Over the past two decades, German player Dietrich Fast has become a tournament crusher in live poker events. Winning millions in the game and capturing a WSOP bracelet in his home country back in 2015, Fast has become a household name in the poker industry and is a principled and highly respected professional. We spoke to the PokerStake player about his well-known early mentor, how poker could improve and where his future in the game lies.

⁠A Life as a Pro

“Because of my outgoing nature, I met tonnes of people as a semi-pro then as a pro.”

Dietrich has had tremendous success in live events and the German player enjoys interacting with other players on the tour. He credits his ability to do this early in his time in poker as helpful to his development.

“In my case it helped me a lot,” he says. “Because of my outgoing nature, I met tonnes of people as a semi-pro then as a pro. These players helped me become a better poker player, but also helped with bankroll management and mental problems that every player struggles with in their beginning.”

Dietrich is known for being direct in his manner but a very friendly player to meet at the poker felt. He’s often the one cracking jokes around the table and this reporter has seen him charm his tablemates in their entirety during major tournaments. He’s firmly of the belief that others helped with this aspect of his personality.

“I got a lot of help, and I should say a special shoutout to Doug Polk. It’s only because of my nature that I got to know so many characters in the industry.”

In recent years, Dietrich has experienced virtually every live poker tour. He credits two in particular for holding the gold standard in the industry.

“The Triton Poker Series and PokerStars are doing really good jobs. They’ve distanced themselves from the rest of the industry in terms of execution and how professionally they run the tournaments,” he says. “WPT is trying hard but it’s very difficult to keep up if you let other casinos use your brand. They have to meet the WPT standards which often doesn’t work out so smoothly. When I see dealers and staff who are at very high standards and executing it well and by the rules, this is what I like.”

A Change of Mind

“It taught me to second guess myself and be more open minded to other opinions.”

Over the past five years, poker has entered then emerged from a global pandemic. Since then, the live game has become bigger than ever before, but the enforced period away from the felt in a bricks-and-mortar cardroom taught Dietrich something more profound than how great poker is.

“The biggest ‘aha’ moment I had was during COVID when opinions and conspiracy theories were around. Everyone was very short-sighted and only focusing on their beliefs. I was very harsh on one side and tried to be very strict. Now, in poker terms, I learned the game since 2005 and with every year the ocean of potential knowledge gets deeper and deeper.”

After almost 20 years, finding out that he didn’t know everything about the game he had become a professional in was an eye-opener.

“You’d think that if someone is in an industry for 20 years trying to improve, they’d know it all. I’d say I don’t know a lot of the information out there – and that possibly applies to all players. It taught me to second guess myself and be more open minded to other opinions, not to be to stubborn about my own biased view on things.”

To Dietrich, improving the standards in the game are of vital importance. He sees the overall improvement of poker for players as the ultimate ambition.

“I like professional industry standards and what Triton and PokerStars set as that standard, I’d like to see everywhere. I’m very vocal about fairness and exploitable situations. When I play in smaller tournaments, I try to look out for improvements wherever I go to help and support – in a kind way.”

Success and PokerStake

“When I have a low, I think back about to the time between 2005 and 2010 when I wasn’t a poker professional.”

Dietrich has become a flagbearer for tournament poker but it’s his past that often motivates him to keep playing and winning.

“When I was starting out I was an amateur, like most people who play poker. I really wanted to become a poker player, working very hard to become a professional. Often, when I have a low, I think back about to the time between 2005 and 2010 when I wasn’t a poker professional. I get a little spark and I go again and try to figure it out and get better.”

In the last couple of years, Dietrich has spent a lot of time ‘in the lab’ online, trying to move up the stakes. He believes he’s ready to show his opponents how he has changed his game.

“Now I just want to prove it myself and others who thought I might have lost it. I want to go out and crush and dominate,” he says.

Part of the poker environment that has changed considerably in the past few years is in the staking world. PokerStake has come along at the right time for many players, Dietrich included. He sees a reliable, safe way to buy and sell poker action as the ‘cornerstone of every tournament poker player’.

“If you are a real estate co and you’re not leveraging your projects then you’re doing it wrong,” Dietrich explains. “The expected value of real estate is very low but if you’re able to get a loan, you’re leveraging your capital. You’re making between 10-20% on your capital. I see myself as the company in poker and every professional should. Staking creates a win-win situation for others. Being able to make money when finding spots where there is EV, poker players can leverage their capital.”

“Poker Has Never Been Easier.”

“If you’re smart, you can very quickly move up the stakes.”

Dietrich has spent two decades learning the game and is still improving even today. Having worked incredibly hard to win at poker, he believes he’d find it easier to learn today than he would years gone by.

“People think it’s harder because there’s do much more to learn but it’s out there. We were running sims for days in 2017 and there were no sims in 2013. We’d just talk, try to avoid mistakes or copy each other. It seemed like back then it was easier to become professional but there wasn’t much information out there. Now if you’re smart, you can very quickly move up the stakes. It’s easier than ever – I know players who have played for two or three years and already playing high stakes.”

Some players have an ‘escape route’ for poker, but to us, Dietrich doesn’t seem the type. The German professional turns 40 in June, so is this period the start of a new era, or can poker live alongside real life going forward?

“I have a new partner and we are mid-term planning a family,” Dietrich reveals. “Lots of things will change and I won’t have as much time for poker and travel as much as I used to. I’d think I’ll focus on this for the next couple of years until I have a family then I’ll try to find other things which excitd me but I can stay at home and support my family.”

You can follow Dietrich Fast’s progress and invest in his tournament entries yourself – such as the forthcoming Triton Jeju festival – by heading to his dedicated PokerStake staking page. Life in the Fast lane has never been so good.