The Austrian-German poker school centred around Fedor Holz has been reaching the highest levels of world poker year after year, and Samuel Mullur has recently taken another important step. After years of online experience, the youngster, just 26-years-old, made his way to the Bahamas, where he sailed through a field of 533 entries in the huge $25k GGMillion$ to a $2,726,300 prize pool. We had the chance to talk to Samuel, and you can check out the German's full interview in our Spadecast here:

(The video is in German, so we recommend you turn on the automatic subtitles)

You come to the tournament with different feelings, in different moods. Often not only about poker. How did you feel when you went to the Bahamas?

"That's a good question. I put a lot of emphasis on emotions, and the state of mind I'm in. I didn't feel special in any way. What was different this time was probably that weeks or months before I decided to focus more on the high stakes live tournaments. Compared to the previous live events, I was better prepared and wanted to gain experience there. But I didn't go in with the feeling that I was going to win something. It wasn't until the second day of play that I tried practicing the new meditation, and by then I was feeling it. I felt good during the tournament, probably more because of this meditation than because of the expectations before."

Was there any hand or moment in the tournament where you thought you could make it really far?

"During the second day, just before the first break, I remembered that particular meditation from Elliot Roe (poker mindset coach). He released a special meditation at the WSOP. I listened to it during the break and liked it, so I listened to it during every break after that. It helped me focus and feel good. I didn't discuss hands during breaks, I just switched off for a few minutes."

What's the meditation called? Well, let everyone know which one helps you win!

"I think "Maximize your break". Elliot Roe had a whole separate meditation category for the WSOP."

And as far as hands go, can you think of a breakout one?

"I was short for most of the tournament. The huge flip was playing blind versus blind at the final table when I won AKo against pocket tens. At that point, the last six players were at the final table and I was in the small blind. I had a stack of about 44 bb and Klemens Roiter in the big blind was the only one covering me, by about two blinds. The other players had considerably less than that at the time. I went all in, he called, and a king came on the turn. So that's when I won a gigantic pot and took a substantial lead."

What thoughts went through your head after winning a pot like that? Were you also thinking about the prize awaiting the winner?

"It may sound like a cliché, but for me money is not that crucial. It's more about making the right decision for me. Since it was quite a complex spot, I thought about that decision even more than the fact that I won such a big pot."

Let's move on to heads-up. Were you nervous or did you feel comfortable?

"I've played against the player I faced in heads-up quite a bit since the second day of play. I think I had a pretty good feel for him and I was confident against him. It was quite a grind, heads-up lasted almost three hours. I've never played a live heads-up that long, let alone for such a big win. It's tough, three hours of looking each other in the face, trying not to show anything while reading your opponent and adjusting to that. It was both very interesting and incredibly exhausting at the same time. But I enjoyed it nonetheless, I felt that I was gaining new experience by doing it. And it was also nice to get some good reads."

Could you share some of those reads with us?

"Yes, there were a few. He often shuffled the chips with his right hand and always froze in certain situations. When the flop came and he froze, I could assume what thoughts were probably going through his head. And that then affected my strategy. I also watched his breathing, in some situations he was breathing very hard. At one point I missed I think four time banks to observe his breathing and analyze if I should call with the king on the ace high board. That's when it was confirmed for me. And there were other moments. But you have to look at the big picture and try to put yourself in the person's shoes, how they're probably thinking based on what they're doing and saying. And solving that puzzle was something I really enjoyed, I've never done it at that level before, for that long and that intensely. It was a great experience for me."

What were your first impressions and thoughts the moment you achieved the win?

"I wasn't thinking much at that moment. I was in a kind of trance, but at the same time it was a relief after those hours of trying to sit there with a straight face and not give anything away. I remember the first moment when I was holding the trophy and I had to smile for the photo. My whole face started to shake a bit then from the previous tension that I hadn't even realised I was feeling like that during the game. And the best part was when my friends ran up to me afterwards and wanted to hug me, it was unbelievable."

What advice would you give to players who want to take their game to another level? What helps you personally?

"I think the most important thing is patience. You need to work through the downswings and the mental states that come with it. As I mentioned at the beginning, I'm a big fan of meditation and invest a lot of time in personal growth. I'm trying to develop myself in the area of spirituality. But these are things I'm not forcing on anyone, I can only say that it helps me personally to succeed. Having inner peace regardless of the results. Mental coaches also help me in this, I work with Steven Baker for example, who is a disciple of Elliot Roe. I'm also lucky with the people around me, I talk very openly with my friends. I think that helps as well, to have people around you that you can talk openly about your feelings with. That can play a role in times when things aren't going well."

What are your next poker plans?

"I'll probably fly to Paris for the EPT, I want to play the Main Event and High Roller tournaments there. After that, my goal is to play as many of the bigger high stakes live tournaments as possible. But it depends on how well I'm prepared, how I feel, and also what the people I'm working with say. I'll decide based on my current frame of mind and form. I don't usually think too far into the future, I don't really have a fixed plan for next year."

Sam, thanks for a great interview!