ante 4,000
From cutoff, Tien Pham raises to 8,000, button Eugene Co three-bets to 22,000, Pham calls. Both players check the flop , turn is . Pham bets 31,000, Co calls. On the river , Pham fires 50,000, Co calls. Pham claims it with , Co has .
Tien Pham – 300,000
Eugene Co – 110,000
20:33: Cho Seong Ho lands the flush to survive
Level 14: 2,000-4,000 ante 4,000
Under the gun +2 raises to 8,000, button player Anh three-bets all in for 113,000, big blind Cho Seong Ho joins in for less chips, initial raiser folds. Button player Anh opens , Cho , the board runs out for a flush to Cho survives.
Cho Seong Ho – 210,000
Button Anh – 13,000
20:20: Hung Dinh triples up
Level 14: 2,000-4,000 ante 4,000
Under the gun raises to 8,000, four players call to the flop . Big blind Hung Dinh shoves 30,000, only hijack Minh Hai and cutoff Dennis Smith call. The turn and river are checked by both. Dinh opens , Hai , Smith , Dinh triples up.
Hung Dinh – 130,000
Minh Hai – 160,000
Dennis Smith – 100,000
20:13: Anh Nguyen delivers double KO
Level 14: 2,000-4,000 ante 4,000
Hijack Amit Kaushik goes all in for 6 bb, cutoff Sean Tan joins all in for 8 bb, big blind big stack Anh Nguyen calls.
Kaushik
Sean Tan
Anh Nguyen
Board runs , double knockout for Nguyen.
Anh Nguyen – 225,000
Amit Kaushik – eliminated
Sean Tan – eliminated
20:10: Nguyen Manh Hung rails Si Yang Phua
Level 14: 2,000-4,000 ante 4,000
Button Siyang Phua shoves 34,000 holding , big blind Nguyen Manh Hung calls with , board runs out . Phua is eliminated.
Nguyen Manh Hung – 95,000
Si Yang Phua – eliminated
20:02: Blinds up, 107 players remaining
Level 14: 2,000-4,000 ante 4,000
Blinds are up, 107 players remaining in the quest for a spot in the money round. Only 54 are guaranteed a seat.
19:37: Hung Dinh pairs the Ace to double up
Level 13: 1,500-3,000 ante 3,000
Under the gun limps, utg+1 raises to 6,500, Hung Dinh three bets all in 17,500, Gerardo Lubas calls, utg and utg+1 fold. Dinh opens , Lubas has , the board runs out , Dinh pairs up the Ace to survive.
Hung Dinh – 48,000
Gerardo Lubas – 190,000
19:17: Huyen Nguyen Kinh rails John Bonadies
Level 13: 1,500-3,000 ante 3,000
Under the gun+1 David Erquiaga raises to 6,500, utg+2 calls, hijack John Bonadies three-bets all in for 61,500, small blind Huyen Nguyen Kinh four-bets all in with more chips, Erquiaga and utg+2 fold. Bonadies opens , Huyen , the board runs out .
Huyen Nguyen Kinh – 250,000
John Bonadies – eliminated
19:13: Blinds up, 126 players remaining
Level 13: 1,500-3,000 ante 3,000
Blinds are up, 126 players remain. Still a long way to go, Day 1C plays down to 54 players.
19:10: Anuj Yadav banks it big with a set
Level 12: 1,000-2,500 ante 2,500
Under the gun raises to 5,000, lojack Hoang Hai Nam and hijack Anuj Yadav call, flop runs . More heavy action kicked off by Hoang with an 8,500 bet, Yadav raises to 20,000, utg check-raises to 50,000, Hoang folds, Yadav shoves, utg calls and opens overpair. Yadav opens set. The turn and river are no help to utg to bust out.
Anuj Yadav – 720,000
Hoang Hai Nam – 120,000
18:40: Pham Tien Dung with another takedown
Level 12: 1,000-2,500 ante 2,500
Under the gun+2 raises to 4,500, cutoff Pham Tien Dung three-bets 16,000 then faces a four-bet jam. Pham calls with and is flipping against . The board runs out .
Pham Tien Dung – 330,000
18:32: Blinds up, 155 players remaining
Level 12: 1,000-2,500 ante 2,500
Blinds are up, over fifty players dropped on the previous level. 155 players remain. Still a long way to go, Day 1C plays down to 54 players.
18:30: Phan Minh Duc takes it with a five-bet
Level 11: 1,000-2,000 ante 2,000
Cutoff Michael Allen raises to 4,500, button calls, big blind Phan Minh Duc three-bets to 18,000, Allen answers with a four-bet to 42,000, button folds, Phan five-bet shoves, Allen folds.
