The 2025 Wsop Circuit Tallinn has officially concluded. It was a live poker festival that will remembered for years to come for many different reasons. Featuring no less that 12 unique WSOP Circuit Ring Events, the €1,500 Main Event was the one tournament that was on everyone’s lips. With a €1,000,000 tournament guarantee, the hype before the event was unparalleled, and it’s safe to say it didn’t disappoint. Not only is there a new WSOP Circuit Main Event winner, but a new chapter has also been written in global poker history, as the first-ever female winner of a WSOP Circuit Event in Tallinn has now been crowned.
Westerlund Claims Maiden WSOP Circuit Title
Poker players from all across the world travelled to Tallinn, Estonia, to participate in what would prove to be one of the biggest ever live poker events in Northern Europe. The tables were set at the luxurious Olympic Park Casino and Hilton Tallinn Park Hotel, and with a tournament schedule packed to the absolute brim, there were events for everyone, no matter one’s preferred game and/or buy-in.
What was always set to be the undisputed star of the show, however, was the €1,500 Main Event. The tournament boosted a €1,000,000 guarantee, and even though that’s an incomprehensibly large number, it would be shattered. The tournament registered 888 entries, which created a €1,138,860 prize pool. Not only was there the €200,200 first-place payout up top for the winner, but also an added $5,000 Ticket to Paradise (which includes a $2,700 tournament buy-in and hospitality during the 2025 WSOP Paradise in the Bahamas) and, most importantly, the coveted WSOP Circuit Ring.
It was a three-day affair with five starting flights, and the top 138 players all were entitled to a €2,850 min-cash. After Day 3, 78 players had become nine, and these brave competitors all bagged their chips for the final table which was scheduled to be played on August 3, 12:00.
Eventually, D-day came and the players took their seats. Leading the field going into the final table was Czech Martin Surovec, and right behind him was the only woman left standing in the tournament, Sweden’s Jenny Westerlund. Entering the tournament with the shortest stack was Karolis Kutkauskas. The Lithuanian had been the chip leader at one point during Day 3, but on the final stage, he resumed the competition with 17 Big Blinds. Eventually, he got it all in with J♦J♣, and sadly for him, he got called by the [invalid notations] of Finland’s Jari-Pekka Juhola. As such, Kutkauskas was the first one to bid farewell from the final table, receiving €14,200 for his ninth-place finish.
The next one to hit the rail was the sole remaining Brit, Stephen Groom. All of his chips went in before the flop with A♥K♦, but the board did not help him crack the pocket kings of Surovec. For his feat, Groom was awarded €19,500.
Juhola and Elias Vääräniemi were the two Finnish players left in the tournament, competing to claim a fourth Finnish WSOP Circuit Ring Event win during the festival. However, Juhola was the next player to be eliminated, as Estonian Igor Pihela Sr knocked him out in absolutely brutal fashion, hitting a two-outer on the turn. Juhola hit the payout desk to collect his €25,060 paycheck.
One of the biggest story lines before the final table was the sunshine run of David Vinaya. Earlier during the festival, he had claimed victory in Ring Event #7: €5,000 NLH for €297,984, and he was arguably one of the most skillful players on the final table. It wouldn’t be back-to-back wins for the Norwegian, though, as he went out in sixth place for €33,100 after a decent call from Poland’s Krzysztof Chmielowski under pressure.
Meanwhile, Vääräniemi was trying his best to keep the Finnish flag waving in the tournament, but some lost pots had taken their toll on his stack. Eventually, the math dictated that he needed to put it all in with pocket fours, and he lost the coin flip against Chmielowski. Vääräniemi bid farewell in fifth place for €46,000.
Four players now remained, and it would take some time before Surovec would go out in fourth place for €62,500. He got it in good against Westerlund as his A♦10♣ dominated her A♠9♠ holdings, but Westerlund hit a nine on the flop and never looked back.
Three left then, Pihela Sr being the shortest stack. During the very first hand of three-handed play, he put in a big three-bet after an initial open from Chmielowski. Westerlund then four-bet, trying to force Chmielowski to fold. Chmielowski wouldn’t have it, though, and he moved all in. Much to the rail’s surprise, Pihela Sr and Westerlund both made the call.
