Ryynanen Leads, Helppi Bags Huge in Penultimate Day of PLO Grand Slam Prague €5,200 Million
Day 2 of of the PLO Grand Slam Prague €5,200 Million has concluded here at the All Inn Casino. The day began with 39 survivors from the first two starting flights, but with late registration being open for three levels from the start of the day, that number quickly grew as players entered and then reentered in the hopes of getting a piece of the €1,000,000 prize pool, and a shot at a Diamond Poker Series trophy. By the time late registration concluded the field had grown to 182 entries, and after ten hour-long levels, just 11 players remain.
Three Finnish players top the counts, led by Sampo Ryynanen with 6,000,000. Ryynanen was under the radar for most of the day with an average stack, carefully picking his spots before winning several big hands without showdown in the last two levels to ascend to the chip lead.
End of Day 2 Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sampo Ryynanen | Finland | 6,000,000 | 100 |
| 2 | Juha Helppi | Finland | 5,140,000 | 86 |
| 3 | Aku Joentausta | Finland | 4,415,000 | 74 |
| 4 | Aleksei Vandyshev | Russian Federation | 4,245,000 | 71 |
| 5 | Veselin Karakitukov | Bulgaria | 4,165,000 | 69 |
| 6 | Carlo van Ravenswoud | Netherlands | 3,560,000 | 59 |
| 7 | Cesar Garcia | Spain | 3,475,000 | 58 |
| 8 | Omar Eljach | Sweden | 2,295,000 | 38 |
| 9 | Sebestyen Balint | Hungary | 1,455,000 | 24 |
| 10 | Ying Kan | China | 1,175,000 | 20 |
| 11 | Dario Alioto | Italy | 1,140,000 | 19 |
Ryynanen is most closely followed by Juha Helppi, who bagged 5,140,000. Helppi's long list of accomplishments in poker over the last 25 years include titles on the European Poker Tour, World Poker Tour and World Series of Poker, with well over 20 six-figure cashes during that timeframe. Helppi began the day with a top ten stack and maintained a healthy stack throughout the day. In one of the final hands of the night, Helppi flopped the world against Ole Schemion in a four-bet pot, ultimately turning the nut-flush to bring himself near the very top of the counts.
Rounding out the top three is Aku Joentausta with 4,415,000. Joentausta finished runner-up in the €10,000 Championship Event at the last PLO Grand Slam in Malta for a career-best score of €378,155. Joentausta has already earned one Diamond Series trophy in a €5,000 Mystery Bounty Event, also in Malta, and will be looking to add a second to his collection when he returns tomorrow for the final day of the €5,200 Million.
Others advancing to the final day include 2021 WSOP Online Main Event Champion Aleksei Vandyshev (4,245,000), 2022 WSOP Europe Main Event Champion Omar Eljach (2,295,000) and bracelet winners Cesar Garcia (3,475,000) and Dario Alioto (1,140,000).
Remaining Payouts
| Place | Prize |
|---|---|
| 1 | € 218,550 |
| 2 | € 148,050 |
| 3 | € 98,700 |
| 4 | € 80,840 |
| 5 | € 64,860 |
| 6 | € 50,290 |
| 7 | € 37,220 |
| 8 | € 27,350 |
| 9 | € 21,810 |
| 10-11 | € 18,330 |
The final day kicks off Thursday, December 4 at 1:00 p.m. local time, with the blinds at 30,000/60,000 and a 60,000 big blind ante. Stay locked in with PokerNews for all the updates leading to the crowning of a new PLO Grand Slam €5,200 Million champion.