Event #72: $10,000 Limit Hold'em Championship
Day 3 Completed
2019 World Series of Poker
Event #72: $10,000 Limit Hold'em Championship
Day: 3
Event Info
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
2019 World Series of Poker
Buy-in
$10,000
Prize Pool
$1,109,200
Entries
118
Level
25
Limits
100,000 / 200,000
Ante
0
Level 25
: 100,000/200,000, 0 ante
After a grueling thirteen hours on the final day of Event #72: $10,000 Limit Hold’em Championship , the Finnish poker legend that is Juha Helppi finally claimed his first WSOP bracelet and the first-place prize of $306,622 that comes with it. Helppi played Mike Lancaster heads-up for a long four hours to come out victorious in the end. The 50th Annual World Series of Poker edition of this tournament attracted 118 entries which beat last year’s number.
This is not Helppi’s biggest win ever but the bracelet does mean the most to him: “I’ve been close to winning a bracelet many times, that’s why it was so exciting because it happened to me many times in the past. Finally getting that bracelet that I’ve been looking for, like for 16 years, it’s amazing.”
Helppi has come close many times indeed, finishing in 2nd place three times, 3rd once, 4th once, and 5th once. The most recent deep run was last year in Event #70: $3,000 Limit Hold’em 6-Handed where he lost out to Yaser Al-Keliddar. Helppi built his bankroll by playing Limit Hold’em and has a lot of heads-up experience.
Helppi already collected just over a million in cashes during the WSOP events and even though he added a chunk to it now, he’s already got his sights set on the Main Event: “I’m playing it tomorrow, so I don’t have much time to rest but maybe a new bracelet will be coming!”
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Juha Helppi | Finland | $306,622 |
| 2 | Mike Lancaster | United States | $189,505 |
| 3 | Tommy Hang | United States | $133,718 |
| 4 | Anthony Marsico | United States | $96,272 |
| 5 | Kevin Song | United States | $70,750 |
| 6 | Josh Arieh | United States | $53,095 |
| 7 | Kyle Ray | United States | $40,709 |
| 8 | Qinghai Pan | United States | $31,902 |
| 9 | Robert Como | United States | $25,566 |
The day started with 15 players in their seats but it didn’t even take ten minutes before the first player was sent to the payout desk. Spain’s Raul Paez was the first to go when he got all his chips in with pocket treys on the jack-seven-five flop and was called by Josh Arieh who held pocket kings. Arieh stayed ahead to claim Paez’s chips in the end. Day 1 chip leader Andrew Brown started the day as the absolute short stack and couldn’t find a way to build his stack up as he was eliminated in 13th place.
Eli Elezra wouldn’t be adding another bracelet to his collection of four as Lancaster took him out. John Racener wasn’t going to win a second bracelet either as he also fell victim to Lancaster. Jerry Robinson would become the final table bubble boy when Helppi eliminated him in tenth place. The final table was almost an all-American fairy tale but for the lone Finnish player in Helppi who ended up beating them all. Helppi went into the final table second in chips and stayed near the top for most of the almost 12 hours it lasted.
It went from nine to six in a span of 30 minutes with Robert Como, Qinghai Pan, and Kyle Ray busting in that order. It would take another eighty minutes of six-handed play before Arieh was ousted with pocket sevens. Lancaster held king-queen on the queen-six-ten flop and held throughout the board to take Arieh down in sixth place. Forty minutes later, Kevin Song was done for the night as he wasn’t going to claim his second WSOP bracelet in this event. Both him and Lancaster had flopped a pair of kings but Lancaster was ahead with the ace-kicker and stayed ahead.
The four remaining players would play two more hours before they all went into the dinner break with Lancaster in the lead. Almost fifteen minutes after returning from the dinner break, Anthony Marsico ran out of chips when he was up against Helppi with ace-six while Helppi had ace-king. No help of the board and Marsico was sent to the payout desk to collect his second and biggest ever WSOP cash.
Tommy Hang had the biggest and loudest rail of all which also included Chino Rheem and JC Tran during the breaks of the Main Event but after hanging on with a short stack for hours, Hang was hung out to dry when it almost all went in preflop with ace-ten. Helppi held ace-eight and they both made a flush on the river with Helppi holding the nuts with the ace of spades.
Heads-up the chips kept flying back and forth, both claiming the chip lead at certain points throughout the long battle but in the end, Helppi managed to grind it out and claim the win. “I think I’ve played the heads-up well, he was a good player. I caught a few of his bluffs and I was able to do some correct moves and get some extra value when I had a hand so, in the end, I think… I deserved it.”
