Malaysia’s Ian Lee wins USOP Danang 2024 Main Event for ₫7.12 Billion (~$287K)

04/02/2024

Malaysian player Ian Lee emerged victorious after a four hour heads up battle at the U Series of Poker – USOP Danang 2024 record breaking Main Event! With both Lee and runner up Phan Quang Thai aiming for the massive top prize, no deal was discussed. Lee walked away banking VN₫ 7,120,000,000 (~USD 287,677) and his first ever poker career title. This was the largest first prize payout ever awarded to a player at the USOP.

“I’ve been on a marathon for three days and three nights coz I played Day 1B, I dropped, Day 1C, I dropped. Then I played Day 1D which finished at like 5am. So for like three days, I slept for I think only ten hours. Look now, three days, three nights, and I am here. The feeling is so amazing it’s like after so many hours and opponents are all so great and very skillful. Really takes perseverance. First time in my life.”

USOP Danang Part 1 Main Event final table

Indeed, getting to heads up was no easy task with some of the biggest names in poker vying for every chip. From a record 1,702 entries, the final day opened with 18 players led by New Zealand’s Thomas Ward and UK’s Gabriel Carter. To maintain focus, Lee shared,

“The opponents are all very strong but I believe that poker is a mind sport, mind game, so all you need is perseverance. The mindset is so important, you need to stay alive, think positive. At every break I meditate, I calm my mind and focus and try to relax.”

As the final table commenced, Vietnam’s Phan Quang Thai emerged as the new frontrunner. Several busts later, at five-handed, Lee picked up momentum, cleaning out Fan Ying Kun (5th) and Ward (4th) to overtake with a massive lead. The stage was set for heads-up play after Phan eliminated Carter in 3rd place. Lee was ahead 2:1 with players both very deep however there were multiple chances for Lee to close it out early.

“I grinded him down slowly then I lost three flips, that was so crazy. So I changed strategy, I just shoved any cards, all in and all in because the blinds were quite big. My momentum came back.”

.The final hand was Lee 10s , Phan, board ran. This milestone win was Lee’s career first poker major. So how will the champ celebrate, he says,

“I vowed that if I win, I will stop two things, one is vaping, smoking, bad vices.”

Read up on Lee’s victory via the Final Day live updates.

USOP Danang 2024: Main Event – Final Day

USOP Danang 2024 Main Event final results

The USOP Danang 2024 Main Event attracted a record field of 1,702 entries to build the richest USOP prize pool of VN₫ 44,575,300,000 (~USD 1,800,000). The top seven players became billionaires and the top four won the equivalent of USD six figures. Make sure to read up on the action via the Live Updates.

Date: March 28 to April 1, 2024
Buy in: VN₫ 30,000,000 (~USD 1,235)
Guarantee: VN₫ 15,000,000,000 (~USD 614,500)
Total entries: 1,702
Prize pool: VN₫ 44,575,300,000 (~USD 1,800,000)
ITM: 213 players

Day 1 results

Day 1A: 366 entries (282 unique) / 46 ITM
Day 1B: 416 entries (314 unique) / 52 ITM
Day 1C: 587 entries (411 unique) / 73 ITM
Day 1D: 333 entries (241 unique) / 42 ITM

Final Day payouts

Place	Player	Flag	VN₫	~USD
1	Ian Lee	Malaysia	7,120,000,000	285,944
2	Phan Quang Thai	Vietnam	4,916,000,000	197,430
3	Gabriel Carter	UK	3,422,000,000	137,430
4	Thomas Ward	New Zealand	2,504,200,000	100,570
5	Fan Ying Kun	China	1,877,100,000	75,386
6	Chun Hao Zhang	China	1,512,000,000	60,723
7	Truong Vu Tran Khanh	Vietnam	1,230,700,000	49,426
8	Buyu Sakurai	Japan	960,300,000	38,566
9	Alok Birewar	India	712,800,000	28,627
10	Anthony Lewis	USA	501,300,000	20,133
11	Do Tuan Phong	Vietnam	501,300,000	20,133
12	Le Giang Nam	Vietnam	501,300,000	20,133
13	Le Ngoc Minh	Vietnam	389,400,000	15,639
14	Hyo Seok Park	Korea	389,400,000	15,639
15	Seung Hun Ko	Korea	389,400,000	15,639
16	Tae Hyoeng Kim	Korea	302,300,000	12,141
17	Jun Ma	China	302,300,000	12,141
18	Chang Xiang Guang	Malaysia	302,300,000	12,141