USOP Ha Long Bay | Main Event Groups C/D: 322 entries, 40 players advance; Kim Long leads Group C with over one million chips.

On September 7, 2026, the USOP Ha Long Bay, Vietnam Main Event entered the second half of the starting group. Day 1C and Day 1D were completed, attracting a total of 322 entries, with 40 players ultimately securing places in the subsequent stages.

Group C was the most competitive, with 29 players initially planned to advance, but two players were eliminated in the final hand, resulting in only 28 players ultimately securing their chips. Vietnamese player Kim Long became the chip leader in Group C with 1,037,000 chips and took home the 70 million VND CL prize. In Group D, Hong Ryan Ming led the remaining 12 players with 654,000 chips.

Group C had 232 entries, with Kim Long breaking the million-point mark.

At 10:30 local time, Day 1C of the USOP Ha Long Bay Main Event officially began.

Registration closed at the start of Level 11, and the final admissions were as follows:

232 participants

According to the competition rules, it was originally expected that 29 qualifying spots would be created.

As the tournament progressed into its later stages, short-stacked players gradually went all-in, and every pot near the cut line directly impacted the final list.

Day 1C Core Data

AQ runs flush against AK, ADAMS TYLER completes a comeback and doubles the score.

Level 9, with blinds at 600/1,200/1,200, a high-stakes pre-flop showdown immediately became the focus.

Korean player LEE JUYEOL raised to 3,000 from the CO position, while Canadian player ADAMS TYLER went all-in from the SB position with approximately 45,000 chips.

Lee Juyeol, holding approximately 110,000 chips, decided to call after some thought.

Both sides reveal their cards:

LEE JUYEOL had an advantage in her starting hand with AK.

Flop:

4♣ 2♣ 6♥

ADAMS TYLER got the nut flush draw.

Turn:

J♦

Unable to change the lead.

River:

9♣

The third club card landed, and ADAMS TYLER completed an Ace-high flush, successfully reversing the game to AK and take down the pot, doubling up.

He Junjie reversed TT with AK, successfully staying alive with a short score.

At level 10, the blinds are 1,000/1,500/1,500.

Wang Zhouyi raised to 3,000 from the HJ position, while He Junjie in the CO position had only about 27,000 chips left and immediately went all in.

Vietnamese player HOAI ANH called from the BTN position, and when the action returned to WANG ZHOUYI, he also called, creating a three-way pot.

Flop:

6♣ 6♠ 7♣

WANG ZHOUYI checked, HOAI ANH bet 10,000, and WANG ZHOUYI eventually folded.

The remaining two players revealed their cards:

At this point, HOAI ANH was in the lead with 10 pockets.

But the turn and river cards were dealt in succession:

A♠、K♥

He Junjie continuously improved his hand and finally made a comeback with two pairs of Aces and Kings, successfully keeping the game alive before the qualification line loomed.

In an unprecedented double elimination round, only 28 of the 29 remaining spots were filled.

The most dramatic hand in Day 1C occurred towards the end of the tournament.

Level 18, blinds 5,000/10,000/10,000, with 30 players remaining, just one elimination away from the original target of 29 players advancing to the next round.

Before the hands had even been officially synchronized, three players went all-in at one table.

Duy Ahn, a Vietnamese short-stack player in the UTG position, went all-in for about 67,000, and Tuan Ahn in the BTN position called.

Chinese player KUAI ZHIZHENG, in the BB position with approximately 180,000 chips, also went all-in.

After careful consideration, TUAN ANH followed up with his bets, resulting in a three-way battle.

Flop:

7♣ 3♠ Q♥

TUAN ANH's pocket J remains in the lead.

Turn:

6♦

The situation has not changed.

River:

J♥

TUAN ANH went a step further and hit Set, eliminating DUY ANH and KUAI ZHIZHENG at the same time.

Because two players were eliminated in the same hand, the number of players in the game dropped from 30 to 28. The two eliminated players therefore split the prize money for 29th place, while the remaining 28 players all qualified for the next round.

Kim Long won Group C with 1,037,000 chips.

After the final tally, Vietnamese athlete Kim Long's cumulative total is:

1,037,000 Scoreboard

They topped the Day 1C leaderboard as the only team to break the million-point mark.

He also received the following from Group C:

70 million Vietnamese Dong CL reward

Gain an early advantage in both the scoreboard and bonuses before the main event officially enters its later stages.

Group D had 90 participants, with 12 advancing to the next round.

The main event, Day 1D, which started later, attracted:

90 participants

A final total of:

12 contestants

Successfully advanced.

The chip leader for this group was HONG RYAN MING, who held the following chip stack after completing the entire tournament:

654,000 Scoreboard

Day 1D Core Data

Groups C and D totaled 322 people, with 40 people completing the bag sealing.

With the completion of Day 1C and Day 1D, the overall data for both groups has been officially determined.

Group C originally had 29 players advancing, but due to a double elimination in the last hand, the actual number of players advancing was 28. Therefore, a total of 40 players from both groups entered the subsequent stages of the competition.

Group E adds double CL rewards, with 100 million Vietnamese Dong awarded in each of the two phases.

The main event starting group is not yet finished, and Day 1E and Day 1F will be the last chance to break through.

Group E received a special CL reward jointly provided by the USOP and Grand Loyal, and the related prize money is separate from the tournament's guaranteed prize pool.

The reward method is as follows:

This means that players don't have to wait until the end of the entire group; as long as they rank first on the scoreboard at the end of the designated level, they can win the corresponding 100 million Vietnamese dong reward.

Group E thus became one of the most watched starting groups in the final stage of the main event.

HUYNH NGOC CUONG wins the championship.

While the main event was underway, the four-day Event #51 championship also officially determined its final winner.

Ultimately:

HUYNH NGOC CUONG

They successfully reached the top and won the championship trophy at this year's USOP Ha Long Bay.

The five starting combinations of the championship attracted a total of 875 participants, with 111 players advancing to Day 2. After further eliminations, HUYNH NGOC CUONG emerged as the final winner.

Multiple supplementary matches will produce champions simultaneously.

In addition to the championship match, three other supplementary matches were held on the same day to determine the champion.

As the series entered its second half, numerous tournament champions continued to emerge, and the main event gradually became the core focus of competition.

Groups E and F will be the last to take the stage, and the complete main event qualifying lineup will soon be finalized.

With the starter groups A, B, C, and D all completed, only Day 1E and Day 1F remain in the USOP Ha Long Bay main event.

This is also the last window of opportunity for players who have not yet secured a place in the next round.

The addition of a tiered chip prize pool (CL) of 200 million VND for Group E is sure to intensify the competition for chip points in the first 10 levels of the tournament.

In Group C, Kim Long has already broken the million-chip mark with 1,037,000 chips, while Hong Ryan Ming leads Group D with 654,000. After Groups E and F conclude, the full size of the USOP Ha Long Bay Main Event and the subsequent qualifying lineup will be officially revealed.

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