This content was AI generated based on the original article published on https://www.pokernews.com/news/2026/08/fedor-holz-talks-poker-career-52198.htm. All credits for the original reporting belong to them.
Fedor Holz, one of poker’s most celebrated high rollers, made a rare tournament appearance this week at the PokerStars European Poker Tour (EPT) Barcelona series. The German star entered the €100,000 EPT Super High Roller, a stark contrast to his current, much lighter playing schedule.
Speaking with PokerNews during the event, Holz reflected on his extraordinary 2016 season, when he cashed for more than $16 million in live tournaments at just 23 years old. At the time, it was the highest single-year cash total in tournament poker history, a record that has since been broken by other players.
That year included multiple deep runs, starting with six-figure cashes at EPT Monte Carlo. Holz then finished runner-up to fellow German Rainer Kempe in the Super High Roller Bowl for $3.5 million before capturing the WSOP One Drop title for nearly $5 million. He capped the year with an EPT Barcelona Super High Roller victory worth over $1.47 million.
Asked whether a similar run could happen today, Holz said it’s arguably more achievable now given the larger number of tournaments, though smaller skill edges make dominance harder to sustain.
Holz, now in his 30s, described himself as a different person during that period. Married and focused on family and business interests, he said he rarely plays poker these days, adding that he and his wife are trying to have children.
Despite his reduced schedule, Holz remains connected to the game, occasionally appearing at events like EPT or Triton Poker. In Barcelona, he said he only planned to play one event before attending a local festival. He bagged the short stack after Day 1 and was eliminated just short of the money on Day 2.
