The U Series of Poker (USOP) is a popular Asian series that, with the addition of the Grand Finale, is currently running at the Pullman Hai Phong Grand Hotel in Vietnam. Hai Phong is the third largest city in Vietnam with a population of 2.3 million.

The USOP runs from November 29 to December 11 and also has a high roller tournament on the schedule called the Billionaire Club Challenge, which has a buy-in of €9,311 and a guarantee of €149,000. The tournament brought in 61 entries and thus a prizepool of €501,900 was distributed.

Cash prizes awaited the top 9 players and the winner could take home more than the tournament's original guarantee. A trophy awaited the winner, along with a prize purse of €158,670.

The tournament did not recognize the winner

Chinese player Jinlong Hu was the chipleader at the final table, but German player Niko Koop was also present. Niko battled his way to 7th place, which was worth €21,525.

Jinlong Hu eventually made it to the final heads-up, along with another Chinese player named Yuhan Liu. The entire tournament was also watched by the viewers thanks to the live stream, and it was the viewers who pointed out the strange behavior of the two Chinese players. The two were talking to each other in Chinese on the table which raised suspicions of soft play.

Immediately after the player in third place was eliminated, the organizers stopped play. They announced to the players that the tournament would not continue and that neither player would take the trophy. Due to suspicions of foul play, the remaining prizes were distributed to the players according to the ICM and no one officially became the winner. Thus, the trophy remained in the hands of the USOP organizers and both players received a warning from the floormanager. Their behavior will be monitored in future tournaments and if cheating is suspected again, both may be disqualified.

"During the final table of this year’s event, concerns arose regarding the conduct of two players. Although our thorough review found no clear or solid evidence of foul play, the behavior observed during the livestream – including the two hands played and the excessive use of private conversations in their own language – has raised some valid questions about whether these actions align with the spirit of true sportsmanship.

As a result, we have decided not to award the tournament trophy for this event. While this decision does not imply wrongdoing, it reflects our commitment to upholding the values that define the Billionaire Club Challenge. Additionally, the two players involved have been issued formal warnings. Should any further incidents occur involving either player, whether on-stream or off-stream, much stricter measures will be applied, including possible disqualification or suspension from future events."

Source - USOP, Somuchpoker.com