NICK SCHULMAN WINS $10,000 POT-LIMIT OMAHA HI-LO 8 OR BETTER

New York's Schulman collects $463,670 in Event #65 win, moves over $3.3 million in lifetime WSOP winnings


1 July 2019 (Las Vegas) – New York's Nick Schulman has collected the third WSOP gold bracelet of his career by winning Event #65 of the 2019 World Series of Poker, $10,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better.

Schulman topped an elite 193-entry field in this event to add a third title to those he previously earned in 2009 and 2012. His winner's payday of $463,670 boosts his career WSOP earnings, in 44 total cashes, to $3,324,473.

Schulman's final foe in this event was another multiple-bracelet winner, Fort Lauderdale, Florida's Brian Hastings. Hastings' run at a fifth career bracelet instead became a near miss, though he still earned $286,570 as the Event #65 runner-up.

2005 WSOP Main Event champion Joe Hachem made a deep run here but also fell short of his own long-second bracelet. Hachem, a Lebanese national and long-time Australian pro, placed third for $201,041.

Moscow, Russia's Denis Strebkov placed fourth in Event #65, earning $143,700. This was Strebkov's second final-table result of the 2019 WSOP, and it came in just his third career WSOP cash. Arizona's Chris Vitch, a two-time bracelet winner in stud events, finished fifth to earn $104,688.

Schulman's win ends a seven-year mini-drought since his last bracelet victory in 2012, and he admitted the games have changed in recent years. He said, “It's a lot different for me and I think it's a lot different for everybody. The last seven years have seen a tremendous influx of new ideas. I've tried to hang along with the game... and here we are. I'm better, but everybody's better.”

Schulman dominated the early levels of Day 3 as the short-stacked players busted, yet this final turned into an extended duel between he and runner-up Hastings. At one point Hastings took down a huge pot to grab the lead, but Schulman landed a double-through just a few hands later to re-take the lead, and he held it the rest of the way.

“That's the way it goes,” he said, acknowledging that PLO8 can make some hand-playing decisions virtually automatic, especially when increasing blinds come into play. “We both didn't have too many chips, all things considered. You lose three or four hands in a row, and the swings are big. It's really part of the game. It was a normal heads-up match, I'd say."

Schulman posted this win fresh from providing live-stream commentary for Phil Hui's win in the recently completed $50,000 Poker Players Championship, and he said that his time behind the mic has helped improve his own play even more.

“I don't know where I'd be,” he said, about his commentary gigs. “Watching some of those guys navigate the high rollers, and preparation for commentating in general, I'm grateful for it.

“I've watched a lot of poker. To win it right after commentating the $50K kind of makes sense. It's a great reminder: Watch these streams if you're trying to learn. Watch. Analyze. And play along. It's one of the best ways to get better outside of playing.”

Event #65 began with 193 entries and played all the way down to Monday's seven-player live-streamed final after a weekend's worth of play. Bryce Yockey (eighth, $45,551) and Ryan Miller (ninth, $35,950) logged official final-table appearances but were eliminated late Sunday night.

Monday's finale began with a bang, or, more specifically, a double bustout. In the very first hand, Corey Hochman (sixth, $77,763) and Michael McKenna (seventh, $58,918) both busted in a hand against Joe Hachem. Hochman and McKenna were both extremely short, having just outlasted Yockey into Monday, and they were all in before the flop with Hachem. The three showed these hands:

Michael McKenna –     
Corey Hochman –     
Joe Hachem –     

Each player caught a piece of the     flop, though Hachem led and moved farther in front with the   turn. A   river was a blank all around, leaving two seats empty just a couple of minutes into the day.

Just two hands later, Vitch hit the rail as well. His ouster came after a pre-flop raising war against Schulman that left Vitch all in with      to Schulman's     . The no-low         board gave Vitch a gutshot-straight draw but no other hope, and when the straight didn't fill he headed off to collect $104,688 for fifth.

Russia's Strebkov busted in fourth for $143,700 after gettng his last chips in after a     flop but running into a better hand by Hastings. Strebkov was all in for about 1.1 million with      while Hastings had     . Strebkov's set went unimproved on the   turn and   river, but that eight gave Hastings a straight and a better low for the scoop and the knockout.

Hachem's hopes of ending a 14-year bracelet drought ended when he busted for third, worth $201,041. Hachem's bustout came in a hand where all three remaining players saw a     flop, then checked and saw a   turn as well. Here Schulman checked, Hachem bet 550,000, Hastings folded, Schulman check-raised to 1.8 million and Hachem called in for less. Hachem had      while Schulman showed     . Schulman had the high half locked up with his Broadway straight, and Hachem needed a new low card for a chop. Instead, the river was the  , and he was out in third.

Schulman began heads-up play against Hastings with roughly a 2:1 lead, and the two parried for several hours to decide the matter. Schulman expanded his edge early before Hastings stormed back, only to see Schulman land his big double to reestablish control.

After a couple of chopped all-in pots, the end came in a hand where Schulman opened to 400,000, Hastings re-potted to 1.2 million, Schulman announced another pot-sized raise, and Hastings called off his last 2.87 million. The two turned up their cards, with Schulman showing      to Hastings'     . An     flop hit neither player directly but offered plenty of outs to a better low for Hastings, but a   turn and   river made the board a complete blank and left Schulman's ace-ten as the best playing high, for the win.

Event #65, $10,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better, drew 193 entries and built a $1,5090,400 prize pool. 29 players cashed and a min-cash was worth $15,237.

Among those making the money in this event were Connor Drinan (10th, $35,950), Darryll Fish (13th, $23,863), Leif Force (14th, $23,863), Andrey Zaichenko (16th, $20,088), Dylan Wilkerson (18th, $17,295), Randy Ohel (19th, $17,295), Scott Bohlman (26th, $15,237), and Steven Wolansky (29th, $15,237).

Click here for Full Results.
Click here for live updates from Event #65.

Final-Table Payouts:

1st: Nick Schulman, $463,670
2nd: Brian Hastings, $286,570
3rd: Joe Hachem, $201,041
4th: Denis Strebkov, $143,700
5th: Christopher Vitch, $104,688
6th: Corey Hochman, $77,763
7th: Michael McKenna, $58,918
8th: Bryce Yockey, $45,551
9th: Ryan Miller, $35,950