Phan Minh Duc – 240,000
Michael Allen – 130,000
18:20: Sumit Sapra calls and misses
Level 11: 1,000-2,000 ante 2,000
Under the gun+1 Eugene Co raises to 9,000, cutoff Sumit Sapra three-bets 15,000, Co flats, flop comes . Sapra c-bets 6,000, Co check-calls. The turn Sapra bangs out 25,000, Co check-raises all in, Sapra calls for his tournament life.
Sumit Sapra draw
Eugene Co
The river is no help to Sapra and is eliminated.
Eugene Co – 210,000
Sumit Sapra – eliminated
18:17: Hernan Villa doubles through Yohei Kitazato
Level 11: 1,000-2,000 ante 2,000
Under the gun Yohei Kitazato raises to 9,000, three players call to see the flop . Kitazato c-bets 6,000, button folds, small bllind Hernan Villa calls, big blind folds. The turn Villa leads out 5,500, Kitazato calls. On the river , Villa shoves (14,000), Kitazato calls and shows then mucks to Villa’s trips.
Hernan Villa – 69,000
Yohei Kitazato – 27,500
18:07: Pham Tien Dung KO two includes a champ
Level 11: 1,000-2,000 ante 2,000
Lojack jams with pocket Eights, USOP Taiwan champion Edwin Dela Cruz calls, big blind Pham Tien Dung three-bet shoves, Dela Cruz calls for his tournament life and opens pocket Jacks. Pham turns over Ace-king. The board runs a nutty Q-Q-A-A-J for a full house over full house. Pham sweeps.
Pham Tien Dung – 240,000
Edwin Dela Cruz – eliminated
18:00: Big stack update
Level 11: 1,000-2,000 ante 2,000
Le Huy Thanh – 300,000
Nguyen Tuan Anh – 350,000
Le Ngoc Minh – 210,000
Nguyen Hai Ninh – 200,000
Anuj Yadav – 310,000
17:56: Hung Dinh ends one on a flip
Level 11: 1,000-2,000 ante 2,000
Cutoff player shoves 20 bb with , button Hung Dinh calls with , the board runs . Dinh ships it to send one packing.
Hung Dinh – 110,000
17:51: Day 1C registration closes at 433 entries (285 unique)
Level 11: 1,000-2,000 ante 2,000
The biggest turnout yet of the three flights, 433 entries!! That brought the cumulative entries to 1,058 for a prize pool of VND 23 Billion. Expect it to surge further with Day 1D Turbo flight just about to commence. Day 1C will play down to 54 players. Currently 204 are remaining.
17:35: Chris Yea check-calls every street
Level 10: 1,000-1,500 ante 1,500
Action folds to the button Thanh Nguyen who raises to 5,000, big blind Chris Yea three-bets to 16,500, Nguyen calls. Throughout the board , Yea check-calls 7,000, 15,000, and the shove. Nguyen has air, Yea ships it with .
Chris Yea – 155,000
Thanh Nguyen – 90,000
17:25: Phan Hung Cong cracks kings
Level 10: 1,000-1,500 ante 1,500
Cutoff Phan Hung Cong raises to 3,500, button three-bets to 10,000, big blind Tien Tran Huy four-bets to 31,000, back to Phan with a five-bet jam. Button call for everything, Tien folds. Phan has , button dominates with , the board runs out . Phan spikes the two-outer to dust a player.
Phan Hung Cong – 250,000
16:53: Last level to enter Day 1C! 406 entries (281 unique)
Level 10: 1,000-1,500 ante 1,500
Blinds are up! The filed is now at 406 entries and rising! This is the last level to enter Day 1B. Registration closes at 5:40pm (start of Level 11). Currently 1,031 cumulative entries (Day 1A+Day1B = 625 entries). According to USOP, the target is to surpass the country record of 1,151 entries. That seems very likely with Day 1D Turbo flight still to come.
16:13: Blinds up, 379 entries (276 unique)
Level 9: 600-1200 ante 1200
Blinds are up! The filed is now at 379 entries and rising! Pot is now at VND 22 Billion. Registration closes at 5:40pm (start of Level 11).
16:10: Tien Sang wins the flip to boot Edward Penaflorida
Level 8: 500-1,000 ante 1,000
Under the gun+1 Ly Tran Tien raises to 3,000, utg+2 Mai Nguyen calls, lojack Tien Sang three-bets to 11,200, small blind Edward Penaflorida four-bets all in 26,300, fold-fold, Sang calls.
Tien Sang
Edward Penaflorida
It’s a flip, the board runs , Penaflorida busts.
Tien Sang – 95,000
Ly Tran Tien – 45,000
Mai Nguyen – 130,000
Edward Penaflorida – eliminated
16:07: Main Event breaches 1000 entries, prize pool VND 21.8 Billion!
Level 8: 500-1,000 ante 1,000
USOP Hanoi Main Event has hit 1,000 entries. Currently the screens show 375 entries. Day 1A drew 268 entries and Day 1B added 357 entries. The target is the WPT Vietnam record set 1,151.
