USOP Hanoi 2023: India’s Vishal Ojha Champions Record-Breaking VN₫ 12 Billion GTD Main Event For a Staggering VN₫ 4.952 Billion (~₹1.71 Crores)

It was a magnificent Monday for Indian sports! On the cricketing front, the Indian National Cricket Team is poised for victory against their arch-rivals, Pakistan, in the 2023 Asia Cup, having set a competitive target of 356 runs in their first innings. But there’s more to celebrate off the cricket field!

Following on from a strong start at the U Series of Poker (USOP) Hanoi 2023, the Indian battalion asserted its dominance with Vishal Ojha (cover image) surging past a record-breaking field of 1,336 contenders in the VN₫ 12 Billion GTD Event #23: VN₫ 25 Million Main Event, clinching the coveted title and becoming the first Indian to conquer the USOP Main Event.

A well-respected online tournament regular, Ojha, showcased his prowess at the final table. Starting with a middling stack, he cruised past the competition to clinch victory after a short heads-up face-off against Vietnamese ace Bien Mai. This landmark win handed Ojha his inaugural live title and a whopping VN₫ 4.952 Billion (~₹1.71 Crores). Following a heads-up chop, Mai also took home VN₫ 4.298 Billion for his runner-up finish.

This isn’t Ojha’s sole success in the series. This win marks his third impressive finish, taking his cumulative series earnings to a staggering VN₫ 5.202 Billion (~₹1.79 Crores). With this, Ojha surpasses Event #20: VN₫ 88 Million Super High Roller runner-up finisher Sahil Agarwal, making him the “Indian Star of the Series.”

The celebrations don’t end with Ojha. Just a few hours earlier, Arjanveer Singh Chadha clinched this maiden live tournament victory in the VN₫ 1 Billion GTD Event #33: VN₫ 11 Million Megastack, securing India’s second title of the series, with Ojha’s win being the illustrious third.

The Main Event, drawing an unprecedented 1,336 participants across four starting flights, now stands as a monumental event in the nation’s poker legacy. Amassing a grand prize pool of VN₫ 29.158 Billion, it’s set a new gold standard for non-high roller series.

Day 2 Recap

Day 2 saw 168 poker enthusiasts getting back to the tables, with Vietnam’s Bien Mai leading the pack, holding 1,143,000 chips. Among them were 16 Indian players, led by the Day 1C chip leader, Young Gun Anuj Yadav, who started with the fourth-largest stack of 825,000.

After intense competition spanning nine levels, only 18 players remained standing. Yao Ren Hao from China had the best run, accumulating 8,530,000 chips.

From the Indian contingent, Vishal Ojha stood out, progressing to Day 3. Starting the day with a modest stack of 316,000, Ojha’s aggressive tactics saw him scoring massive double-ups against opponents like Pham Duy Tien and Lee Kun Han. Ojha’s memorable plays included the double-elimination of Vu Thai Bao and Pham Duy Tien, as he wrapped up with the day’s seventh-largest stack at 3,110,000.

Fellow compatriot Ashish Munot was the last player to fall on Day 2. Munot’s run ended when his fell to Phan Huu Minh Tri’s , with the board revealing . Munot`s 19th place finish earned him VN₫ 164 Million (~₹5.65 Lakhs). Cumulatively, his series winnings reached an impressive VN₫ 373 Million (~₹12.85 Lakhs).

Ankit Jajodia began Day 2 with the sixth-largest stack of 800,000. His eventful journey ended in the 21st position. His all-in jam with got a call from Yao Ren Hao’s , who also eliminated The Naing in 22nd for VN₫ 152 Million. Jajodia’s exit added VN₫ 152 Million (~₹5.24 Lakhs) to his series total, elevating it to VN₫ 171 Million (~₹5.89 Lakhs).

Other notable Indian players who made their mark in the Main Event included Somashekar Kurkhepally (39th for VN₫ 91 Million ~₹3.14 Lakhs), Young Gun Arsh Grover (54th for VN₫ 79 Million ~₹2.72 Lakhs), Ashish Ahuja (67th for VN₫ 67 Million ~₹2.31 Lakhs), Young Gun Anuj Yadav (69th for VN₫ 67 Million ~₹2.31 Lakhs), Young Gun Gaurav Sood (73rd for VN₫ 67 Million ~₹2.31 Lakhs), Sahil Agarwal (77th for VN₫ 67 Million ~₹2.31 Lakhs), Gautam Rohilla (81st for VN₫ 67 Million ~₹2.31 Lakhs), Rajeev Kanjani (94th for 62 Million ~₹2.14 Lakhs), Rising Star Ritwik Khanna (109th for VN₫ 59 Million ~₹2.03 Lakhs), Zarvan Tumboli (133rd for 56 Million ~₹1.93 Lakhs), Abhinav Iyer (138th for VN₫ 56 Million ~₹1.93 Lakhs)), Kunal Patni (151st for VN₫ 53 Million ~₹1.83 Lakhs), and Kamal Kumar Sogani (153rd for VN₫ 53 Million ~₹1.83 Lakhs).

Final Day Recap

Eighteen players kicked off the Day 3 action at 11 AM (local time) on Monday. It took two levels of play for the field to dwindle to the nine finalists.

