Next Fedor? This German 22-Year-Old is Taking the 2023 WSOP by Sturm
Few poker players ever find themselves taking home seven-figure tournament scores, and hardly any get to experience multiple million-dollar scores in the same week.
Germany's Leon Sturm is one of them as the 22-year-old German prodigy won Event #23: $50,000 High Roller at the 2023 World Series of Poker (WSOP) for $1,546,024 this week just days after taking down GGPoker's Super MILLION$ $10,000 buy-in Super High Roller for $1,518,400.
Primarily an online grinder, the young Sturm is now breaking onto the live high roller scene and hopes to use his online reps and theoretical knowledge to put the live pros to the test.
Read About Sturm's Victory in the $50,000 High Roller!
Echos of Fedor
Sturm's early success on the live felt is reminiscent of that of Fedor Holz, Germany's all-time money leader who rose to poker fame when he won the 2014 WCOOP Main Event for $1.3 million at age 21.
Like Sturm, Holz followed his online score with a strong World Series, finishing third in 2015's $10,000 Six-Handed Championship for $268,463 and 25th in the Main Event the same year for $262,574. The next year, Holz won his first bracelet when he took down the $111,111 High Roller for One Drop for $5 million.
But "Rumukulus," who with his WSOP High Roller victory now has $2.1 million in live tournament earnings, has his work cut out for him if he wants to catch up to "CrownUpGuy" with his two bracelets and $38.8 million in earnings.
The now 29-year-old Holz has yet to make an appearance at the 2023 WSOP but will likely be around for some of the bigger buy-in events. Holz finished seventh in last year's Event #83: $50,000 High Roller for $203,107 and tenth in the 2021 $100,000 High Roller for $167,869.
Besting the American Live Pros
Sturm made his WSOP final table debut in the $50,000 High Roller an unforgettable one as he eliminated all four of his opponents who returned for Day 3. That included a pair of the best live high-stakes poker players in the world in Alex Foxen and Seth Davies, as well as PokerGO Studio regular Bill Klein.
The only other non-American on Day 3 was third-place finisher Jans Arends, who like Sturm is primarily an online player who recently started playing more live. In March, the Dutchman earned his largest live cash of $921,178 by taking down a $30,000 High Roller at the Triton Super High Roller Series in Vietnam.
While Sturm told PokerNews he believes he may be "even better theoretically" than live crushers like Foxen and Davies that "don’t play that much online and don’t get that much hands in," he acknowledged that their discipline and table presence make them incredibly tough opponents on the live felt.
“When I am (at) a live stop I do so much wrong, I wake up way too late or go to bed too late and don’t eat clean or don’t get breakfast … don’t go to the gym regularly, and they do all of that kind of stuff," Sturm said. "And that’s really impressive.”
Sturm's previous biggest live cash came from a fourth-place finish in the 2022 World Poker (WPT) $5,000 Venetian Main Event for $327,000, while he also finished sixth in the 2023 Lucky Hearts Poker Open $25,500 High Roller for $83,100.
If Sturm continues to make a splash on the live high roller scene, he may be Germany's new Young Prince.
Leon Sturms' Top Five Live Cashes
DATE | EVENT | PLACE | PRIZE | |
---|---|---|---|---|
June 2023 | WSOP $50,000 High Roller | 1st | $1,546,024 | |
July 2022 | WPT Venetian $5,000 DeepStack Championship | 4th | $327,000 | |
January 2023 | Lucky Hearts Poker Open $25,500 High Roller | 6th | $83,100 | |
June 2022 | MGM Grand Summer Series $5,000 Grand High Roller | 3rd | $35,115 | |
July 2022 | WSOP $10,000 Main Event | 616th | $23,000 |
Bookmark this page! All you need to know about the 2023 WSOP is here.
In this Series
- 1 Here's the Full Schedule for 2023 World Series of Poker (WSOP); Win Main Event for Life!
- 2 Reigning Main Event Champion Espen Jorstad Eyes "Crazy Summer"; Plans to Play Full 2023 WSOP Schedule
- 3 6 Las Vegas Facts That Sound False But Are Actually True!
