In just one month’s time, popular online platform UPoker will showcase its brand of poker on the live felt with a ten-day festival entitled U Series of Poker (USOP) – Poker2U Taiwan Series. The ambitious event is the app’s first venture into live territory and will take place at the Chinese Texas Hold’em Poker Association (CTP Club) in Taipei City, Taiwan from February 10 to 19, 2023.
While news of this upcoming festival has been out for sometime, players have been eagerly awaiting the full schedule which has just been released. The ten-day series brings a loaded lineup of 23 tournaments, a substantial TWD 20 Million (~US$ 625,600) in guarantees, and a glorious Main Event trophy plated with 18K gold and 925 silver. We’ve taken a micro look at the schedule and broken it down to give you all the highlights. Just scroll down.
Additionally, UPoker has confirmed its second live festival of the year. The event is coined USOP – Vietnam Hanoi, which takes place from April 14 to 24 at the Crown Poker Club. With a jaw dropping VN₫ 22 Billion (~US$ 937,350) in guarantees announced, the buzz has already begun. Full details have yet to be disclosed.
Guaranteed Events
The USOP – Poker2U Taiwan Series serves up five varied events that feature guaranteed prize pools amounting to a combined TWD 20 Million. These select tournaments range in buy ins from as low as TWD 8,000 to the highest of TWD 66,000.
Main Event – TWD 10,000,000 (~US$ 326,300) guaranteed
The event everyone should not miss out on is the TWD 10 Million guaranteed Main Event which runs from February 15 to 19. The first three days are dedicated to entry flights. Four are scheduled with the last one a Turbo format. Buy in is TWD 20,000 (~US$ 660), certainly one of the more affordable of all the international festivals that have visited Taiwan.
Big prizes await the inaugural live champion such as bragging rights, largest chunk of the pot, and the grand prize Main Event trophy. To try to get in for even cheaper, three Main Event Satellites are offered with buy in of just TWD 4,000 (~US$ 140).
Kick Off – TWD 2,000,000 (~US$ 65,260) guaranteed
The Kick Off event blasts open the series with a TWD 2,000,000 guaranteed prize pool. This event sets the tone as players battle for the first live title of the brand new series. Only two flights are offered, both running on opening day, February 10. Keep in mind that the first flight is at 1pm and the second is a Turbo format which starts at 6pm. Buy in is TWD 8,000 (~US$ 260).
Mystery Bounty – TWD 3,000,000 (~US$ 97,890) guaranteed
The Mystery Bounty lights up the action on the second day. This is currently the most popular bounty format worldwide. What sets it apart is literally the term “luck of the draw”. Only players that reach ITM have a chance at bounty rewards. Plenty of drama as well as bounty prizes remain a mystery until they are drawn and revealed.
The event runs from February 11 to 13. The first two days will each see two flights run, one regular format and one turbo. All the survivors merge on the third day to chase down the largest bounty rewards. Buy in is TWD 10,000 (~US$ 330) with TWD 4,500 per entry going to the bounty pool.
High Roller – TWD 3,000,000 (~US$ 97,890) guaranteed
Players seeking a combination of tough competition, small fields, and large pots will find that the TWD 3 Million guaranteed High Roller is the perfect fit. With its costly price tag of TWD 66,000 (~US$ 2,160), it will attract a tight group of players with deep pockets. The event runs from Feb 14 to 15. Late registration is open on Day 2. This is one of four high roller events scheduled.
Megastack – TWD 2,000,000 (~US$ 65,260) guaranteed
The Megastack bookends the series with a minimum TWD 2 Million prize pool for the picking. While the structure has yet to be released, players can assume a big starting stack to allow for plenty of time on the felt. To enter, two flights are scheduled on February 18 with buy in of TWD 15,000 (~US$ 500). All of the survivors move on to Day 2 which takes place on the festival’s final day, February 19.
High Roller Events
In addition to the High Roller TWD 3M guaranteed are three other high roller events of varying buy ins however no guaranteed prize pools attached.
Mini High Roller – February 13 – TWD 33,000 (~US$ 1,080)
Single Day High Roller – February 16 – TWD 44,000 (~US$ 1,450)
Super High Roller – February 18 to 19 – TWD 100,000 (~US$ 3,300)
Other events
The rest of the side events are a variety of NLH formats that include Turbos and Bounty Hunter, and a couple to be played on the Taiwan live green for the first time namely the NLH Crazy 10 and Run It Twice. For other variants, Pot Limit Omaha enthusiasts will see two listed and for Short Deck players only one which runs on the final day.
USOP – Poker2U Taiwan Series – Schedule
Brief history of UPoker
Launched in 2019, online platform UPoker quickly became one of the most preferred apps in Asia. Its popularity further increased at the height of the pandemic with a mass influx of clubs from all over the world forming. In 2021, UPoker held its first online festival called U-Series of Poker (USOP) World of Champions. It ran for nine consecutive weekends from late-January to March with over 2M in guaranteed prizes. The first Main Event grand champion was Leo Cutait from Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Due to its huge success, a second online festival was held from August to mid-September then a third one in 2022 which ran the longest from July 17 to September 4.
For more on the brand, head to the UPoker website.
*All images taken from UPoker facebook and website.
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