The nine-handed final table was formed with the elimination of Sun Li Wei in 10th place for VN₫ 379.20 Million.

You can watch the replay of the final table live stream below.

Final Table Chip Counts

1. Tan Xiao Hui – 10,010,000
2. Bien Mai – 9,130,000
3. Yao Ren Hao – 8,720,000
4. Vishal Ojha – 6,200,000
5. Lee Kun Han – 5,975,000
6. Hu Jin Long – 5,960,000
7. Le Ngoc Minh – 4,025,000
8. Ewe Eng Soon – 1,925,000
9. Charles Wong – 1,325,000

Final Table Recap

On the fourth hand of the final table, Tan Xiao Hui woke up with on the button and raised it to 180,000. The shortest stack on the final table, Charles Wong, shoved for 1.20 Million from the big blind, holding . Hui snap-called to see the community cards opening , confirming Wong’s exit in ninth place.

Two hands later, Vishal Ojha raised to 250,000 from UTG with . Hu Jin Long, holding , 3-bet to 660,000 from the middle position. The action folded back to Ojha, who called to see the flop open . Ojha check-called Long’s 500,000 bet to get to the turn . Ojha checked once again, and Long fired a bet of 1.50 Million. Ojha called, and the river brought . For a third time, Ojha checked, and Long bet for 2.90 Million. Ojha tanked for a while, using up three of his time banks, before calling to see the good news. The phenomenal call boosted Ojha’s stack to 14 Million, giving him the chip lead while crippling Long to just 100,000, less than 1 BB.

On the very next hand, with nothing left to lose, Long moved all-in for his last 100,000 with . Le Ngoc Minh called from the small blind with , and Ojha re-shoved all-in for 13 Million from the big blind with . Expectedly, Minh got out of the way. The runout saw Ojha rivering a boat, ending Long’s run in eighth place.

Sixty-eight hands later, Le Ngoc Minh jammed from UTG for 1.60 Million with and Bien Ma, on the small blind, called with . The board ran , eliminating Minh in seventh place.

On the 76th hand, the lone female player on the final table, Tan Xiao Hui, moved all-in from the cutoff for 860,000 with . Lee Kun Han re-shoved for 8.90 Million from the small blind with , forcing Ojha, who had , to get out of the way. The board ran , marking Hui`s departure in sixth place.

On the 99th hand, Ewe Eng Soon was sent to the rail by Ojha in fifth place. The Indian pro’s stack touched a monstrous 30 Million, with his closest competitor, Bien Mai, sitting with 11 Million chips.

On the 119th hand, Ojha, on the button, folded his hand out of turn while Lee Kun Han still deliberated his move. He was penalized for his mistake and had to sit out the 120th hand. Given that he had a stack of 34 Million, 62% of the chips in play, though it was a glaring lapse of concentration for the Indian, it wasn’t very costly.

Eleven hands later, Lee Kun Han raised it to 800,000 from UTG with . The action folded to Bien Mai on the big blind who called with . The flop opened , giving Mai a Queen-high straight while Han hit a pair of tens. Mai slow-played the strong hand by checking, inducing an 800,000 bet from Han. Mai called. Mai checked again on the turn , and Han bet for 1.30 Million. Mai moved all-in for 8.70 Million, and Han snap-called. The river brought , dismissing Han in fourth place.

On the 135th hand, Yao Ren Hao moved all-in from the button for 3.60 Million, holding . Mai tanked for a while before moving all-in for 15 Million, pushing Ojha out of the way. The rundown showed , eliminating Hao in third place.

Hao’s knockout did help Bien Mai ladder up to 19 Million, but he was still trailing Vishal Ojha considerably, with the Indian sporting a massive 35 Million stack. Before the final table commenced, the duo agreed to an ICM heads-up chop, with both players banking VN₫ 4.952 Billion each and only the trophy left to play for.

On the first hand of the heads-up match (136th hand), Ojha opened the button for 900,000 with . Mai called to get to the flop . Mai checked, and Ojha bet for 2 Million, getting a quick fold from Mai.

The very next hand (137th) turned out to be the tournament’s final hand. This time, Mai opened for 900,000 and Ojha 3-bet to 3 Million. Mai promptly moved all-in for 18 Million, and Ojha snap-called.

Bien Mai

Vishal Ojha

The community cards read . Despite hitting a pair of tens on the turn, it wasn’t enough for Mai to stay alive in the contest as Ojha went on to lift the USOP Main Event trophy!

Final Table Results (VN₫)

1. Vishal Ojha – VN₫ 4,952,000,000*
2. Mai Bien – VN₫ 4,298,000,000*
3. Yao Ren Hao – VN₫ 2,105,000,000
4. Lee Kun Han – VN₫ 1,520,000,000
5. Ewe Eng Soon – VN₫ 1,020,000,000
6. Tan Xiao Hui – VN₫ 735,000,000
7. Le Ngoc Minh – VN₫ 620,000,000
8. Hu Jin Long – VN₫ 532,000,000
9. Charles Wong – VN₫ 455,000,000

*denotes an ICM heads-up deal

Content & Images Courtesy: USOP, Crow Poker Club & So Much Poker

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Note: This report was updated with the heads-up deal details on 12.09.2023 (11:23 AM)