Ville Wahlbeck

Ville Wahlbeck

Finland’s Ville Wahlbeck started playing poker for fun with friends, before starting to take it seriously in 2004 by hitting the biggest games online. He’s turned pro since, and now stands proud as one of his country’s highest earning live tournament players with more than $1,300,000 in winnings so far.

Although he’d already cashed steadily at various events across Europe, it was at the 2006 World Series of Poker* where Ville first started to really impress, cashing twice before returning a year later to score another three money finishes. Then came the breakout proper in 2009, when Ville cashed in six WSOP* events over the course of just a few days, earning more than $1,000,000 across a range of poker variants. Highlights included a 3rd place finish in the $10,000 Championship Stud event for $152,914, and a bracelet in the $10,000 Championship Mixed event for $492,384. Two more cashes and a 2nd place finish in the $10,000 Championship 2-7 Lowball event followed. Then, just for good measure, he made a 6th place finish in the prestigious $50,000 Championship HORSE event for another $219,655. It was the kind of run that most players will never achieve in a lifetime, and solidified Ville’s position as one of the best mixed game players to emerge in recent years. His winning ways even continued when he returned to Europe after the World Series, with a win in the High Roller tournament at the PokerStars Baltic Festival. He’s also performed well in online events and almost won a World Championship of Online Poker (WCOOP) bracelet when he finished as runner-up in a No Limit Hold’em even in 2010 for a cash of $453,850.

Clearly a player that’s here to stay, Ville has a thirst for big-money action that will no doubt see him earn handsomely for years to come. He is a member of Team PokerStars Pro, and you can find him online under the User ID ‘V. Wahlbeck’.

* World Series of Poker and WSOP are trademarks of Caesars License Company, LLC ("Caesars"). Caesars does not sponsor or endorse, and is not associated or affiliated with, PokerStars or its products, services, promotions or tournaments.