Fedor Holz Reflects on a Challenging 2021: A Year of Losses and Lessons

Poker pro Fedor Holz has shared a candid reflection on his challenging 2021, a year marked by significant losses and valuable lessons learned. Holz lost approximately $1.4-$1.5 million in 2021, with his personal loss around $700,000 after accounting for sold stakes in some tournaments.

One of the key factors Holz highlighted was the volume of play. In 2014-2015, he played around 4,500-5,000 online tournaments, but in 2021, he played only about 500 tournaments. This drastic reduction in volume contributed to the high variance he experienced.

Holz's average buy-in in 2021 was approximately $3,500, with many of his tournaments in the $10,000 and $5,000 range, as well as several $25,000 events. His expected ROI for the year was around 5%, ranging from 0% to 12%. Despite the challenges, Holz won around $2 million in 2020, highlighting the volatility of poker earnings.