Jan Heitmann

Born in 1976, Jan was actually one of the talented German poker players that emerged before the poker boom happened – not after it. Already into the game whilst he was studying his diploma in Business Administration between 1998 and 2003, Heitmann embarked on a poker trip around Europe once he’d finished his qualification.

He gained recognition after his six-figure score at the £1,500 NLH Main Event at the European Poker Classic in London. As a result of his tournament successes that followed, Jan was appointed by PokerStars as a Team Pro, proudly wearing the patch and representing his country on the live tournament circuit until 2015. As a lover of magic and sleight of hand, his online handle ‘Erdnase’ for the site pays homage to the pseudonym of well-known 20th century magician SW Erdnase.

In 2012, Jan had an extremely lucrative year as a result of two six-figure scores. The first of these came from a deep run in the most prestigious tournament in poker – the WSOP Main Event. Although he wasn’t able to claim the $8,000,000+ prize that was awarded to eventual winner Greg Merson, the German did earn $294,601 for his 26th place finish. The next month, Heitmann triumphed in the €2,2000 GCOP II Main Event in Rozvadov. He could add this trophy to his cabinet that already included accolades from the PCA, CAPT and Bellagio Cup.

These days, Jan focuses more on coaching poker rather than playing it. He offers one-on-one lessons, group sessions as well as seminars and intensive weeks (you can take a look or get in contact with him at his personal website). He also works as a keynote speaker, delivering talks to people about how they can make better decisions in their lives. He currently resides in Munich with his wife and two children.