The players turned over their cards, and Chmielowski’s Q♠Q♣ were up against the A♣6♥ of Pihela Sr, and the A♥J♦ of Westerlund. Everyone was full aware of the importance of this pot; all chips were in the middle, and if Chmielowski’s queens would be good after the runout, he would have a commanding chiplead. If Westerlund were able to suck out, she would be crowned the champion.
The 2♦9♦3♦ brought eight additional outs to Westerlund. Then, she took a commanding lead as the A♠ came on the turn. She could now taste victory, and Chmielowski was looking for the case Q♥ on the river to stay alive. Much to Westerlund’s delight, the dealer turned over the 5♥, and just like that, it was all over. Pihela Sr got €90,200 for his third-place finish, while runner-up Chmielowski was awarded €128,500.
2025 WSOP Circuit Tallinn – Ring Event #5: €1,500 Main Event Final Table Payouts
| Place | Player | Country | Payout |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Jenny Westerlund | Sweden | €200,200 |
| 2 |  Krzysztof Chmielowski | Poland | €128,500 |
| 3 |  Igor Pihela Sr | Estonia | €90,200 |
| 4 |  Martin Surovec | Czech Republic | €62,500 |
| 5 |  Elias Vääräniemi | Finland | €46,000 |
| 6 |  David Vinaya | Norway | €33,100 |
| 7 | Jari-Pekka Juhola | Finland | €25,060 |
| 8 |  Stephen Groom | England | €19,500 |
| 9 |  Karolis Kutkauskas | Lithuania | €14,200 |
With her win, Westerlund becomes one of the first women ever to win a WSOP Circuit Main Event; she joins the company of such as Jessica Vierling (winner of the 2024 WSOP Circuit Los Angeles $1,700 Main Event). It’s the biggest-ever cash for the former poker dealer, and without any doubt, her joyful celebration together with her rail will be a moment they all will cherish forever.
That concludes the 2025 WSOP Circuit Tallinn. It truly was one for the ages, and the 12 WSOP Circuit Rings have now all found their new owners. While the action in Tallinn may be over, the circuit doesn’t stop. In fact, the 2025 WSOP Circuit Bratislava started on August 1, and after August 12, another WSOP Circuit Main Event champion will be crowned.
2025 WSOP Circuit Tallinn – All Ring Event Winners
| Event | Winner | Country | First-place Payout | Total Number of Entries | Total Prize Pool |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ring Event #1: €350 Mini Main Event | Simon Hesserud Persson | Sweden | €45,700 | 954 | €280,953 |
| Ring Event #2: €555 PLO4/5 |  Andria Gogelidze | Georgia | €27,100 | 268 | €127,300 |
| Ring Event #3: €555 NLH | Toni Niinivaara | Finland | €62,100 | 744 | €353,400 |
| Ring Event #4: €350 NLH Queens | Drea Karlsen | Norway | €6,480 | 74 | €21,793 |
| Ring Event #5: €1,500 Main Event | Jenny Westerlund | Sweden | €200,200 | 888 | €1,138,860 |
| Ring Event #6: €1,100 PLO4/5 | Mathias Siljander | Finland | €41,000 | 185 | €175,750 |
| Ring Event #7: €5,000 NLH | David Vinaya | Norway | €94,280 | 64 | €297,984 |
| Ring Event #8: €1,100 8-Game | Krzysztof Budka | Poland | €22,390 | 79 | €75,050 |
| Ring Event #9: €555 Sviten | Jarkko Suokas | Finland | €14,035 | 113 | €53,675 |
| Ring Event #10: €1,100 Mystery Bounty |  Fabian Bartuschk | Germany | €61,050 | 210 | €94,500 |
| Ring Event #11: €3,000 NLH |  Enrique Martinez | Spain | €80,500 | 106 | €287,896 |
| Ring Event #12: €350 Online Ring Event |  Eriks Krumins | Latvia | €8,507 | 168 | €55,440 |
