Wednesday, July 22, 2020 3:32 AM Local Time
Juha Helppi Wins Second Career Bracelet in Event #35 $5,000 Pot Limit Omaha Championship
The 2020 GGPoker WSOP Online Bracelet Events have crowned their second champion of the festival and it was high stakes poker legend Juha Helppi that doubled his gold bracelet tally in Event #35 $5,000 Pot Limit Omaha Championship after defeating Jesus Cortes in heads-up. Both central Europeans seemed unfazed from fatigue despite their heads-up duel wrapping up at nearly 6 a.m. local time in Finland and 5 a.m. in Andorra respectively, and it was Helppi that claimed the lion's share of the $1,558,000 prize pool after topping a field of 328 entries.
Helppi had to wait a long time for his maiden WSOP victory after being present in televised poker for a long time and it came last year in Las Vegas when he took down Event #72 $10,000 Limit Hold'em Championship for $306,622. The top prize for his second triumph in as many years was worth $290,286 while former EPT Barcelona runner-up Cortes had to settle for $213,270.
Once the nicknames were turned into real names for all nine finalists, Helppi's countryman Jens Kyllonen was also revealed. The PLO specialist was one of two further players with a WSOP bracelet to their name along with Brazil's Yuri Dzivielevski. Kyllonen played a vital role in the early stages of the final table by sending three opponents to the rail but eventually had to settle for 5th place.
Alex Difelice was one of Kyllonen's victims and confirmed his hot streak on the virtual felt in the last few months with yet another deep run. The Canadian was part of a three-way deal in the 2020 SCOOP Main Event and also claimed a WSOP Circuit ring during the previous festival on the GGnetwork after topping a huge field of 2,614 entries in the $1,000 PLO Main Event under his moniker "rubbherducky".
Final Result Event #35 $5,000 Pot Limit Omaha Championship
Place | Winner | Country | Prize (USD) |
1 | Juha Helppi | Finland | $290,286 |
2 | Jesus Cortes | Spain | $213,270 |
3 | Belarmino "Iseey0urcard" De Souza | Brazil | $156,688 |
4 | Mike Watson | Canada | $115,117 |
5 | Jens "98snaeJ" Kyllonen | Finland | $84,576 |
6 | Yuri Dzivielevski | Brazil | $62,137 |
7 | Sergi Reixach | Spain | $45,651 |
8 | Marija "Maj Chenzie" Andrijasevic | Serbia | $33,540 |
9 | Alex "rubbherducky" Difelice | Canada | $24,641 |
The action kicked off with more than 70 players in their seats and that number grew by the minute. Especially towards the end of the late registration and re-entry period, plenty of big names appeared and vanished without anything to show for. Jesus Cortes emerged as one of the chip leaders when he hit a one outer for quads soon after and the eliminations kept coming at a rapid pace.
Towards the money bubble, the action suddenly slowed down and a rare phase of no eliminations followed. Eventually, Maxi Lehmanski and Brian Green bowed out at the same time on different tables with Green holding fewer chips to become the bubble boy.
In the blink of an eye, two tables closed and it didn't take long to reach the final three tables. Stephen Chidwick, Dario Alioto, Isaac Haxton, George Wolff and Anson Tsang all hit the rail in rather swift fashion. On the final table bubble, Thai Ha lost a big pot with straight under straight against Mike Watson and Shyngis Satubayev also came up short.
While Kyllonen did the leg work to trim down the contenders for the WSOP bracelet, he doubled Helppi who then took over control. In heads-up, Helppi flopped top set twice and Cortes would not recover from that anymore to come up one spot shy of poker history.
That wraps up the PokerNews live updates for tonight but the next WSOP bracelet events on GGPoker are already around the corner.
Wednesday, July 22, 2020 2:56 AM Local Time
Jesus Cortes Eliminated in 2nd Place ($213,270)
As Jesus Cortes hovered around 10 blinds in the new level, he had portion of his chips in to the flop already and that's when Juha Helppi applied the pressure and the following showdown took place.
Jesus Cortes:
Juha Helppi:
Not long ago Helppi had doubled into a commanding lead when he flopped top set and had done so again to leave Cortes in desperate shape.
The turn immediately left the Spaniard drawing dead and he quickly typed in a "gg" in chat even before the river officially ended his run.
Cortes takes home a consolation prize of $213,270.25 while Helppi has doubled his gold bracelet tally and earned the top prize of $290,285.58,
A recap of today's action is to follow.
Juha Helppi | 8,200,000 | 1,436,832 |
Jesus Cortes | 0 | -1,436,832 |
Wednesday, July 22, 2020 2:53 AM Local Time
Helppi Pulls Ahead Once More
Juha Helppi raised it up to 320,000 and Jesus Cortes came along to see a flop of . Cortes bet the pot for 640,000 and picked up a call from Helppi to then check-fold the 55h] turn when Helppi made it 400,000 to go.
