Manuel Fritz became the first Austrian player to qualify for the PSPC in Barcelona, joining a host of German speakers heading to the biggest High Roller tournament of the year. Fritz won his Platinum Pass via a MegaPath satellite on PokerStars and said of the success, “It was absolutely incredible. My happiness went through the roof when the heads-up was done. My housemate and me were super nervous and after the win there was some screaming and dancing.”
Fritz is 25 and plays poker as a sideline as he studies for an economics degree in Vienna. He describes his proudest life achievement the fact that he “worked myself from a partying lazy student without big goals, to a serious grinder” and credits poker with adjusting his mindset and helping him focus on the bigger picture. He took a familiar route into the game — small tournaments with friends and low-stakes Sit & Gos on PokerStars — before gradually grinding through the ranks.
Manuel Fritz, left, does battle with Alexander Ivarsson at EPT Barcelona
He now plays the live circuit more regularly and cashed in an EPT Main Event for the first time in Barcelona last August. That €12,440 score, for 132nd, is his largest result to date, but the PSPC will offer a decent chance to go significantly better.
