Nick Schulman clinched his third title of the year. This seasoned poker pro, boasting a World Poker Tour championship and four World Series of Poker bracelets, emerged victorious from a challenging field of 40 participants in the PGT Mixed Games II $10,200 triple stud tournament, which offered a prize pool of $144,000.
This triumph propelled Schulman’s career tournament earnings to an impressive $16.8 million. At the age of 39, this renowned poker player and frequent PokerGO commentator has accumulated 190 live tournament wins since his groundbreaking $2.1 million victory in the 2005 WPT World Poker Finals, securing a total of 13 titles along the way.
In the year 2023, Nick Schulman reached ten final tables, amassing an impressive 2,730 Card Player Player of the Year points. His achievements included securing his fourth WSOP title during the summer by winning a $1,500 stud event, netting $110,800. In September, he emerged victorious in a $25,000 no-limit hold’em event at the Poker Masters festival, adding another $374,000 to his winnings. With over $1.1 million in year-to-date Player of the Year earnings, Schulman has climbed to the 74th spot in this year’s Player of the Year race standings presented by Global Poker.
Furthermore, Schulman’s latest victory brought him within reach of the top 40 in the season-long PGT points race. The top 40 players in the final standings will secure a spot in the $1 million freeroll PGT Championship taking place in December. Following this win, he currently occupies the 42nd position, adding 144 points to his overall score. In the PGT Mixed Games II standings for the series, he is placed fourth with a total of 167 points.
The triple-stud event encompassed a mix of stud, stud eight-or-better, and razz poker variants. It spanned two days of intense competition before a champion emerged. The top six finishers shared the $400,000 prize pool, with notable players such as Ryan Miller, Damjan Radanov, Chino Rheem, and Adam Friedman making their exits inside the money on the first day.
The final day commenced with John Racener, a bracelet winner and the 2010 WSOP main event runner-up, holding 3,475,000 chips compared to Schulman’s 2,525,000. Racener initially extended his lead, but Nick Schulman managed a crucial double-up in a hand of stud, making a remarkable comeback. After narrowing the gap further during the stud round, Schulman took the lead with a substantial razz pot, securing an 8-7-5-3-A low.
The decisive hand of the tournament unfolded in a razz round. Racener pushed all his remaining chips into the pot with (A♣9♦4♥J♠5♣), while Schulman held (9♥6♥2♥J♣3♠).
Nick Schulman improved to a nine low with the 7♥ on sixth street, while Racener failed to improve with the K♣. The 9♣ on the final card didn’t alter the outcome for Schulman, while Racener ended up with a jack low that he had formed by fifth street. With that, Racener finished in second place, earning $96,000 for his performance, bringing his career tournament earnings to nearly $11.6 million.
