Juha Helppi (born 4 March 1977) is a Finnish professional poker player from Helsinki.
| Juha Helppi | |
|---|---|
 Juha Helppi, 2017 | |
| Nickname(s) | Peasant |
| Residence | Helsinki, Finland |
| Born | 4 March 1977 |
| World Series of Poker | |
| Bracelet(s) | 2 |
| Money finish(es) | 30[1] |
| Highest ITM Main Event finish | 86th, 2010 |
| World Poker Tour | |
| Title(s) | 1 |
| Final table(s) | 2(+1) |
| Money finish(es) | 10(+1)[2] |
| European Poker Tour | |
| Title(s) | None |
| Final table(s) | 1 |
| Money finish(es) | 5 |
Career
editJuha was originally a croupier. He worked as a dealer for RAY in Finland but never dealt poker. He made a name for himself in the first World Poker Tour (WPT) event in Aruba, where he eliminated Kathy Liebert on the way to defeating professional player Phil Gordon in a heads-up challenge match.[3] He has since made two other WPT final tables, with a 4th-place finish in the Season 1 Battle of Champions and a 2nd-place finish to England's Roland De Wolfe in the Grand Prix de Paris 2005 event.[4][5]
At the 2019 World Series of Poker, he won his first World Series of Poker bracelet in the $10,000 Limit Hold'em Championship.[6] He won his second WSOP bracelet in the 2020 WSOP Online.[7] In total, he has finished in the money in 29 WSOP events.[1]
In November 2005, Helppi faced Phil Laak and Kenna James in the first ever underwater poker tournament and was awarded the Caribbean Poker Classic Extreme Poker bracelet.[8]
In March 2007, Helppi won the inaugural Premier League Poker title, defeating some of the all-time greats along the way, such as Phil Hellmuth and Dave "Devilfish" Ulliott. Helppi defeated German pro and two-time WSOP Bracelet winner Eddy Scharf In heads-up play to win the title.[9]
As the winner of InterPoker's first extreme poker tournament, he earned the right to choose the next year's location. He chose to play it in Kemi on the frozen Gulf of Bothnia. He finished second, losing to former WSOP champion Robert Varkonyi.
As of 2019, his total live tournament winnings exceed $7,700,000.[10] His WSOP cashes account for over $1,350,000 of those winnings.[1]
Helppi is a high level paintball player and the captain of the Finnish national paintball champions 1997, 2003, 2007, 2008 and 2014. When younger, he played Magic: The Gathering successfully for several years.
World Series of Poker bracelets
edit| Year | Tournament | Prize (US$) |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | $10,000 Limit Hold'em Championship | $306,622 |
| 2020 O | $5,000 Pot Limit Omaha Championship | $290,286 |
An "O" following a year denotes bracelet(s) won during the World Series of Poker Online
References
edit- ^ a b c "Juha Helppi". WSOP.com. Retrieved 1 April 2024.
- ^ "Juha Helppi". World Poker Tour. Retrieved 1 April 2024.
- ^ "Ultimate Bet Poker Classic, No Limit Hold'em Main Event - WPT". The Hendon Mob. Retrieved 11 April 2024.
- ^ "World Poker Tour Battle of Champions, No Limit Hold'em". The Hendon Mob. Retrieved 11 April 2024.
- ^ "Rendez Vous a Paris 2005, Grand Prix de Paris - WPT Event". The Hendon Mob. Retrieved 11 April 2024.
- ^ "Juha Helppi Finally Does It: Finnish Poker Hero Claims First Bracelet in $10K Limit!". PokerNews.com. 5 July 2019. Retrieved 1 April 2024.
- ^ Zetzsche, Christian; Epskamp, Yori (22 July 2020). "Finnish Poker Legend Juha Helppi Wins Second Bracelet in Event #35: $5,000 PLO Championship". PokerNews.com. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
- ^ "Juha Helppi Is King of the Sea". CardPlayer.com. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
- ^ "Partypoker.com Premier League Poker, No Limit Hold'em - Finals". The Hendon Mob. Retrieved 11 April 2024.
- ^ "Juha Helppi's profile on The Hendon Mob". The Hendon Mob Poker Database. Retrieved 22 December 2023.