Juha Helppi | 6,763,168 | 1,491,200 |
Jesus Cortes | 1,436,832 | -1,491,200 |
Wednesday, July 22, 2020 2:48 AM Local Time
Two Doubles and a Boat for Cortes
Jesus Cortes dropped down to all but fewer than three blinds in the new level and his first all-in showdown was as follows.
Jesus Cortes:
Juha Helppi:
The board came and Cortes doubled.
He would do so again when they got it in after a flop as Cortes check-called all-in.
Jesus Cortes:
Juha Helppi:
The turn made things clear and the river didn't matter.
Up next, a pot of 1.6 million emerged to the river and Helppi checked behind with for a straight, Cortes won the next pot with for a full house.
Juha Helppi | 5,271,968 | -1,996,024 |
Jesus Cortes | 2,928,032 | 1,996,024 |
Wednesday, July 22, 2020 2:43 AM Local Time
Level 30 started
Level: 30
Blinds: 80,000/160,000
Ante: 0
Wednesday, July 22, 2020 2:42 AM Local Time
Helppi Doubles Into Overwhelming Lead
Juha Helppi managed to scrap back and nearly double without any major showdown but that would all but change just before the blinds went up.
Helppi min-raised and Jesus Cortes called to see a flop of on which Cortes check-called 240,000. After the turn, Cortes check-shoved and Helppi snap-called.
Juha Helppi:
Jesus Cortes:
The river was already insignificant as Helppi had the checkmark with top set.
Juha Helppi | 7,267,992 | 5,352,396 |
Jesus Cortes | 932,008 | -5,352,396 |
Wednesday, July 22, 2020 2:35 AM Local Time
Cortes In Control So Far
Jesus Cortes won most pots in heads-up including the two biggest hands so far against Juha Helppi and pulled into a comfortable lead.
A limped pot saw Helppi bet the flop and Cortes check-called a min-bet to then check-call 480,000 on the turn. They checked the river and Helppi's [10h107h5d] were no good as Cortes held .
Jesus Cortes | 6,284,404 | 1,740,000 |
Juha Helppi | 1,915,596 | -2,227,652 |
Wednesday, July 22, 2020 2:32 AM Local Time
Belarmino "Iseey0urcard" De Souza Eliminated in 3rd Place ($156,688)
Juha Helppi made it 240,000 to go from the button and Belarmino "Iseey0urcard" De Souza three-bet the pot to 780,000 in the small blind with fewer than two big blinds behind. Helppi four-bet and De Souza called all-in.
Belarmino "Iseey0urcard" De Souza:
Juha Helppi:
The flop and turn changed nothing as Helppi was freerolling and an ace on the river would seal the fate for De Souza. Indeed it was the that appeared as final card and that sent the Brazilian out in 3rd place for a payday of $156,687.74.
Jesus Cortes | 4,544,404 | 0 |
Juha Helppi | 4,143,248 | 1,493,464 |
Belarmino "Iseey0urcard" De Souza | 0 | -1,005,812 |
Wednesday, July 22, 2020 2:29 AM Local Time
Level 29 started
Level: 29
Blinds: 60,000/120,000
Ante: 0
Wednesday, July 22, 2020 2:28 AM Local Time
Mike Watson Eliminated in 4th Place ($115,117)
Jesus Cortes min-raised the button and Mike Watson three-bet the pot in the small blind. Cortes piled in the additional 500,000 and they headed to the flop on which Watson moved in for 12 blinds and Cortes called with the superior stack.
Mike Watson:
Jesus Cortes:
The turn once again kept Watson in contention but this time he didn't hold up as Cortes rivered a full house thanks to the . Watson surpassed more than $3 million in WSOP cashes but had to settle for 4th place and $115,117.03.
Jesus Cortes | 4,544,404 | 1,481,996 |
Juha Helppi | 2,649,784 | 50,000 |
Belarmino "Iseey0urcard" De Souza | 1,005,812 | -100,000 |
Mike Watson | 0 | -1,431,996 |
Wednesday, July 22, 2020 2:24 AM Local Time
Helppi On the Rise Again
Jesus Cortes and Juha Helppi claimed pots to pull ahead while Belarmino "Iseey0urcard" De Souza dropped back to a mere 11 big blinds. De Souza limped in and called a pot-sized raise to 450,000 by Helppi only to check-fold the flop as Helppi made it 300,000 to go.
Jesus Cortes | 3,062,408 | 448,500 |
Juha Helppi | 2,599,784 | 1,150,000 |
Mike Watson | 1,431,996 | -650,000 |
Belarmino "Iseey0urcard" De Souza | 1,105,812 | -948,500 |
Wednesday, July 22, 2020 2:18 AM Local Time
Helppi Can't Hold With Aces as De Souza Doubles
Belarmino "Iseey0urcard" De Souza was the shortest stack among the final four and raised the pot first to act only for Juha Helppi to three-bet the pot. De Souza eventually called all-in for nine and a half big blinds total.
Belarmino "Iseey0urcard" De Souza:
Juha Helppi:
De Souza needed a big flop and got it with a flushdraw on . The turn added a gutshot on top and the river completed the flush for the Brazilian.
