USOP Taiwan Main Event turnout through the roof as prize pool catapults to over USD 1 Million; Singapore’s Guan Hao Tan leads in 139 players
The U Series of Poker (USOP) has once again proven itself an unstoppable force in the Asian live scene, amassing an incredible 1,100 Main Event entries for a colossal prize pool of NTD 32,010,000 (~USD 1,030,500). The substantial turnout was fueled by the last two flights, adding a roaring 615 entries to the initial 485 from earlier heats. This was the third consecutive seven figure USD prize pool by the USOP, following in the footsteps of record-breakers USOP Da Nang and USOP Hanoi.
USOP Taiwan – Coverage
USOP Taiwan – Player Guide
USOP Taiwan – Festival Results
USOP Taiwan – Main Event info
Day 1 results
Day 1A results: 203 entries / 26 advance
Day 1B results: 282 entries / 36 advance
Day 1C: 412 entries / 52 advance
Day 1D: 203 entries / 26 advance
Main Event numbers
Buy in: NTD 33,000 (~USD 1,056)
Guarantee: NTD 15,000,000 (~USD 482,230)
Total entries: 1,100
Prize pool: NTD 32,010,000 (~USD 1,030,500)
Total ITM: 140 players
Main Event – Day 2 Chip Counts
Day 2 – Top 10 in chips
| Rank | Player | Flag | Stack | BB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Guan Hao Tan | Singapore | 1,112,000 | 111 |
| 2 | Tsun Yin Ng | Hong Kong | 1,101,000 | 110 |
| 3 | Jun Li | United Kingdom | 1,073,000 | 107 |
| 4 | Minh Nguyen | Vietnam | 958,000 | 96 |
| 5 | Chung Howe Sean | Singapore | 930,000 | 93 |
| 6 | King Chun Leung | Hong Kong | 838,000 | 84 |
| 7 | Yan Jie Wu | Taiwan | 805,000 | 81 |
| 8 | Yi Hsiang Lu | Taiwan | 763,000 | 76 |
| 9 | Mark Gruendemann | Ireland | 712,000 | 71 |
| 10 | Chih Wei Fan | Taiwan | 694,000 | 69 |
Day 2 info
139 players move on to Day 2, taking place on Sunday, January 14, 2024 starting at 12:15pm. Everyone is guaranteed a minimum payout of NTD 43,000 (~USD 1,385). The agenda for the players is to secure a final table spot where a hefty NTD 5,383,000 (~USD 173,300) payout awaits the champion!
Day 1C review
The CTP Asia Poker Arena in Taipei City, Taiwan filled to capacity as local and international players poured in for Main Event Day 1C. With 485 entries already on record from the previous flights, the NTD 15 Million guarantee was instantly shattered at the starting buzzer with no telling how high it would go.
By the end of registration, the tally was 412 entries, to nearly reach 1,000 entries. The heat closed with 52 players bagging up. Singapore’s Guan Hao Tan racked up 111 bb to slide into the top spot of the overall Day 2 qualifiers list. At his heels was Vietnam’s Minh Nguyen with 96 bb.
Other notable survivors were festival event winners Chih Wei Fan and Calvin Kean Wei Tanboth with 69 bb, South Korea’s Gyeong Byeong Lee, Philippine’s Dexter Santos who was the only player to bag up a second stack, and Taiwan’s Zong Chi He.
Day 1D review
With the prize pool certain to breach a million USD, another 203 jumped in the final flight – Day 1D Turbo – to drive the total entries to 1,100. In turn, the prize pool further ballooned to over NTD 32 Million, roughly USD 1 Million. The final heat closed with 26 survivors. Hong Kong’s King Chun Leung topped the counts with 84 bb followed by Philippine’s John Tech with 66 bb, Singapore’s Shun Jian Yee, South Korea’s Yo Hwan Lim, and Australia’s Dylan Wayne Foster completed the top 5.