- 4 How to Decide Which WSOP Tournament(s) to Play
- 5 Registration for 2023 World Series of Poker (WSOP) is Now Open
- 6 How to Stay Healthy in Las Vegas During the WSOP
- 7 WSOP Main Event Champions 2015-17: McKeehen, Nguyen, Blumstein
- 8 PokerGO's 2023 WSOP Live-stream Schedule Covers Biggest Events and More
- 9 2023 Main Event Maynia Could Be Your Best Chance of Playing at the WSOP
- 10 A Look at the 2023 WSOP Online Bracelet Schedule – How to Deposit
- 11 Five Reasons Winning Poker Players Lose Money at the WSOP
- 12 Five Questions to Ask Yourself at Your First WSOP
- 13 Interview: Vice President Jack Effel Looks Ahead to 2023 WSOP
- 14 World Series of Poker Addresses Solver Concerns, Clarifies RTA Policy
- 15 Negreanu, Deeb Again Highest Valued WSOP $25K Fantasy Draft Picks
- 16 PokerNews Staff 2023 WSOP Predictions – Will Ivey Play? Hellmuth vs. Negreanu?
- 17 Let the Games Begin: 2023 World Series of Poker Officially Underway
- 18 WNBA Champion Kelsey Plum Kicks Off WSOP Mystery Millions
- 19 5 Poker Tax Facts to Remember Heading into the 2023 WSOP
- 20 Introducing The Chad & Jesse Poker Show; Two Episodes a Week During 2023 WSOP
- 21 PokerNews Podcast: Catching Up w/ WSOP Executive Director Ty Stewart
- 22 Negreanu or Hellmuth — Who Will Have the Best 2023 WSOP?
- 23 Some of the Best Poker Players Who Haven't Won a WSOP Bracelet
- 24 Quads, Runner-Runner & Other Crazy Hands From the WSOP $25,000 High Roller
- 25 2023 WSOP Featured Females: Maria Konnikova & Kristen Foxen Making Runs
- 26 Phil Ivey, Doug Polk in Action at Epic WSOP $25k Heads-Up Tournament
- 27 Five Tournaments Fans Don't Want to Miss at the 2023 World Series of Poker
- 28 Five Reasons Winning Poker Players Lose Money at the WSOP
- 29 We Asked ChatGPT to Predict the WSOP $25K Heads Up Championship
- 30 Doug Polk Headlines the Final Four in WSOP $25K Heads Up Championship
- 31 Two $1,000,000 Prizes Pulled in WSOP Mystery Millions
- 32 Five Questions to Ask Yourself at Your First WSOP
- 33 Andrews Suffers Brutal Beat on $5K Freezeout Bubble; Hellmuth Deep in $600 Deepstack
- 34 The Two Failed Bluffs in One Week that Cost Doug Polk $700k
- 35 2023 Poker Hall of Fame Nominations Open; Rast, Scheinberg, Savage Frontrunners?
- 36 Badugi Primer - Get Ready for A Brand New WSOP Tournament
- 37 2023 Poker Hall of Fame Nominations Open; Rast, Scheinberg, Savage Frontrunners?
- 38 Estes Nabs Second WSOP MI Online Bracelet; Kershaw Victorious in First PA Event
- 39 Steve "Cuz" Buckner & Lon McEachern Recent Guests on The Chad & Jesse Poker Show
- 40 Is Today the Day Isaac Haxton Finally Wins His First WSOP Bracelet?
- 41 Hitting the Nuts: Man & Woman Discuss Infamous 2023 WSOP Low Blow
- 42 Sarah Herzali Comes Up Shy of Being First Female Bracelet Winner of 2023 WSOP
- 43 A Look Inside Phil Hellmuth's WSOP Break Room: How Does He Fit on that Couch?
- 44 Scotty Nguyen Recovering From Surgery, Will Miss First Half of WSOP
- 45 Man of the People: How Daniel Negreanu Bagged Top 4 Stack on $300 Gladiator Day 1a
- 46 PN Podcast: Poker Hall of Famer Jack McClelland Shares Stories About Doyle Brunson & Stu Ungar
- 47 Poker Player Spikes Quads on River to Escape WSOP $50K Bubble
- 48 2023 WSOP Hands of the Week: Polk's Miracle Two Outer; Accidental Exposure Saves Tull from Bubble
- 49 Phil Galfond Offers Poker Hall of Fame Pick; Says Two Should Be Inducted Per Year
- 50 Poker Boom 2.0? WSOP Attendance Crushing Last Year's Turnout
- 51 Stanley Cup Champs! Vegas Poker Community Reacts to Golden Knights' Win
- 52 Erik Seidel on Verge of Joining Poker's Most Exclusive Club: 10 WSOP Bracelets
- 53 WSOP Player of the Week: Josh Arieh Makes Poker Hall of Fame Case
- 54 Next Fedor? This German 22-Year-Old is Taking the 2023 WSOP by Sturm
- 55 Daniel Negreanu Quietly Having Success in Large Field Events at 2023 WSOP
- 56 Mike "BrockLesnar" Holtz Running Away with WSOP.com Player of the Year
- 57 Jennifer Harman Remembers Doyle: "He Was Like a Marshmallow Puppy Dog to Me"
- 58 Aces, Kings, Kings, and Queens - You Won't Believe this Epic 2023 WSOP Hand
- 59 Jason Koon's Stack Pulled from WSOP $250K Super High Roller as Wife Enters Labor
- 60 Meet The WSOP App Thrill Team
- 61 TripAdvisor’s Top 10 Things To Do In Las Vegas During The 2023 WSOP
- 62 Phil Ivey Bubbles the 2023 WSOP $250,000 Super High Roller
- 63 Unknown Poker Player in Town for Father's Day Randomly Enters WSOP $250K
- 64 2023 WSOP Hands of the Week: Negreanu Knows All The Angles, a Quads Counterfeit
- 65 Jungleman Attempts to Terminate PPC Field for 3rd Straight Year; Moneymaker Jumps In
- 66 Ivey Puts Life on Line in Level 5 of $50,000 PPC in Massive PLO Pot – Did He Win?