15:45: Michael Allen dusts two local pros
Level 8: 500-1,000 ante 1,000
Two local pros just got the boot in a hand against Michael Allen. It opens with super high roller star Hoang Hai Nam raising from utg, button Cao Ngoc Anh and big blind Allen call. All three check the flop to head to the turn 
. Hoang bets 5,000, Cao calls, Allen check raises to 22,000, Hoang calls, Cao shoves with less chips. On the river , Allen bets 17,000, Hoang shoves (25,000), Allen calls.
Cao Ngoc Anh missed draw
Hoang Hai Nam overpair
Mike Allen full house
Mike Allen – 150,000
Cao Ngoc Anh – eliminated
Hoang Hai Nam – eliminated
15:30: Blinds up, 351 entries (267 unique)
Level 8: 500-1,000 ante 1,000
Blinds are up! The filed is now at 351 entries, just seven entries away from surpassing Day 1B and 24 more to reach 1000! We will be tracking it. For fence-sitters, no time to waste! Pot is huge and only growing. Registration closes at 5:40pm (start of Level 11).
14:50: Gautam Rohilla scores huge takedown
Level 7: 400-800 ante 800
Preflop betting war between hijack Le Ngoc Minh and cutoff Gautam Rohilla leads to both players all in. Rohilla dominates with over . With the board running , Rohilla ships it and boots Le in the process.
Gautam Rohilla – 180,000
14:40: Blinds up, 316 entries (255 unique)
Level 7: 400-800 ante 800
Blinds are up! 316 entries and rising with plenty of time to jump in. Still plenty of time to jump in. Registration closes at 5:40pm (start of Level 11).
14:15: Tran Duc Tuan shocks table with his hole cards
Level 6: 300-600 ante 600
Under the gun+2 Tran Duc Tuan “Steve” opens, small blind three-bets, Tran calls. At the flop , small blind c-bets, Tran calls. On the turn , small blind fires again, this time Tran jams, small blind calls and shows over pair. Tran shocks the table with trips, the river improves Tran to a full house for a double up.
Tran Duc Tuan – 38,000
14:00: Blinds up, 274 entries (232 unique)
Level 6: 300-600 ante 600
Blinds are up! 274 entries and rising with plenty of time to jump in. We are now halfway through the late registration, it closes at 5:40pm (start of Level 11).
13:33: Guy Taylor burns cowboys
Level 5: 300-500 ante 500
Under the gun+1 raises to 1,000, utg+2 calls, button Guy Taylor three-bets all in, small blind four-bets shoves with more chips, utg+ and +2 fold. Taylor opens , small blind has , the board runs out . Both connect, Taylor’s flush burns the set of kings.
Guy Taylor – 23,000
13:20: Blinds up, 224 entries (197 unique)
Level 5: 300-500 ante 500
Blinds are up! 224 entries and rising with plenty of time to jump in. Registration closes at 5:40pm (start of Level 11).
12:40: Blinds up, 165 entries (152 unique)
Level 4: 200-400 ante 400
First break of the day has just passed, blinds are up! 165 entries with plenty of time to jump in. Among the new faces are Ip Ho Yuen, Emmanuel Segismundo, GACKT, and Ewe Eng Soon all of them unable to qualify at yesterday’s flight. Registration closes at 5:40pm (start of Level 11).
11:50: Blinds up, 112 entries, (108 unique)
Level 3: 200-300 ante 300
Blinds are up! 112 entries and rising. Plenty of time to jump in with registration closing at 6:10pm (start of Level 11).
11:10: Blinds up, 80 entries (79 unique)
Level 2: 100-200 ante 200
Blinds are up! 80 entered on the first level. Seen in the field are Lee Kun Han, Nguyen Trung Quan, and Alok Birewar. Plenty of time to jump in with registration closing at 5:40pm (start of Level 11).
10:30: Main Event Day 1C begins!
Level 1: 100-100 ante 100
Cards in the air for Main Event Day 1C! 24 players so far with more seen at registration. Among the early go-ers are two time Super High Roller champion Hoang Hai Nam “Luckyman9999”, Nguyen Quang Huy, Sebastian Mueller, Pham Tien Dung, Dongkyu Kim, and Hernan Villa.
Final two flights today! Prize pool over VND 13 Billion
If you haven’t heard yet, the Main Event VND 12 Billion guarantee has been breached! The prize pool is currently at VND 13.6 Billion. Only 78 players have advanced to Day 2, last chance to enter today with two flights scheduled.
Get your hoodies! Sign up to Level 1!
To further brighten player experience, participants who register and have their chips in play during Level 1 of the Main Event will be gifted the newest USOP hoodie. Supply is limited to a total of just 250 pieces.
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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