Tournament Details

Poker players around the world have become accustomed to giant poker ballrooms. Tournament areas have become giant caverns with walls that echo the riffling chips and cries of poker agony. Everything is different at the Grand Prix de Paris. The Aviation Club is intimate, cozy, and proper. One thing, however, never changes: poker is poker.

With 160 players in the starting field, the prize pool climbed to $2 million. With only six players remaining, the chips stacked up like this:

Seat 1: Curt Kohlberg: (126,000)
Seat 2: Alan Goerhing: (327,000)
Seat 3: Tim "Dr. Hope" Anders: (116,000)
Seat 4: Roland De Wolfe: (728,000)
Seat 5: Juha Helppi: (352,000)
Seat 6: Michel Zajdenberg: (758,000)

"Why you make it so expensive?"

Juha Helppi, World Poker Tour Season 1 Aruba Champion, seemed to be feeling playful. The blinds were still affordable and it was early in final table play. Poker writer turned poker player Roland De Wolfe had just raised more than three times from the small blind. In the big blind, Helppi had only 9-7 suited in clubs. To some people, it may have appeared to be a folding hand. To Helppi, it seemed to be a hidden gem. He called and saw a flop of 8-5-T rainbow. Again, De Wolfe fired out a large bet, 50,000.

Juha gazed at his opponent and felt compelled to say, "Pretty expensive again." With no more than a gutshot straight draw, Helppi called. A two of clubs fell on the turn, opening up a flush draw for Helppi. This time, though, De Wolfe decided to make it less expensive and put out a 60,000 bet. With even more outs, Helppi called again. The river, however, did Helppi no good. It was a worthless three of diamonds. Again, De Wolfe bet out. This time, Helppi had no choice but to fold. "I think you have a ten," he said, and mucked his hand. De Wolfe, with a slight smile, flashed two aces and settled into his role as the chip leader.

That was how the final table of the WPT Grand Prix de Paris began. In the early stages, it seemed nothing could stop De Wolfe. Further, it seemed Helppi would gain no traction. Moments later he picked up A-Q and ran into Alan Goehring's pocket kings for a loss of even more chips.

Goehring seemed to have found a French version of lady luck. After finding kings against Helppi, he flopped a set of jacks against De Wolfe. Goehring was looking to repeat his WPT champion status. Then, Lady Luck walked out on the former stock trader. Goehring came in for the minimum raise with A-Q offsuit. De Wolfe found a pair of pocket kings and re-raised. With nary a thought, Goehring moved all-in and De Wolfe called in an instant. Goehring's hand didn't improve and he departed in sixth place, winning $93,688.

While De Wolfe further extended his chip lead, Helppi could find no help in the cards. Minutes later, Helppi again found pocket queens. This time he ran into short-stacked Tim Anders. Anders held A-K. A king on the flop and no queen on the turn or river meant Helppi's chip stack was now the smallest at the table. A mere 42,000 in chips sat in front of him.

In the game of poker, it is easy to look at a short stack of chips and offer a premature eulogy. For Helppi, fifth place seemed to be inevitable. However, one should never underestimate the power of chips in the hand of a champion.

Helppi told the table he needed to double up three times to get back in the game. It seemed, if not an impossibility, at least very unlikely. The wonderful thing about poker, though, is how the most unlikely of things can happen. With KJ, AK, and 88, Helppi proceeded to double up, double up again, and then double up again. The one-time champion had another WPT title in his sights.

With more chips in his arsenal, Helppi looked down and saw a pair of sevens. Rather than mess around with a flop, Helppi moved all-in. Curt Kohlberg had not played many pots and now, holding A-Q offsuit, was forced to make a decision. It was a decision that Helppi did not want to wait for. He asked the tournament director to put Kohlberg on the clock. With only one minute to act, Kohlberg tried make Helppi give up a tell.

"What do you want?" he asked Helppi. "Give it up."

With no information from Helppi, Kohlberg called. The flop offered no help and a seven on the turn sealed the businessman's fate. Kohlberg exited in fifth place, cashing for $112,425. Suddenly, Helppi had the chip lead.

After playing little other than premium hands at the final table, Tim Anders ramped up his level of aggression and moved all-in from the button with a pair of fives. While the bet was substantial, De Wolfe took a liking to his suited A-9. After an extended period of consideration, DeWolfe called. The doorcard on the flop was an ace. No five appeared and Anders cashed out in fourth place for $149,920.

With only three players remaining, the lone Frenchman tried to gain a foothold. His opponents refused to call when he found a pair of jacks and moved all in. Finally, after much back and forth among the players, Zajdenberg moved all in with A-J. Helppi called in an instant with A-Q. An ace came on the flop, but Zajdenberg couldn't find a jack to make two pair. He exited in third place and took home $224,850.

Heads-up, the one-time short-stack, Juha Helppi, had 1.7 million in chips to Roland De Wolfe's 700,000. After a couple of uneventful hands, De Wolfe limped in from the small blind with K-5 offsuit. Helppi checked his A-2 offsuit and the players saw a flop of A-K-4. Both players checked their pairs. The turn came as a jack. This time, Helppi bet out 100,000 and De Wolfe raised to 225,000. Helppi called. The river was a miracle five, giving De Wolfe two pair. Helppi checked and De Wolfe moved all in. Looking anguished, Helppi called. He could only shake his head when he saw De Wolfe's hand.

With the chip-stacks reversed, Helppi decided to make a move, and put all his chips in the middle with Q-J. De Wolfe called immediately with A-8. By the time the turn fell, De Wolfe had an eight-high straight. The Grand Prix de Paris was fini. Juha Helppi took home $318,538 while De Wolfe cashed for an impressive $599,600.

De Wolfe, as patriotic as most Brits, relished winning the event for his country just as much as the prize money. "I think that goes without saying," he said, "it's an honor to represent the United Kingdom in anything."