Karlsruhe's Maximilian Senft draws parallels between poker career and coaching football
New Karlsruhe head coach Maximilian Senft has a clear strategy in mind as he eyes a return to the Bundesliga - while drawing on some unconventional experience along the way.
The 36-year-old replaced Christian Eichner, whose six-year stint in charge came to an end following the culmination of the 2025/26 Bundesliga 2 campaign.
Four days after the final matchday, Karlsruhe unveiled Senft as Eichner’s successor. Stepping into a challenging role, the Austrian tactician is driven by a “new footballing philosophy".
In concrete terms, the Vienna native says that amounts to a “high-intensity style of play involving a great deal of sprinting”.
With the signings of Shio Fukuda, Moritz Broschinski, Deniz Ofli, Santeri Väänänen and Viktor Bergh, Karlsruhe have overhauled their squad ahead of 2026/27.
As such, Senft believes they can establish themselves as one of Germany’s top 20 clubs by 2030. “I’m absolutely convinced that this is possible within four years,” he told Austrian outlet APA.
His statement was echoed by Karlsruhe club president Holger Siegmund-Schultze: “We are certain that we can reach a new level with our head coach. Personally, I’m even certain that by the end of this chapter, we will be playing in the Bundesliga.”
Keen to draw on his experience as a professional poker player, Senft believes there are parallels between the two sports.
The Austrian believes the most important lesson he took from his poker days is “not to judge the quality of my decisions based on the results".
At the poker table, it's possible to lose despite having the better starting position, “even though you made a smart decision,” continued Senft, who finished 11th at the 2014 World Series of Poker in Las Vegas at the peak of his career, winning $565,000 (approximately €489,700) in prize money.
In football, similar situations exist. A “low-scoring game” is strongly influenced by chance, for example. While acknowledging that football is ultimately a results-driven business, “it’s crucial not to be guided by these results and the emotions they generate,” he said. “That’s something that’s also very, very important in poker.”
Opening 2026/27 with a home game against Arminia Bielefeld on Saturday 8 August, Senft was careful when stating his goals for the upcoming campaign: “The aim for the first few weeks is to deliver consistent results while simultaneously growing into our philosophy.
“I see it as a huge privilege, but also as a challenge that I’m up to."
