Juha Helppi Shines on Day 1 of Event #19: $10,000 Limit Hold'em Championship
The championship events in the mixed game disciplines are a safe bet to attract star-studded fields, and that was certainly the case on Day 1 of Event #19: $10,000 Limit Hold'em Championship at the 2024 World Series of Poker at the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas. With late registration open for one more level on Day 2, there is every chance more familiar faces will enter the fray before all is said and done.
Following the nine levels of play on Day 1, Juha Helppi rose to be among the top of the 104 entries recorded so far, managing to accumulate 254,000 in the process. Other players with large stacks include Max Hoffman (237,000), Mike Lang (218,000) and Anthony Marsico (216,500).
End of Day 1 Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chips |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Juha Helppi | Finland | 254,000 |
| 2 | Max Hoffman | United States | 237,000 |
| 3 | Mike Lang | United States | 218,000 |
| 4 | Anthony Marsico | United States | 216,500 |
| 5 | Shyamsundar Challa | United States | 196,000 |
| 6 | Emery Martindale | United States | 186,500 |
| 7 | Michael Moncek | United States | 179,500 |
| 8 | Chad Eveslage | United States | 176,500 |
| 9 | Andrew Kelsall | United States | 175,000 |
| 10 | Jon Kyte | Norway | 162,500 |
As mentioned, many notable players took a seat during the day, some of whom found a bag at the end of the night. They include six-time bracelet winner Josh Arieh (116,000) and five-time bracelet winner John Monnette (115,000).
Others fared less well and, due to the freezeout nature of the tournament, will have to wait until next year for another shot. The 2019 WSOP Player of the Year Robert Campbell struggled for momentum from the start while high roller regular Chris Brewer could only retain his seat for a level or two. Making an even briefer appearance was Jesse Lonis, who was in and out in the span of 15 minutes.
Though Day 1s of Limit Hold'em tournaments may not scream excitement, there were some wild hands. First, Ronnie Bardah doubled up by coolering Mike Lang in a quads over full house situation. A little while later, a similar setup saw Joao Vieira left short with Jon Kyte the beneficiary of his chips after making quad sixes.
Day 2 resumes at 1 p.m. local time on June 6 and will continue for eight levels — the first four will be 60-minutes in duration, then they will stretch to 90-minutes. Late registration will remain open for the first level of the day (until about 2 p.m.) for those interested in taking a shot at WSOP gold.
Be sure to stay tuned to PokerNews as its live reporting team continues to provide coverage of Event #19: $10,000 Limit Hold'em Championship through to its conclusion.