“My rail helped me so much, it helped me through the bad times, it helped me play my A-game,” Helppi added at the end while his rail was still celebrating, drinking, and chatting in a totally empty Amazon room in the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino.
Level 25
: 100,000/200,000, 0 ante
Mike Lancaster raised from the button and Juha Helppi called.
The flop came 
, Helppi checked, Lancaster bet, and Helppi raised. Lancaster wasted no time and three-bet while Helppi quickly four-bet for Lancaster to five-bet. Helppi confirmed with the dealer if there was a cap and she nodded so Helppi just called.
The turn was the 
, Helppi bet and Lancaster called for his last 60,000.
Mike Lancaster: 
Juha Helppi: 
Lancaster had a pair of queens but Helppi was ahead with the pair of kings.
They both got up from their chairs to see the dealer deal the final card which was the 
. Helppi roared and ran to his rail to celebrate while they chanted several Finnish terms. After that, Helppi walked to Lancaster to shake hands and chat a bit before Lancaster made his way out of the tournament area to collect $189,505 for finishing in second place.
Helppi wins his first-ever WSOP bracelet and $306,622. A recap of today's action is to follow.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
7,080,000
705,000
|
705,000 |
|
||
|
Busted | |
|
||
Level 25
: 100,000/200,000, 0 ante
Mike Lancaster raised from the button and Juha Helppi called.
The flop came 
, Helppi check-raised the bet of Lancaster who called.
The turn was the 
to bring three of them on the board. Helppi bet again and Lancaster called.
The river completed the board with the 
and Helppi barreled another bet over the line. Lancaster shook his head, sighed and sat back. He looked at his cards once more.
"Show the bluff," Lancaster said before folding but Helppi just pushed his cards over the line before scooping up the pot.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
6,375,000
700,000
|
700,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
705,000
-700,000
|
-700,000 |
|
|
||
Level 25
: 100,000/200,000, 0 ante
Juha Helppi raised from the button and Mike Lancaster three-bet which Helppi called.
The flop came 
, Lancaster bet and Helppi called.
They both checked through the 
on the turn to the 
on the river. Lancaster check-called the bet of Helppi but mucked when he tabled for two pair.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
5,675,000
895,000
|
895,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
1,405,000
-895,000
|
-895,000 |
|
|
||
Level 25
: 100,000/200,000, 0 ante
Mike Lancaster raised and called a three-bet from Juha Helppi.
A flop 
appeared and Lancaster called Helppi's bet. On the 
turn, Helppi bet again and called a raise from Lancaster.
The river was the 
and this time Helppi check-folded, showing 
for a missed draw.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
4,780,000
-450,000
|
-450,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
2,300,000
450,000
|
450,000 |
|
|
||
Level 25
: 100,000/200,000, 0 ante
Mike Lancaster raised and Juha Helppi called.
The flop brought 
and Helppi check-called. Both players checked on the 
turn.
When a fell, Helppi checked and called once more. Lancaster showed 
for ten-high and the pot was sent to Helppi with 
for queen-high.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
5,230,000
555,000
|
555,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
1,850,000
-555,000
|
-555,000 |
|
|
||
Level 25
: 100,000/200,000, 0 ante
Juha Helppi raised from the button and Mike Lancaster three-bet for Helppi to make the call.
The flop came , Lancaster bet and Helppi called.
The turn was the 
, Lancaster bet and Helppi called again.
The river completed the board with the and they both quickly checked through it. Lancaster tabled 
for two pair.
"That's dirty!" Helppi said with a smile.
"What?" Lancaster asked for clarification.
"That that is dirty..." Helppi explained and then showed for the lower two pair.
Lancaster just laughed and agreed.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
4,675,000
-695,000
|
-695,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
2,405,000
695,000
|
695,000 |
|
|
||
Level 25
: 100,000/200,000, 0 ante
Mike Lancaster raised from the button and Juha Helppi called.
The flop came 
, Helppi check-raised the bet of Lancaster and Lancaster called.
The turn was the , Helppi bet and Lancaster called again.
The 
completed the board and Helppi bet for the last time. Lancaster called but mucked after a while when Helppi tabled 
for the turned straight.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
5,370,000
650,000
|
650,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
1,710,000
-650,000
|
-650,000 |
|
|
||
Level: 25
Limits: 100,000/200,000
Ante: 0