Julian Selinger came back from three big blinds to win the WSOP Circuit Tallinn Main Event on August 3, topping a record 977 entry field for a first prize of 210,000 euros, a WSOP Circuit ring, and a 5,000 dollar package to WSOP Paradise. The German grinder needed a four hour heads up battle and three straight all in survivals to get there.
A Record Field for the WSOP Circuit in Estonia
The 1,500 euro buy-in event drew 977 entries at the Hilton Tallinn Park Hotel and Olympic Park Casino, the largest Main Event field the stop has ever produced. That turnout pushed the prize pool to 1,253,002 euros, comfortably clearing its guarantee and setting up one of the richest paydays the WSOP Circuit has offered in Europe this year. Estonia has quietly become a reliable stop for the Circuit, and a record field in Tallinn adds to a growing case for the region as a destination for mid-major European poker.
Kai Lehto of Finland finished third for 96,950 euros, while Roy van der Reijnst of the Netherlands ran the table for most of the closing stages before settling for 140,500 euros as runner up. It was Selinger who left with the trophy after one of the more dramatic comebacks the tour has seen this year.
Down to Three Big Blinds, Selinger Refuses to Fold
Van der Reijnst arrived at the unofficial three handed stage holding roughly 80 percent of the chips in play, a lead that would have ended most tournaments in a matter of minutes. Selinger’s stack shrank to just three big blinds after a flip went against him, leaving him one bad beat away from a min cash finish rather than the title.
Instead of folding his way to the rail, Selinger shoved his way back into contention, winning three consecutive all ins to climb from near elimination to the chip lead by the time heads up play began. That kind of run is exactly the sort of spot where knowing your WSOP tournament structures and short stack push ranges matters most, since a player who folds too tightly at three big blinds almost never gets the chance to complete a comeback like this one.
A Rivered Straight Ends the Tournament
The final hand summed up the swing of the whole heads up match. Van der Reijnst called off with two pair, only for Selinger’s hand to complete into a straight on the river, sealing the WSOP Circuit ring and the six figure top prize. After hours of chip lead changes, the tournament ended in a single card.
Selinger did not hide how draining the run had been. “I’m beyond exhausted,” he said afterward. “For hours, I’ve been tired. Obviously, I’m really happy and insanely grateful to be here.” The comment captured a final table that stretched deep into the night after already grinding through a record breaking field over several preceding days.
A Deeply Personal Run for the Runner Up
The heads up battle carried extra emotional weight for Van der Reijnst, who played the final table carrying an electronic candle as his card protector in memory of his son Joris, who was stillborn in May. Selinger embraced his opponent once the tournament ended, a moment that reflected the mutual respect between two players who had just spent hours trading the chip lead back and forth in a spot with real money and a title on the line.
Van der Reijnst’s second place finish for 140,500 euros stands as one of the more meaningful results of his career regardless of the outcome, and the story added a human dimension to what was otherwise a fairly typical late night grind toward a Circuit ring.
What the Result Means for the WSOP Circuit in Europe
A record field in Tallinn fits a broader pattern this year of WSOP Circuit stops outside the traditional American markets drawing bigger numbers than in past seasons. With a prize pool over 1.25 million euros generated from a 1,500 euro buy-in, the math behind these regional stops continues to look attractive both for the operator and for players chasing a ring without needing to fly to Las Vegas or commit to a high roller buy-in.
Selinger’s win adds his name to the list of European grinders using the Circuit’s expanding international calendar to build a résumé, and with the WSOP Paradise package attached to his prize, his 2026 schedule now includes a return trip to one of the tour’s premier winter destinations as the reigning WSOP Circuit Tallinn champion.
