$10,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better (Event #65)

Nick Schulman is no stranger to the bright lights of poker. The multi-bracelet winner and PokerGO commentator has been a part of final tables at the biggest stage from numerous angles.

On Monday, he added to that acumen becoming the champion of the 2019 World Series of Poker Event #65: $10,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better Championship. Schulman topped a field of 193 entries en route to the first-place prize of $463,670 and his third career WSOP gold bracelet.

The victory was Schulman's first bracelet in seven years. After the tournament, he stated that the game has changed a lot in the meantime: "The last seven years have seen a tremendous influx of new ideas and I've tried to kind of hang along with the game and here we are. I'm better but everybody's better."

If Schulman's statement needed proof, he successfully navigated through a final table that was over half full of previous bracelet winners in addition to last year's runner-up of this same tournament, Michael McKenna.

Final Table Results

Final Table Action

Day 4's final table of seven was reduced by two on the very first hand of play when McKenna was all in from the big blind for 65,000, less than the 80,000 from the first level of play. Corey Hochman chose to get his last two big blinds in on the hand as well and 2005 WSOP champ Joe Hachem called and hit two pair while fading a low draw to score the double elimination, sending McKenna home with $58,918 for his seventh-place finish while Hochman won $77,763 for sixth place.

Just two hands later, Chris Vitch fell running ace-king-four-two into Schulman's aces. Vitch flopped a gutshot draw to Broadway but improved no further and the mixed game specialist was sent home in fifth place earning $104,688 just days after cashing the $50,000 Poker Players Championship.

Denis Strebkov started the day with just 11 big blinds but managed to hang on and ladder up to fourth place. He exited when his flopped top set couldn't hang on against the wrap straight draw of Brian Hastings. Hastings turned the straight and Strebkov failed to improve, leaving the Russian native with $143,700 for his deep run, continuing his impressive summer after having recently taken third place in Event #51: $2,500 O.E. for $89,744 as well.

Hachem fell a short time later and all of a sudden a returning field of seven turned to two before the first break of the day. Hachem's undoing was a combo draw gone wrong, as his open-ended straight draw, flush draw, and low draw on the turn was against Schulman's made straight and a higher flush draw. Hachem would fail to hit his low and was forced to settle for third place and $201,041, coming just shy of adding a second WSOP gold bracelet to his wrist.

Schulman started heads-up play with a more than 2:1 chip lead over Hastings and with almost 116 big blinds between them at the start a deep battle was in the making. Early in Level 28, Schulman had a chance to score the victory when he flopped top set against the middle pair and nut low draw of Hastings. Hastings made his low, however, and the duo battled on. Hastings managed to get a double in Level 29, and by the end of the Level 30, actually took the chip lead for a short period of time.

The biggest hand of the tournament took place in Level 31 when Schulman turned a full house against Hastings' trip tens, and when Hastings failed to improve, he was left with just ten big blinds. He managed one double, but on the final hand of the tournament, Hastings got his last 2.87 million in chips in with ace-six-three-deuce, and Schulman put him at risk with ace-ten-five-four. Neither player managed to improve, resulting in Schulman earning his third bracelet while Hastings took home $286,570 for his runner-up performance.

When asked about the heads-up match afterward, Schulman said it was tough to handle the mental dance between being in a position to put away a super tough opponent and how difficult it is to actually do so. He gave tons of kudos to Hastings for being a super tough opponent and a legend in his own right, on the hunt for his fifth career bracelet. Schulman also acknowledged how tough the entire field was, emphasizing that everybody out there was trying to win.

"It was on my mind but at the end of the day, you have the poker decisions and that's really all we can control so I tried my best to focus on that as much as I can."

Luckily for Schulman, the rest fell into place as well and he claimed the title of Pot Limit Omaha Hi-Lo World Champion as a result.

Nick Schulman raised to 400,000 on the button, and Brian Hastings called in the big blind.

Hastings led out for 500,000 on the     flop, and Schulman potted it to 2.3 million. Hastings folded.

The final two players are off on an unscheduled break.

Nick Schulman	8,710,000	210,000
Brian Hastings	2,870,000	-230,000

Brian Hastings raised to 400,000 on the button, and Nick Schulman called.

Both players checked the     flop, and the   fell on the turn. Schulman bet 600,000, and Hastings flashed the    from his hand before folding. Schulman grinned, then turned over    before pulling in the pot.

Nick Schulman	7,900,000	400,000
Brian Hastings	3,700,000	-400,000

Nick Schulman limped in from the button, and Brian Hastings checked.

Hastings checked the     flop to Schulman, who bet 250,000. Hastings called.

The   fell on the turn, and Hastings checked again. Schulman bet 750,000, and Hastings check-raised the pot to 3.15 million. Schulman jammed for a total of 4.25 million and Hastings called.

Nick Schulman:     
Brian Hastings:     

Schulman's full house just needed to dodge a queen to earn a big double, and the   river did just that.

Nick Schulman	9,600,000	4,400,000
Brian Hastings	2,000,000	-4,400,000

Brian Hastings raised to 400,000 on the button, and Nick Schulman called.

Schulman checked a     flop to Hastings, who bet 300,000. Schulman check-raised to 1.3 million.

Hastings spent a few moments in the tank before announcing, "Pot," which put him all in for his last 4.3 million. Schulman snap-folded.

Brian Hastings	6,400,000	2,000,000
Nick Schulman	5,200,000	-2,000,000

Nick Schulman was in the small blind and opened to 350,000. Brian Hastings three-bet the size of the pot to 1.05 million and Schulman called.

The flop came    . Hastings checked and Schulman fired a pot-sized bet of 2.1 million. Hastings let his hand go.

This hand was the last hand of Level 30 and due to the recent break, the two players are continuing play without taking a break as Level 31 begins.

Nick Schulman	7,200,000	1,400,000
Brian Hastings	4,400,000	-1,300,000

On the first hand back from the unscheduled break, Nick Schulman raised to 350,000 from the small blind. Brian Hastings reraised the size of the pot to 1.05 million and Schulman folded.

On the following hand, Hastings limped from the small blind and Schulman checked his option. The flop came     and Schulman checked. Hastings bet 180,000 and Schulman called.

Schulman checked again on the turn   and Hastings made a bet of 550,000. Schulman quickly found a fold and the pot was sent Hastings' way.

Nick Schulman	7,200,000	-685,000
Brian Hastings	4,400,000	705,000

Brian Hastings limped in from the button, and Nick Schulman checked.

Schulman check-called a bet of 200,000 on the     flop, and Schulman checked again on the   turn. Hastings bet 400,000, and Schulman folded. Hastings showed    from his hand for the wheel before mucking.

Nick Schulman	8,200,000	-500,000
Brian Hastings	3,300,000	400,000

Nick Schulman limped in from the button, then called when Brian Hastings raised to 480,000 in the big blind.

Hastings bet 960,000 on the     flop, then called off his last 1.71 million total when Schulman potted it.

Brian Hastings:     
Nick Schulman:     

Hastings held a low draw and a pair of sevens, while Schulman had a wrap. The   turn secured half the pot for Hastings with his low, and the   river bricked off for Schulman, giving Hastings a full double.

Nick Schulman	7,200,000	-2,600,000
Brian Hastings	4,400,000	2,600,000

Nick Schulman limped in from the button, then called when Brian Hastings raised to 480,000 in the big blind.

Hastings bet the pot for 960,000, leaving himself just 200,000 behind, but Schulman quickly folded.

Nick Schulman	9,700,000	-500,000
Brian Hastings	2,100,000	600,000