NEWS
Andrew Robl's stunning fold in the latest episode of High Stakes Poker has reignited the poker community's debate about the "best high-stakes fold of all time." This article compares two classic second-best folds by Robl and Doug Polk, analyzing which one is more impressive.
Ten years ago, Fedor Holz delivered one of the most dominant year-end performances in poker tournament history; ten years later, the German high-stakes legend no longer maintains that high-frequency playing pace, but he still returns to the tables in a few top-tier events. During the 2026 PokerStars EPT Barcelona, Holz appeared in the €100,000 EPT Super High Roller and gave an interview to PokerNews, discussing his current situation, his legendary 2016 season, and whether today's high-stakes players can replicate his phenomenal success. At 23, he amassed over $16 million in cash in a single season, creating a historic performance. In 2016, Fedor Holz was only 23 years old, yet he accumulated over $16 million in live tournament winnings. PokerNews points out that at the time, no tournament player had achieved such a high amount of live tournament winnings in a single year, although this record has since been broken several times. More importantly, this $16 million was not accumulated from a single mega-prize. Starting with EPT Monte Carlo, Holz achieved numerous six-figure finishes, followed by a summer of intense competition at the highest level, creating a rare period of high-stakes dominance. Fedor Holz's representative results in 2016: Super High Roller Bowl runner-up ($) $3,500,000; WSOP One Drop champion ($) $4,981,775; EPT Barcelona Super High Roller champion ($) $1,473,127. The Super High Roller Bowl title was won by another German star, Rainer Kempe, leaving Holz as runner-up and earning $3.5 million. He then won the WSOP One Drop, earning $4,981,775, and then went on to win the EPT Super High Roller in Barcelona, earning $1,473,127. Can Holz replicate his 2016 run today? Ten years later, the high-stakes landscape has changed significantly. When asked if it's possible for modern poker players to replicate his 2016 year-end performance, Holz believes it's not impossible. He observes that there are more high-stakes tournaments now than a decade ago, meaning top players have more opportunities to achieve big results; however, the skill gap between players has narrowed, making it more difficult to maintain a significant lead. Overall, he still believes there's a chance to see similar year-end rallies again in the future. This reflects the duality of the modern High Roller environment: more tournaments, more prize money opportunities, but also a smaller skill gap between top players. Ten years later, life is completely different: married, focused on family.
The 2026 CPG Sanya Grand Finals ushered in another crucial day of competition. The "Shede Liquor" 14th Anniversary Commemorative Tournament, which had previously reached the final nine, concluded with Zhao Hui staging a remarkable comeback from a mid-table position to claim the championship. Meanwhile, the most anticipated Main Event of the tournament officially commenced, with 1,636 players participating in Day 1A, and 616 advancing to the next round. After Day 1A of the Main Event, Sun Wei led the 616 advancing players with 333,000 chips, becoming the first starting chip leader. Zhao Hui started fifth in the final table, staging a remarkable comeback. The "Shede Liquor" 14th Anniversary Commemorative Tournament had already completed a large-scale elimination, with the final nine players entering the Final Table. Before the final table began, Li Youkan led the leaderboard with 3,650,000 chips, while Zhao Hui held 2,300,000 chips, entering the final competition in fifth place. Starting chip count at the 14th Anniversary Commemorative Tournament Final Table: 1. Li Youkan 3,650,000; 2. Wang Chenxi 3,325,000; 3. He Chengxiao 3,075,000; 4. Huang Weiwei 2,625,000; 5. Zhao Hui 2,300,000. (Note: Some names of other final table players are in smaller font in the image; details not reliably identifiable are omitted.) Compared to the leader, Zhao Hui did not have a significant chip advantage entering the final table. However, as the tournament progressed, she successfully weathered round after round of eliminations and ultimately overtook the leader in the final stages. Zhao Hui emerged victorious, lifting the championship trophy of the CPG Sanya Grand Finals "Shede Wine" 14th Anniversary Commemorative Tournament. From mid-table to champion, Zhao Hui's comeback in the final table of the nine-player Final Table meant that the increasing prize money and ever-rising blinds meant that every large pot directly impacted the rankings. Zhao Hui started from fifth place and did not gain a chip lead from the outset. This is precisely why she was able to fight her way through from nine players to the end, making her 14th Anniversary Championship title even more of a "comeback" story. With Zhao Hui's victory, this important event specially set up for CPG's 14th anniversary officially concluded, and the focus of the series shifted entirely to the annual Main Event. CPG Main Event Day 1A kicked off with a bang, with 1,636 players entering the same day, marking the start of the first round of Group A of the CPG Sanya Grand Finals Main Event. As the core event of the entire series, the Main Event started with a massive lineup of participants. According to the original data, Day 1A had: CPG Main Event Day 1A Data: Number of Players: 1,636; Number of Players Advancing: 616; Chip Leader: Sun Wei; Chip Leader: 333,000. Footage from the event showed a large number of tables operating simultaneously, marking one of the most intense competitive phases since the start of the series. 616 people advanced, with over 1,636 players eliminated in the first round, making it to Day 1A. Ultimately, only...
