A field of pink surrounded the grand ballroom at Dream Dragon Resort, Hai Phong, Vietnam with the U Series of Poker Main Event games on everyone’s agenda. The second of four flights on schedule recorded another 378 entries added to the tally, shooting past its VN₫ 15,000,000,000 (~US$ 609,500) listed guarantee. Vietnam’s best, Dao Minh Phu topped the ranks, with Defeng Liu and Yang Haiyang sharing the spotlight, separated only by a few big blinds.
Two more flights are set to follow through, with Day 1C and Day 1D Turbo geared to run its course this Saturday, September 21st.
USOP Hai Phong – News
USOP Hai Phong – Main Event Updates
USOP Hai Phong – Schedule / Player Guide
USOP Hai Phong – Photos
USOP Hai Phong – Festival Results
Main Event Day 1B Recap
Main Event Day 1B played through seventeen 40 minute blind levels and saw its 378 (274 unique) entry field whittle down to 47 survivors. Past USOP Main Event champions The Naing, Nguyen Ngoc Dai, and Ian Lee, showcased their skills across the felt, yet failed to catch a spot into the Day 2 rounds.
It took thirteen hours of play before the dust settled across the qualifier, with Dao Minh Phu 930,000 (93 BB) leading the pack. The local legend was already stacking high by early evening and went on to amass more chips through the last five levels to top the order. China’s Defeng Liu 925,000 (92 BB) and Yang Haiyang 903,000 (90 BB) follow closely behind, with all three ranking just below Day 1A chip leaders Juyeol Lee and Tang Xin.
Day 1B action closed following the exit of India’s Mehta Anmol, having been grinded down to one big blind and eventually crash as the stone cold bubble. Several notables advanced to Day 2, with international crushers Abhinav Iyer 847,000 (85 BB), William Teoh 371,000 (37 BB), Xudong Yang 318,000 (32 BB), and Jinlong Hu 107,000 (11 BB), making it through. Joining the list is a share of strong local runners of which include Nguyen Nang Quang 388,000 (39 BB), Pham Tien Dung 315,000 (32 BB), Nguyen Thi Bao An 259,000 (26 BB), and Nguyen Quang Huy 149,000 (15 BB).
Date/s: September 19 – 23, 2024
Buy-in: VN₫ 30,000,000 (~USD 1,200)
Guarantee: VN₫ 15,000,000,000 (~US$ 609,500)
Day 1A: 341 entries / 43 qualified
Day 1B: 378 entries / 47 qualified
Day 1C: Saturday, September 21
Day 1D (Turbo): Saturday, September 21
Day 2: Sunday, September 22
Day 3/ Final Day: Monday, September 23
Backtrack on all the day’s action via SMP – USOP Main Event Updates
End of Main Event Day 1B Chip Counts
| Pos. | Player | Flag | Chip Count | BB |
| 1 | DAO MINH PHU | VIETNAM | 930,000 | 93 |
| 2 | LIU DEFENG | CHINA | 925,000 | 93 |
| 3 | YANG HAIYANG | CHINA | 903,000 | 90 |
| 4 | ABHINAV IYER | INDIA | 847,000 | 85 |
| 5 | TRAN VAN TAI | VIETNAM | 715,000 | 72 |
| 6 | LI YONG | CHINA | 693,000 | 69 |
| 7 | LE MANH CUONG | VIETNAM | 594,000 | 59 |
| 8 | NGUYEN QUANG MINH | VIETNAM | 532,000 | 53 |
| 9 | ABBASOV KHAYAL | AZERBAIJAN | 500,000 | 50 |
| 10 | PHAM QUANG VAN | VIETNAM | 452,000 | 45 |
| 11 | TRAN VAN PHUC | VIETNAM | 439,000 | 44 |
| 12 | PUN SI NG | HONG KONG S.A.R. | 435,000 | 44 |
| 13 | DINH TIEN THANH | VIETNAM | 408,000 | 41 |
| 14 | NGUYEN NANG QUANG | VIETNAM | 388,000 | 39 |
| 15 | TEOH WILLIAM | MALAYSIA | 371,000 | 37 |
| 16 | VIJAYVERGIYA ASHWIN | INDIA | 366,000 | 37 |
| 17 | TIMOFEEV ILIA | USSR | 352,000 | 35 |
| 18 | NGUYEN VAN KHOA | VIETNAM | 347,000 | 35 |
| 19 | DO VAN HAI | VIETNAM | 331,000 | 33 |
| 20 | YANG XUDONG | CHINA | 318,000 | 32 |
| 21 | PHAM TIEN DUNG | VIETNAM | 315,000 | 32 |
| 22 | NGUYEN DANG LAM HONG | VIETNAM | 283,000 | 28 |
| 23 | NGUYEN THI BAO AN | VIETNAM | 259,000 | 26 |
| 24 | ZHAO WANHAO | CHINA | 255,000 | 26 |
| 25 | TRAN VAN THINH | VIETNAM | 253,000 | 25 |
| 26 | JOHNSON RYAN NICHOLAS | USA | 234,000 | 23 |
| 27 | NGUYEN HONG NHUNG | VIETNAM | 219,000 | 22 |
| 28 | JUNG JINWOO | SOUTH KOREA | 212,000 | 21 |
| 29 | CHAN MAN LOK | MACAU | 206,000 | 21 |
| 30 | WANG JINGYI | CHINA | 180,000 | 18 |
| 31 | CHEN SIN REN | TAIWAN | 171,000 | 17 |
| 32 | JEEVANJI MAURICE VITTO LAURENT | FRANCE | 163,000 | 16 |
| 33 | ANG YANG SIANG | MALAYSIA | 156,000 | 16 |
| 34 | LI LEI | CHINA | 155,000 | 16 |
| 35 | NGUYEN QUANG HUY | VIETNAM | 149,000 | 15 |
| 36 | SUNG WOOJIN | SOUTH KOREA | 143,000 | 14 |
| 37 | JANG WONGEUN | SOUTH KOREA | 141,000 | 14 |
| 38 | GUPTA DEEPANKUR | INDIA | 120,000 | 12 |
| 39 | YUAN XIN | CHINA | 108,000 | 11 |
| 40 | HU JINLONG | CHINA | 107,000 | 11 |
| 41 | TSAO TSU LIN | TAIWAN | 102,000 | 10 |
| 42 | NGUYEN DUY TUNG | VIETNAM | 92,000 | 9 |
| 43 | ZHAO JUN | CHINA | 86,000 | 9 |
| 44 | CHEN GUOCHENG | CHINA | 82,000 | 8 |
| 45 | ALTYNIKOV ROMAN | RUSSIA | 77,000 | 8 |
| 46 | HOANG LE ANH TUAN | VIETNAM | 31,000 | 3 |
| 47 | LU CHENGHONG | CHINA | 24,000 | 2 |
Chips in play: 15,120,000
Average stack: 321,702 (32 BB)
Blinds: 5,000/ 10,000 ante 10,000
Remaining players: 47
