Juyeol Lee Conquers Record Field to Win USOP Hai Phong Main Event
Champion Emerges
South Korea’s Juyeol Lee etched his name in poker history after claiming victory in the U Series of Poker (USOP) Hai Phong Main Event, held during the final day of the prestigious series. Outlasting a record-breaking field of 1,507 entries, Lee walked away with the VN₫ 6,320,000,000 (~$257,590) top prize—his biggest live score to date—along with his maiden USOP Main Event trophy. In an intense and entertaining heads-up battle, Lee defeated Australia’s Julian Warhurst, a seasoned high roller regular who pocketed VN₫ 4,450,000,000 (~$181,370) for his runner-up finish.
Lee’s campaign began in spectacular fashion during Day 1A, where he closed the day as one of the overall chip leaders, amassing over one million chips. His momentum continued through Day 2 and into Day 3, where only 18 players returned to compete for the title. Entering the final table ranked third in chips, Lee quickly asserted dominance. China’s Xin Tang had entered as the chip leader, having eliminated Li Shankui on the final table bubble. Once local contenders Cao Tran Ngoc (9th place) and Tran Van Phuc (8th place) were eliminated, Lee surged ahead with more than a third of the chips in play. He then eliminated Australia’s Leo Kamiya and scored a crucial knockout against former WSOP Main Event runner-up Tony Miles, whose ace-king ran into Lee’s pocket aces—leaving little doubt that Lee was on an unstoppable run.
Despite Lee’s commanding lead, Julian Warhurst mounted a strong comeback, eliminating Xin Tang in 4th place and threatening to shift the momentum. However, Warhurst’s progress was disrupted after a series of tough pots against Vietnam’s Tran Huy Phong, the final local hope. Phong eventually moved all in with pocket eights, but Lee called with ace-king and won the race when an ace landed on the flop. In the final hand of the tournament, Warhurst held ace-ten, ahead of Lee’s king-jack, but fate was on Lee’s side. The board ran out jack-high, securing the win for Juyeol Lee—marking not only his first six-figure payday, but a breakout moment in his poker career under the bright lights of USOP.
“Unleash Your Inner Champion”.