World Series of Poker Online: Juha Helppi Wins His Second Bracelet In $5,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Event

Juha Helppi has live poker tournament cashes dating all the way back to 2002. The 43-year-old poker pro from Helsinki, Finland recorded his first World Series of Poker cash in 2003, and made his first table at the series later that same summer. It took another 16 years and 27 cashes before Helppi finally emerged victorious with his first WSOP bracelet by taking down the $10,000 buy-in limit hold’em championship in 2019. Helppi did not have to wait nearly as long to secure his second piece of WSOP hardware. Just over a year after earning his first bracelet, Helppi defeated a field of 328 entries in the 2020 WSOP Online $5,000 pot-limit Omaha championship to earn his second bracelet and the top prize of $290,286.

The top 47 finishers made the money in this event, and plenty of big names were among those that cashed, including WSOP bracelet winner and reigning Card Player Player of the Year award winner Stephen Chidwick (44th – $10,745), bracelet winner Dario Alioto (37th – $10,745), Super High Roller Bowl V champion Isaac Haxton (33rd – $12,685), George Wolff (22nd – $14,976), and bracelet winner Anson Tsang (19th – $14,976).

When the final table of nine was set, it was World Poker Tour and PokerStars Caribbean Adventure main event winner Michael Watson who held the chip lead. 2015 WSOP $25,000 pot-limit Omaha event winner Jens Kyllonen secured the first knockout at the final table, calling the all-in of Alex Difelice with the nut flush draw and a wrap straight draw. Difelice held top and bottom pair for the best hand at the moment, but Kyllonen hit one of his many outs on the turn to make a straight and held from there. Difelice earned $24,641 as the ninth-place finisher.

Kyllonen then knocked out Marija Andrijasevic in eighth place ($33,540) to narrow the field to remain among the largest stacks at the table with seven left. It wasn’t long until the next elimination came along, though. 2019 European Poker Tour Barcelona €100,000 buy-in high roller champion Sergi Reixach got his last short stack in with AKK8 after a flop of 1085. Watson called holding Q982. The Q on the turn gave Watson two pair for the lead, and the 7 on the end sealed the deal. Reixach cashed for $45,651 as the seventh-place finisher.

Brazilian bracelet winner Yuri Dzivielevski was the next to fall. He got his last chips in with AAK3 up against the AK109 of Kyllonen. The Finnish pro turned two pair and held from there to knock Dzivielevski out in sixth place (62,137).

Despite having eliminated the majority of the players so far at the final table, it was Kyllonen who was the next to be sent to the virtual rail. He fell toward the bottom of the leaderboard during five-handed action. Ultimately, the last of his chips went in after a flop of A86. Kyllonen held K765 for an open-ended straight draw and a pair of sixes. Belarmino De Souza had him at risk with the 10873 for a pair of eighths and a gutshot to a higher straight. The K on the turn gave Kyllonen kings up for the lead, but the 9 on the river gave De Souza a winning ten-high straight. Kyllonen earned $84,576 for his fifth-place showing in this event.

Mike Watson

Helppi scored his first knockout of the final table when his pocket queens with an ace kicker outran the pocket queens with two lower side cards of Belarmino De Souza. Helppi spiked an ace on the river to take down the pot, sending De Souza to the virtual rail with $156,688 for his deep run.

With that Helppi entered heads-up play just a few big blinds behind Cortes. The Spanish player was able to extend his lead to more than a 3:1 advantage at one point, but Helppi was able to fight back to nearly even before a key showdown arose. With a board of KJ23, Cortes checked and then shoved over the top of a bet from Helppi. The Finn called holding KK65 for top set with a backdoor straight draw. Cortes was drawing dead with the KQ73 for kings and threes. The 9 on the river locked up the pot for Helppi, who doubled up to take more than a 7:1 lead.

Cortes found a few double ups after that key hand, but in the end he got his last chips in on a 1095 flop holding 9753 for bottom two pair, only to run into the top set of Helppi, who had 101073. The K on the turn left Cortes drawing dead, and the K made Helppi’s victory official. Cortes earned $213,270 as the runner-up.

Here is a look at the payouts awarded at the final table:

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