After taking 3rd place at the $10k Stud event earlier this week, Finnish pro Ville Wahlbeck followed it up with an even greater feat, a win at the $10k Mixed Event World Championship. Perhaps surprisingly for a country that has produced EPT and WPT winners and cash game superstars like Patrik Antonius, Ziigmund and LarsLuzak, it's the first ever bracelet won by a Finnish player.

It was an exciting final table with the lead switching hands between Wahlbeck, David Chiu and Scott "dorinvandy" Dorin, but finally Wahlbeck got the decisive lead when the game was PLO and Dorin made a large bet on a board of Tc 9c 5h 6h Jc. Wahlbeck tanked for a very long time before making the call with KQJ7 for a straight. Dorin had a smaller straight with 87xx but he had failed to raise the Finn off his hand on the turn when he had a made straight on a very dangerous board. It proved a decisive mistake as Dorin was crippled and soon busted out to leave Wahlbeck in a clear chip lead against David Chiu.

Chiu rallied briefly when he made a tough call with third pair to Wahlbeck's bluff in Limit Hold'em, but lost those chips right back when he was unlucky enough to hit top pair against Wahlbeck's Aces. Finally Chiu had just a couple of bets left in his stack and the end was a formality.

Ville Wahlbeck is 33 and comes from Helsinki. He has been playing professionally for 6 years and says he is seriously considering retiring from poker after this year. "This has been my biggest dream and I'm not ashamed to say that I cried my eyes out when it was all over," he says. He is good friends with Ilari "Ziigmund" Sahamies and in fact Ziigmund was the first person he called from the Amazon Room after taking the title. "I'm so f**** happy for Ville," Ziigmund comments.

Wahlbeck's back to back 3rd place and win in two very tough $10,000 events in the same week is surely one of the most impressive tournament performances of the year and it's hard to see anyone topping it at this series.

Event #12, 10k Mixed Event:

1. Ville Wahlbeck $492,375
2. David Chiu $304,176
3. Scott Dorin $199,940
4. Mark Gregorich $139,159
5. Huck Seed $102,286
6. James Van Alstyne $79,181
7. Mike Wattel $64,373
8. Todd Brunson $54,854