The U Series of Poker (USOP) Hai Phong 2024 in Vietnam saw action heating up ahead of the much-anticipated VND 15,000,000,000 ($609,500) GTD Main Event. A thrilling precursor to the main event, the Mini Main Event drew a record 1,120 entries, more than tripling up the VND 3 billion guarantee and building a prize pool of VND 10,518,600,000 (~$427,410), which was distributed among the top 140 finishers.
Taking the lion’s share of this prize pool was Russia’s Ilia Timofeev, who bested Vietnam’s Do Khac Thang in a heads-up, securing his first-ever USOP trophy and a hefty payday of VND 1,253,247,000 after a five-way deal. Thang, the runner-up, walked away with VND 919,567,520. India’s Siddharth Karia, the newly appointed PokerStars India ambassador, claimed the third spot, pocketing VND 743,701,000 (INR 25 Lakh) for his first final table appearance and second cash of the series.
Karia wasn’t the only Indian to make a mark in the Mini Main Event. Four other Indians also cashed in, including Ashwin Vijayvergiya (14th – VDN 105,200,000), Gagandeep Malik (49th – VND 36,000,000), Deepankur Gupta (53rd – VND 32,000,000) & Bhavik Harshilbhai Khatsuria (70th – VND 26,200,000).
More Links:
USOP Hai Phong Main Event Begins Today: A Look Back at Past USOP Main Event Winners
USOP Hai Phong: Gagandeep Malik & Anmol Mehta Shine with Final Table Scores
USOP Hai Phong: Plant Ryan Wins Superstar Challenge, Iyer Shines With Third Place Finish
Karia’s third-place finish marked India’s fourth final table at the USOP Hai Phong series, following Gagandeep Malik’s 3rd place in the Mini High Roller (VND 190,000,000), Anmol Mehta’s 7th place in the Sunday Superstack (VND 91,800,000), and WSOP Bracelet winner Abhinav Iyer’s 3rd place in the Superstar Challenge (VND 965,000,000).
2024 USO Hai Phong Event 28: Mini Main Event Quick Recap
Coming back to Event 28: Mini Main Event, the VND11,000,000 ($ 440) buy-in event ran from September 16 to 18 and saw only 139 runners returning for Day 2. Some notables who finished deep but missed the final table included Pham Tien Dung (16th – VND 86,000,000), Lee Kun Han (27th – VND 48,000,000), Ian Lee (63rd – 28,800,000), and Kyle Bao Diep (99th – VND 21,200,000).
The turning point of the tournament came when USOP first-timer Ilia Timofeev won a crucial three-way all-in with pocket kings, bagging a commanding chip lead. An ICM deal was struck among the final five players, with Ilia securing the largest payout from the VND 10,518,600,000 ($427,410) prize pool. Guaranteed VND 1,254,244,830 ($51,000) and a shot at the trophy, Ilia eliminated Nguyen Manh Tu in third place and entered heads-up play with nearly even stack with Vietnam’s Do Khac Thang.
Final Hand
Following half an hour of intense back-and-forth action, Ilia sealed his victory when Thang shoved with ace-four, and Ilia called with ace-five. The 5-4-2-Q-9 board gave Ilia a better pair with fives, crowning him the Mini Main Event champion. Thang settled for second place and VND 919,567,000.
USOP Hai Phong Event #28 Mini Main Event Top 10 Payouts
| No | Name | Amount |
| 1 | Ilia Timofev | VND 1,253,247,000* |
| 2 | Khac Thang Do | VND 919,567,000* |
| 3 | Siddharth Karia | VND 743,701,000* |
| 4 | Viet Dung Nguyen | VND 763,232,000* |
| 5 | Manh Tu Nguyen | VND 1,209,653,000* |
| 6 | Defeng Liu | VND 388,000,000 |
| 7 | Van Tai Tran | VND 307,900,000 |
| 8 | Anh Dung Tran | VND 236,000,000 |
| 9 | Erik Rozhynskyi | VND 176,000,000 |
| 10 | Hai Tao Luan | VND 131,600,000 |
Keep following PokerProNews for the latest updates and results from ongoing USOP Hai Phong.