- 67 "Bucket List Event": Moneymaker Makes WSOP $50k Poker Players Championship Debut
- 68 Kabrhel Denies Cheating Allegations, Threatens to Sue Robl
- 69 King's Resort Has Big WSOP Plans For The Rest Of 2023
- 70 No 11th Bracelet As Johnny Chan Falls in 14th in WSOP $1,500 Big O
- 71 Win Your Way Into 2023 WSOP Main Event with 112 Seat Sprint on WSOP.com
- 72 The Muck: Should Poker Community Ban Martin Kabrhel?
- 73 Phil Ivey Closing in on 11th Bracelet; Rast Playing for the Poker Hall of Fame?
- 74 Horseshoe to Host Doyle Brunson Celebration of Life Memorial July 2
- 75 Familiar Faces Among 2023 Poker Hall of Fame Nominations
- 76 Negreanu Proposes Changes to the Poker Hall of Fame Induction Process
- 77 No-Limit Hold'em Crushers Driving WSOP $25K Fantasy Draft Top Team
- 78 2023 WSOP Featured Females: Women in Full Force in Tag Team Event
- 79 World Series of Poker 2024: Read Phil Ivey's Top WSOP Tips
- 80 Poker Hall of Famer Billy Baxter Eyes Up First Bracelet in 21 Years
- 81 Revealing the Hand: 5 Common Tells You Can Spot at the WSOP
- 82 2023 WSOP Hands of the Week: Royal Flush Over Quads; KK < KK & 4-of-a-Kind for Seidel
- 83 "Barstool Nate" Shares His Wild Adventure Getting to the 2023 WSOP One Month Late
- 84 Remembering Doyle Brunson's Final WSOP Cash in 2018, a Near Bracelet Win
- 85 2023 WSOP Featured Females: Who Will Win the Largest Ladies Event In Poker History?
- 86 Upcoming WSOP Circuit Schedule is Out; $1 Million Freeroll Returns
- 87 PN Podcast: GGPoker Ambassador Daniel Negreanu Talks 2023 WSOP & Poker Hall of Fame
- 88 The Smoking Petition: How Tom McEvoy Helped the WSOP Become Smoke Free
- 89 2023 WSOP Hands of the Week: Poker Player Learns Lesson for Premature Celebration
- 90 Hellmuth, Negreanu Pay Tribute to Doyle Brunson at 2023 WSOP
- 91 Silicon Valley's Chamath Palihapitiya Returns to the WSOP After a Decade
- 92 Admitted Poker Cheater Ali Imsirovic Enters WSOP $1,500 Shootout Event
- 93 Six-Time Bracelet Winner Brian Rast Voted Into Poker Hall of Fame
- 94 Lexy Gavin-Mather Is One of the 2023 WSOP's Most Prolific Vloggers
- 95 PN Podcast: Final Show from the 2023 WSOP w/ Guests Brian Rast & Phil Hellmuth
- 96 How Much Money Players at 2023 WSOP Main Event Final Table Really Made
- 97 Mike Holtz Nabs WSOP Cashes Record While Ian Matakis is POY
- 98 The Complete Overview of the 2023 NV/NJ WSOP Online Bracelet Events
- 99 Daniel Weinman Wins Record-Breaking 2023 WSOP Main Event for $12,100,000
- 100 Nicolai Morris & Elias Garney Win Final WSOP Online Bracelets in Michigan & Pennsylvania