Jesus Cortes | 2,613,908 | 500,000 |
Mike Watson | 2,081,996 | -150,000 |
Belarmino "Iseey0urcard" De Souza | 2,054,312 | 452,156 |
Juha Helppi | 1,449,784 | -802,156 |
Wednesday, July 22, 2020 2:14 AM Local Time
Watson Rising
Mike Watson has claimed four out of six hands and bumped up his stack to nearly close the gap to Jess Cortes and Juha Helppi, the latter of which he beat in the biggest pot.
Helppi min-raised the button and Watson came along to the flop, on which he check-called a bet of 148,500 by Helppi. No betting action followed on the turn and river as Watson earned the checkmark with for two pair as Helppi only had for a pair of eights.
Juha Helppi | 2,251,940 | -738,500 |
Mike Watson | 2,231,996 | 968,500 |
Jesus Cortes | 2,113,908 | -70,000 |
Belarmino "Iseey0urcard" De Souza | 1,602,156 | -160,000 |
Wednesday, July 22, 2020 2:10 AM Local Time
Level 28 started
Level: 28
Blinds: 50,000/100,000
Ante: 0
Wednesday, July 22, 2020 2:07 AM Local Time
Updated Counts
Since returning to their seats, the four remaining players kept the pots small and Juha Helppi twice min-raise folded to Jesus Cortes's three-bets. Apart from that nothing much happened and the blinds will go up shortly.
Juha Helppi | 2,990,440 | -320,000 |
Jesus Cortes | 2,183,908 | 680,000 |
Belarmino "Iseey0urcard" De Souza | 1,762,156 | -360,000 |
Mike Watson | 1,263,496 | 0 |
Wednesday, July 22, 2020 1:58 AM Local Time
Four Remain; Helppi Still in the Lead
Juha Helppi remains the chip leader with four remaining after taking a pot from Jesus Cortes and they are currently on a scheduled six-minute break.
Helppi flopped top pair and turned a wrap to then river trips queens with on a board of . Cortes paid 320,000 on the turn with for a pair and flushdraw but bricked the river.
Juha Helppi | 3,310,440 | 760,000 |
Belarmino "Iseey0urcard" De Souza | 2,122,156 | 560,000 |
Jesus Cortes | 1,503,908 | -878,800 |
Mike Watson | 1,263,496 | -441,200 |
Wednesday, July 22, 2020 1:51 AM Local Time
Another Big River for Watson
Jesus Cortes chipped up some after forcing a fold from Juha Helppi who then suffered another setback. Mike Watson raised the pot off his short stack and four-bet jammed for 812,348 as Helppi potted it from the small blind. Helppi tossed in the few extra chips to set up the following showdown.
Mike Watson:
Juha Helppi:
Watson found a gutshot to go with his overcard on the flop and instead went runner-runner wheel on the turn and river.
Juha Helppi | 2,550,440 | -1,052,348 |
Jesus Cortes | 2,382,708 | 560,000 |
Mike Watson | 1,704,696 | 772,348 |
Belarmino "Iseey0urcard" De Souza | 1,562,156 | -280,000 |
Wednesday, July 22, 2020 1:48 AM Local Time
Helppi Takes From De Souza and Watson
Juha Helppi took down three pots in a row and established a solid lead over the remaining three contenders.
Belarmino "Iseey0urcard" De Souza limp-called a raise to 240,000 by Helppi and check-called 158,400 on a flop. De Souza's check was met by another bet worth 398,400 by Helppi and that shut down all further resistance.
Up next, Mike Watson min-raised to 160,000 and Helppi made the call from the small blind. They checked to the river on which Helppi check-called 200,000 by Watson, who was caught bluffing with the . Helppi claimed the pot with .
Juha Helppi | 3,602,788 | 868,400 |
Belarmino "Iseey0urcard" De Souza | 1,842,156 | -508,400 |
Jesus Cortes | 1,822,708 | 250,000 |
Mike Watson | 932,348 | -610,000 |
Wednesday, July 22, 2020 1:43 AM Local Time
Level 27 started
Level: 27
Blinds: 40,000/80,000
Ante: 0
Wednesday, July 22, 2020 1:41 AM Local Time
More for Watson and Helppi
Mike Watson took a chunk out of the stack of chip leader Belarmino "Iseey0urcard" De Souza when he rivered kings full with on a board of . Watson check-raised the river from 120,000 to 360,000 and De Souza paid it off with for a flush.
The next bigger pot went to Juha Helppi who min-raised the button and picked up a call by De Souza out of the big blind. De Souza check-called 165,000 on the flop, they checked the turn and De Souza check-folded the river to a bet of 660,000.
Juha Helppi | 2,734,388 | 285,000 |
Belarmino "Iseey0urcard" De Souza | 2,350,556 | -885,000 |
Jesus Cortes | 1,572,708 | 180,000 |
Mike Watson | 1,542,348 | 420,000 |