Juha Helppi

{{Infobox poker player

|firstname=Juha

|lastname=Helppi

|nickname=Peasant

|image=Juha Helppi 2017.jpg

|caption=Juha Helppi, 2017

|hometown=Helsinki, Finland

|birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=y|1977|3|4}}

|birth_place =

|death_date =

|death_place =

|wsop bracelet count=2

|wsop money finishes=30{{Cite web |title=Juha Helppi |url=https://www.wsop.com/players/profile/?playerid=186 |access-date=1 April 2024 |website=WSOP.com}}

|wsop main event best finish rank=86th

|wsop main event best finish year=2010

|multi-year wsop winner=

|wpt titles=1

|wpt final tables=2(+1)

|wpt money finishes=10(+1){{Cite web |title=Juha Helppi |url=https://www.worldpokertour.com/player/juha-helppi/ |access-date=1 April 2024 |website=World Poker Tour |language=en-US}}

|ept titles=None

|ept final tables=1

|ept money finishes=5

}}

Juha Helppi (born 4 March 1977) is a Finnish professional poker player from Helsinki.

Career

Juha was originally a croupier. He worked as a dealer for RAY in Finland but never dealt poker. He made a name for himself in the first World Poker Tour (WPT) event in Aruba, where he eliminated Kathy Liebert on the way to defeating professional player Phil Gordon in a heads-up challenge match.{{Cite web |title=Ultimate Bet Poker Classic, No Limit Hold'em Main Event - WPT |url=https://pokerdb.thehendonmob.com/event.php?a=r&n=7534 |access-date=11 April 2024 |website=The Hendon Mob Poker Database |language=en}} He has since made two other WPT final tables, with a 4th-place finish in the Season 1 Battle of Champions and a 2nd-place finish to England's Roland De Wolfe in the Grand Prix de Paris 2005 event.{{Cite web |title=World Poker Tour Battle of Champions, No Limit Hold'em |url=https://pokerdb.thehendonmob.com/event.php?a=r&n=16572 |access-date=11 April 2024 |website=The Hendon Mob Poker Database |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Rendez Vous a Paris 2005, Grand Prix de Paris - WPT Event |url=https://pokerdb.thehendonmob.com/event.php?a=r&n=12485 |access-date=11 April 2024 |website=The Hendon Mob Poker Database |language=en}}

At the 2019 World Series of Poker, he won his first World Series of Poker bracelet in the $10,000 Limit Hold'em Championship.{{Cite web |date=5 July 2019 |title=Juha Helppi Finally Does It: Finnish Poker Hero Claims First Bracelet in $10K Limit! |url=https://www.pokernews.com/news/2019/07/juha-helppi-wins-first-bracelet-wsop-34747.htm |access-date=1 April 2024 |website=PokerNews.com |language=en}} He won his second WSOP bracelet in the 2020 WSOP Online.{{Cite web |last=Zetzsche |first=Christian |last2=Epskamp |first2=Yori |date=22 July 2020 |title=Finnish Poker Legend Juha Helppi Wins Second Bracelet in Event #35: $5,000 PLO Championship |url=https://www.pokernews.com/news/2020/07/juha-helppi-wins-second-wsop-bracelet-37659.htm |access-date=7 April 2024 |website=PokerNews.com |language=en}} In total, he has finished in the money in 29 WSOP events.

In November 2005, Helppi faced Phil Laak and Kenna James in the first ever underwater poker tournament and was awarded the Caribbean Poker Classic Extreme Poker bracelet.{{Cite web |title=Juha Helppi Is King of the Sea |url=https://www.cardplayer.com/poker-news/701-juha-helppi-is-king-of-the-sea |access-date=7 April 2024 |website=CardPlayer.com}}

In March 2007, Helppi won the inaugural Premier League Poker title, defeating some of the all-time greats along the way, such as Phil Hellmuth and Dave "Devilfish" Ulliott. Helppi defeated German pro and two-time WSOP Bracelet winner Eddy Scharf In heads-up play to win the title.{{Cite web |title=Partypoker.com Premier League Poker, No Limit Hold'em - Finals |url=https://pokerdb.thehendonmob.com/event.php?a=r&n=26808 |access-date=11 April 2024 |website=The Hendon Mob Poker Database |language=en}}

As the winner of InterPoker's first extreme poker tournament, he earned the right to choose the next year's location. He chose to play it in Kemi on the frozen Gulf of Bothnia. He finished second, losing to former WSOP champion Robert Varkonyi.

As of 2019, his total live tournament winnings exceed $7,700,000.{{Cite web |title=Juha Helppi's profile on The Hendon Mob |url=https://pokerdb.thehendonmob.com/player.php?a=r&n=2157 |access-date=22 December 2023 |website=The Hendon Mob Poker Database |language=en}} His WSOP cashes account for over $1,350,000 of those winnings.

Helppi is a high level paintball player and the captain of the Finnish national paintball champions 1997, 2003, 2007, 2008 and 2014. When younger, he played Magic: The Gathering successfully for several years.