![Austria [AUT]](/flags/1x1/at.svg "Austria [AUT]"){kind=small}
Manuel Fritz is an Austrian professional poker player with more than $8.1 million in recorded live tournament earnings. Based in Vienna and known online as "BigFudge95," Fritz has become a regular in major High Roller and Super High Roller fields, with significant results across the Triton Poker Series, World Series of Poker, World Poker Tour and Asian Poker Tour.
Career Earnings & Biggest Results
According to The Hendon Mob, Manuel Fritz has $8,178,885 in recorded live tournament earnings and ranks inside the top 10 on Austria's All-Time Money List.
His career-best result came in December 2025 at WSOP Paradise, where he finished third in the $100,000 Triton NLH Main Event for $2,311,000.
The event attracted 237 entries and generated a $23.7 million prize pool, with Aleksejs Ponakovs taking the title ahead of Pedro Padilha and Fritz.
The result capped a strong 2025 season on the Triton Poker Series. Fritz finished fifth in the $30,000 8-Handed event at Triton Jeju for $467,000, then added another fifth-place finish in the $50,000 7-Handed event at Triton Jeju II for $504,000.
His High Roller results continued throughout 2026.
At Triton One Jeju 2026 at LES A Casino, Fritz finished fourth in the $15,000 High Roller for $466,000.
He remained in South Korea for the Triton Super High Roller Series Jeju S5, recording further cashes including $162,000 for 10th in the $60,000 8-Handed event.
Fritz also enjoyed a successful spell in Cyprus during August. He finished fifth in the $25,000 Onyx High Roller Series Main Event for $320,000, before finishing runner-up in the WPT Cyprus Chamada High Roller for $81,000.
Back in Jeju, Fritz recorded three cashes during the Triton Super High Roller Series Jeju II, including seventh in the $25,000 8-Handed for $130,000 and 26th in the $100,000 Main Event for $192,000.
His first APT title followed at APT Jeju 2026.
Fritz topped 119 entries in the KRW 7.5 million Baby Superstar Challenge, earning KRW 166,930,000 (~$123,650). The tournament generated a record KRW 799,680,000 prize pool and was the largest Baby Superstar Challenge held by the APT in South Korea.
He followed that result at the KPC Series October 2026, also at LES A Casino. Fritz finished fourth in the $25,000 Single Day Super High Roller for $97,600 before taking eighth in the $60,000 King's Super High Roller for another $150,000.
Biography & Poker Background
Fritz represents Austria and is based in Vienna.
His poker background began online and in smaller live tournaments while he was studying economics and business administration in Vienna.
Fritz started with low-stakes Sit & Go tournaments on PokerStars before gradually moving into larger online MTTs under the screen name "BigFudge95."
In 2020, he won a PokerStars Platinum Pass through a MegaPath satellite, becoming the first Austrian player to qualify through the promotion.
The same year, Fritz won the SCOOP $1,050 Progressive KO Thursday Thrill Special Edition. He defeated a 1,047-entry field and collected $137,497 including bounties, one of the biggest online results of his early career.
His live tournament results date back to 2017, initially centered around Europe.
Fritz's live schedule expanded significantly over the following years, with appearances at the World Series of Poker, European Poker Tour, World Poker Tour and major High Roller festivals.
His move into the highest buy-in tournaments accelerated from 2024 onward before a breakout 2025 season produced several major Triton final tables and his $2.31 million WSOP Paradise result.
Fritz has since become particularly active in Asia, with Jeju featuring prominently on his schedule across Triton, APT and KPC festivals.
Play Style & Strategy
There is limited detailed public strategy material from Fritz, so it would be inaccurate to define his entire game through labels such as "GTO-heavy" or assign specific strategic tendencies without supporting evidence.
His background as a successful online MTT player does provide extensive experience in No-Limit Hold'em, while his live results show that he is comfortable competing across a wide range of High Roller structures and field sizes.
His APT Jeju victory provided a recent example of his tournament experience.
Fritz reached the final five of the Baby Superstar Challenge with 5,120,000 chips, almost twice the stack of his nearest rival. He ultimately converted that position into his first APT title.
Earlier during the festival, one live-reported hand saw Fritz move all in over a flop check-raise while holding top pair, putting his opponent to a decision for his tournament life. The call came from a weaker pair and Fritz held to secure the double.
Rather than relying on broad assumptions about his strategy, Fritz's results show a player who has successfully moved from online MTTs into some of the largest live High Roller and Super High Roller fields in poker.
Social Media & Online Presence
More information about Manuel Fritz's poker career and tournament results can be found through the following links:
About the Editor
Zoe Chang is Somuchpoker's Live Content and Tournament Analyst, covering live poker festivals across Asia Pacific and writing the site's SPI Score player ranking series, tracking results and rankings across markets including Hong Kong, Japan, the UK, the US, India and Australia.