Helppi to Defend Extreme Poker Title in a Snow Castle

Last year, Juha Helppi won the first poker tournament to be held underwater. Now he's scheduled to defend his Extreme Poker title on a field of ice.

Since Helppi won the underwater tournament, which was held at the bottom of the ocean off the coast of St. Kitts, he got to choose the next venue. He decided to stay home in Finland.

On March 29, Helppi will face three InterPoker.com qualifiers as well as fellow InterPoker.com team members Rob Varkonyi and Pete "The Beat" Giordano. They'll play in the world's largest snow castle, the Arctic Kemi Snow Castle, in Kemi, Finland.

"The snow castle is very beautiful and very cold - just like the city where I grew up. I will be right at home in the castle and aim to take advantage of home field advantage in every way possible," Helppi said.

In addition to battling the frigid temperatures, players will find new rules speially created for this tourney. For example, when a player takes a major hit in his or her chip stack, the player will have the option of buying back the chips in exchange for an article of clothing.

Players leave the competition when they run out of chips or nonessential clothing or are forced to leave after succumbing to the cold. Medical personnel will be present at all times to monitor the health of all participants.

The online qualifier will take place Sunday, March 12, to decide who will be flown to Finland to sit in the freezing temperatures and battle a native son.

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