Another exciting day has come and gone with the U Series of Poker Vietnam which means that it’s time for some USOP Updates. As Day 3 came to an end in the Crown Poker Club, several local Vietnamese players shone and took home four new titles, much to the delight of their people.
Although there are still several more days in the tournament, today showed off a number of frontrunners and showcased some exciting events. The most exciting event today was probably the Superstar Challenge which served as the final event of the day where the top 9 players battled it out for the title.
USOP Update: Superstar Tournament Down to 9 Players
The Superstar Challenge so far has been considered a huge success. 64 players joined this event, each one paying a VN₫ 107,000,000 (~US$ 4,525) buy-in which created a prize pool of VN₫ 6,208,000,000 (~US$ 264,760). Among the players who joined were some big names like Triton champions Devan Tang and Dao Minh Phu, 2023 PSPC runner-up Max Menzel, Taiwan’s Nevan Chang, USOP founder Tse Ian Lee, Vietnam’s Minh Quang Nguyen, Huy Quang Nguyen, and Sang Nguyen.
While they all played incredibly well, most players did not make it to the end of the day. Of the 64 players, only 9 of them remain as of writing this USOP update. These 9 will be the only ones able to compete for the prize money in the next round of the tournament.
The game lasted over 13 hours and by the end, Australia’s Anton Lu made a bold bet that eliminated one of his opponents who held a queen and ace of diamonds. This left only 10 players left and caused them to enter the “bubble round,” where they all competed for the final slot.
The bubble round lasted for an hour and a half, with everyone trying to outsmart each other while avoiding any mistakes. It only ended when Vietnam’s Huu Dung Nguyen went all-in from the small blind with a short stack. This caused other players to risk it all.
Eventually, it was William Jia who lost the competition. Jia managed to win VN₫ 207,000,000 and the spot of 10th place.
As of the USOP Updates, the remaining players are.
- Tan Keng Yong
- Victor Chong
- Yeh Hung Wei
- Anton Lu
- Ang Yang Sang
- Sebastian Mueller
- Duc Tu Bui
- Huu Dung Nguyen
- Chu Thai Thinh
The competition is set to continue on Monday, April 17th at 1 pm. Here, the Final 9 will be back on, ready to fight for the prize of VN₫ 1,900,000,000, or about US$ 81,000.
USOP Update: Excitement in the Mystery Round
Moving onto the mystery round, 52 players returned to compete for a piece of the Mystery Bounty prize pool. This prize is worth VN₫ 2,609,900,000 (~US$ 111,320) and will be split among several players. The tournament took several hours, but eventually, Bao Tuan, also known as Tuan Tien Hai, managed to score the win. He won VN₫ 540,000,000 as the top prize as well as another VN₫ 271,500,000 in bounties, making his total winnings an impressive VN₫ 811,500,000 (~US$ 34,600)! This is his first live title and his larger payout in a single game.
Aside from Bao Tuan, another player who performed well was Singapore’s Benjamin Sai who earned the largest mystery bounty reward of VN₫ 270,000,000. Aside from that, Sai’s performance also nabbed him an extra VN₫ 45,500,000, totaling his bounty earnings to VN₫ 315,500,000, or $(13,400) the highest among all players.
A few others who deserve mention are Estonian player Roland Kivi who reached the final table for the third time in this festival! He finished 4th place here, landed in 6th place in another, and won the champion title in another. Then there is Thang Chien Hoang who started off in one of the worst positions in the tournament but managed to reach 7th place through skill and perseverance.
As of this USOP Update, the top ten players go as.
- Tuan Tien Hai
- Thuy Trung Duong
- Hieu Quang Nguyen
- Roland Kivi
- Benjamin Sai
- Dao Minh Phu
- Thang Chien Hoang
- Quang Ngoc Phan
- Dien Van Le (Kenny)
USOP Update: Ha Ngoc Nguyen Dominates Superstack Madness
The Superstack Madness event was another huge success, attracting over 190 players who joined the guaranteed prize pool. The tournament ended with 24 players sharing the prize money, which amounted to VN₫ 1,105,800,00! The largest share went to Ha Ngoc Nguyen, who received a prize of VN₫ 275,000,000 (which is around US$11,730).
The bubble burst when Dinh Van Tien, Vu Huy Ha, and another player faced off in a match. The stakes were high, and both Dinh and Vu players had the same hand- Ace-Queen without matching suits. The cards were dealt, and the board showed a queen-high combination. The bubble only burst when the third player was eliminated.
Dinh Van Tien managed to secure the 12th place while Vu Huy Ha advanced to the final table. However, Ha’s luck ran out and had to settle for 5th place.
In the end, Nguyen was the big winner of the table. Even when there were only three players left, and Eric Wasylenko had a bit of luck, Nguyen managed to score a win and knocked him to third place.
The final showdown was between Nguyen and Van Quang Pham. While Pham played well, he couldn’t compete with Nguyen’s full house with two twos and two threes, beating Pham’s two pairs of aces and nines.
As of writing this USOP update, the player placement is.
- Ha Ngoc Nguyen
- Van Quang Pham
- Eric Wasylenko
- Eric Ceret
- Vu Huy Ha
- Michael Kim Falcon
- Joe Sam Yap
- Dung Anh Tran
- Tuan Minh Ha
These USOP are meant to talk about the events as they happen, but we also discuss some of the preparations for the festival.
To know more about that, check out our update on the USOP countdown.