How a School Dropout Became One of Poker’s Fastest Rising Stars
Samuel Mullur's rise to the top of high-stakes poker has been nothing short of meteoric.
Less than two years removed from his breakout victory at WSOP Paradise (and with a return to the Bahamas on the horizon next month), it's fair to say the young Austrian has firmly established his reputation as one of poker's foremost rising stars.
With victories on the Triton tour and at EPT Barcelona this summer to add to that maiden bracelet win, Mullur has now passed $10 million in live tournament earnings, earned a spot on GTO Wizard's elite roster of ambassadors, and lifted himself to third on his nation's highly competitive all-time money list.
Was the journey as easy as it looks? Far from it. Mullur joins a storied lineage of players (not least Daniel Negreanu and Stu Ungar) who left school early to pursue a career before ultimately finding their calling in poker.
And catching up with PokerNews at the Triton Super High Roller Series Jeju II back in September, the PokerCode Grindhouse graduate reflected on his journey so far, learning structure and discipline under the mentorship of Fedor Holz, and the analytical approach required to compete regularly in poker's highest stakes tournaments.
Embracing the Grind
While Mullur's rise over the last few years has been rapid, there's no doubt he's put in the long hours at the table, too.
He claimed his first Triton title only days earlier in Jeju during the inaugural Triton One series, taking down the $2k One Night Bounty Quattro. "It feels very special. I try to stay grateful every time I step into this arena," Mullur tells PokerNews, speaking on his relationship with the game's premier high-stakes tour.
"I always want to remind myself about the journey, about the feelings of the journey too. It's been a real grind," he adds, looking back on what led him to a remarkable few weeks at the Super High Roller Series in Jeju.
"I always want to remind myself about the journey, about the feelings of the journey too."
Across four final tables, including a chop in the Triton $100k Jeju II Main Event worth around $3.5 million, the biggest score of his career to date, Mullur confirmed once again he belongs among the game's high-stakes elite. His story, however, is not that of a player parachuted into the game's biggest events overnight.
Still only 28, he dropped out of middle school to pursue a career in eSports and marketing before realizing his true passion lay in poker. He's been grinding the tournament circuit for more than five years, and barely three years ago was finishing third in a €50 event in Czechia, building a bankroll from the ground up.
"I put in a lot of time and effort to get here. Obviously, I also ran really well. I met the right people at the right time," he says, reflecting on the years that brought him to the Triton stage.
"But, yeah, it feels good to be here. It also feels amazing to win my first Triton title, even though it's silver, and I'm still missing the gold one, but I'm sure it's coming," he smiles.
Learning From Fedor
Mullur, like many of the game's high-stakes regulars, including Mario Mosböck, Roland Rokita, and Fabian Bernhauser, is yet another product of the conveyor belt of talent that has emerged from PokerCode's Grindhouse.
The Alpine poker school, founded by fellow Triton regulars Fedor Holz and Matthias Eibinger, has produced a remarkable number of successful graduates in recent years, and Mullur is quick to credit that education in the context of his recent success.
Highly introspective about the areas of his game that still need work, Mullur says, "I'm not that structured. It's really easy for me to put in more time than anyone else or just grind and do a lot of things at the same time, but structure is really where I struggle."
"Fedor was a very strong and good and wise mentor on the sideline."
Referring to his time at the Grindhouse, he adds, "They are highly professional about their craft. They're so serious about it and super structured, and that was my biggest learning."
On Holz in particular, who Mullur says "had a huge impact on my career," the gratitude runs deep. "Fedor was a very strong and good and wise mentor on the sideline, having kind of a bird's eye view on what we do and guiding us in the right direction whenever we misstep somewhere."
"All the different things, all the different topics we studied, come up in so many different spots," he reflects. "Yeah, it sticks with me forever."
Becoming a GTO Wizard
Renowned for his analytical approach and relentless work ethic, Mullur has recently been named a Team Pro for GTO Wizard, joining an all-star cast of fellow professionals such as Shiina Okamoto and Dan "Jungleman" Cates.
"Preparation and studying, I think, is everything," he says, describing how he tackles a Triton series. "At Triton, you have these polarized fields, with the best in the world and then very successful businessmen who play recreationally. It’s a mix of trying to play close to a solver and playing very exploitative at the same time."
Mullur explains he spends much of his study time on spots where the best in the game are finding those subtle edges.
"If you’ve played millions of hands... there are things you recognize subconsciously that help you make better decisions outside of what a computer might suggest."
"Nowadays, especially with the new features from GTO Wizard, we have things like post-flop ICM and multiway pots. These are the spots where you can really feel the pros putting in a lot of time, and everyone is getting closer to what is optimal."
Yet Mullur is quick to stress that no amount of software can replace human judgment, adding, "Humans are not even close to playing optimally. Most models, like ICM, are flawed in themselves. We’re still far from what is perfect."
"It’s also very important to listen to your gut. If you’ve played millions of hands against hundreds or thousands of opponents, there are things you recognize subconsciously that help you make better decisions outside of what a computer might suggest."
Paradise & Family
If there’s a poker stop outside of Jeju that holds real meaning for Mullur, it’s WSOP Paradise and The Bahamas. Before this September's surge at the Triton Super High Roller Series, the two biggest scores of his career had come at Atlantis, including his breakout win in the GGMillion$ High Rollers Championship in 2023 for roughly $2.7 million.
But his attachment to the place isn’t only about trophies and paydays. "Last time, for the first time, I brought my mom to one of these poker trips and it was in The Bahamas. That was really fun and nice. She was super happy about that," he says.
He plans to keep that family vacation vibe running this year too, adding, "I'm gonna bring my brother and treat this spot as more of a qualify online for the Main Event, have five days off, and then spend time with family."
But he hasn’t taken his eye completely off the poker, saying, "I’m looking forward especially to the Triton events. Triton does such an incredible job of making the playing experience as good as it can be, so yeah, I’m looking forward to it."
Samuel Mullur's Top 5 Career Results
| Date | Event | Finish | Payout |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 2025 | Triton $100,000 NLH Jeju II Main Event | 2nd | $3,509,025 |
| Dec 2023 | WSOPP $25,000 GGMillion$ High Rollers Championship | 1st | $2,736,300 |
| Sep 2025 | Triton $150,000 8-Handed | 6th | $957,000 |
| Dec 2024 | WSOPP $100,000 Triton Main Event | 7th | $650,500 |
| Nov 2024 | Triton $20,000 Mystery Bounty 7-Handed | 2nd | $526,981 |
*Photos courtesy Triton, Drew Amato, Enrique Malfavon & Spenser Sembrat
