Nick Schulman
Nick Schulman is an American professional poker player, eight-time World Series of Poker bracelet winner, World Poker Tour champion and Poker Hall of Fame inductee. He is also one of poker’s most recognisable commentators, combining experience in elite cash games with an ability to explain the decisions behind them.
Known online as “The Takeover,” Schulman announced himself to the wider poker world by winning the 2005 WPT World Poker Finals at 21. Two decades later, he remained a major force across No-Limit Hold’em, Lowball and mixed games.
His career reached another landmark in September 2026, when he won the Triton Jeju II Main Event for 3.854.888 $, the largest tournament payout of his life. The latest indexed Hendon Mob profile available during preparation lists 31.474.814 $ in recorded live tournament earnings.
The numbers capture only part of his place in the game. Schulman’s reputation also rests on the breadth of his skills and the insight he brings to televised poker.
Early Life in New York
Nick Schulman was born on September 18, 1984, in New York City. Before poker became his profession, he spent much of his competitive energy playing pool.
He developed his game at Amsterdam Billiards, a well-known New York venue where experienced players helped shape his understanding of competition. Pool demanded precision, patience and the ability to perform while other people watched.
The transition to poker changed the tools rather than removing the competitive challenge. A pool player can see the balls and plan a sequence of shots. A poker player must make decisions without seeing an opponent’s cards. In both settings, confidence and concentration matter, but poker adds uncertainty at every stage.
Online Poker and The Takeover
Schulman’s early poker development included extensive online play. The internet allowed a young player to gain experience before he could enter many major American casino tournaments.
Under the name “The Takeover,” he became associated with the generation that emerged during the online poker boom. Players could encounter far more hands than in a traditional live game, test ideas quickly and move between stakes as their skills developed.
New York’s underground poker scene also formed part of his early experience. Moving between online and live environments required different kinds of attention: patterns visible across many hands on a screen and the slower, more personal rhythm of a physical table.
The 2005 WPT World Poker Finals
In November 2005, Schulman won the WPT World Poker Finals at Foxwoods in Connecticut. The 10.200 $ event attracted 783 entries, and the 21-year-old earned 2.167.500 $.
At the time, he became the youngest winner of a WPT event. It was a dramatic arrival on the televised tournament circuit, where the poker boom had created large audiences and increasingly substantial prize pools.
The result gave Schulman both financial opportunity and immediate visibility. A young online player had demonstrated that he could compete successfully against established live professionals in a major championship.
The victory was more than a promising debut. It became the starting point for a career that would extend well beyond the No-Limit Hold’em tournaments that first made him famous.
Returning to Foxwoods and the Battle of Champions
Schulman nearly repeated his Foxwoods success in 2007, finishing second in the World Poker Finals for 864.652 $. Returning to the same major event and reaching heads-up play again strengthened the impression created by his first victory.
He also won the WPT Battle of Champions IV in 2006. That invitational event should be distinguished from his open-field World Poker Finals championship when comparing title records.
These early results established his place on the circuit, but his later career would show that the original breakthrough did not define the limits of his game.
A Lowball Championship Specialist
Schulman won his first WSOP bracelet in 2009 in the 10.000 $ No-Limit 2-7 Draw Lowball Championship. He returned to win the same championship in 2012 and again in 2025.
The format rewards a very different hand from Hold’em: players seek the lowest qualifying five-card combination, with straights and flushes counting against them. A single draw creates difficult decisions about what to discard, when to stand pat and how to interpret an opponent’s action.
Winning the championship three times made Lowball one of Schulman’s defining tournament disciplines. It also demonstrated that his reputation did not depend only on the two-card game that had introduced him to television audiences.
Eight World Series of Poker Bracelets
Schulman’s bracelet collection includes No-Limit Hold’em, No-Limit 2-7 Draw, Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo, Seven Card Stud and H.O.R.S.E. His victories span both Las Vegas and WSOP Paradise in the Bahamas.
| Year | Event | Prize |
| 2009 | 10.000 $ No-Limit 2-7 Draw Lowball Championship | 279.751 $ |
| 2012 | 10.000 $ No-Limit 2-7 Draw Lowball Championship | 294.321 $ |
| 2019 | 10.000 $ Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo Championship | 463.670 $ |
| 2023 | 1.500 $ Seven Card Stud | 110.800 $ |
| 2024 | 25.000 $ No-Limit Hold’em High Roller | 1.667.842 $ |
| 2024 | WSOP Paradise 5.000 $ The Closer — NLH Turbo Bounty | 145.000 $ |
| 2025 | 10.000 $ No-Limit 2-7 Draw Lowball Championship | 497.356 $ |
| 2026 | 1.500 $ H.O.R.S.E. | 183.366 $ |
The 2009 payout follows The Hendon Mob and GPI figure of 279.751 $; some historical results pages list 279.742 $.
Winning Across Different Games
Schulman’s 2019 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo bracelet added a split-pot discipline to his championship record. In 2023, he won a Seven Card Stud event, further extending his range.
These games ask players to evaluate very different information. Omaha Hi-Lo requires attention to both halves of the pot, while Stud involves tracking exposed cards and understanding how they change possible holdings.
Success across formats therefore means more than learning additional hand rankings. It requires adjusting the entire decision process. Schulman’s bracelet record provides concrete evidence of that versatility.
A Major Hold’em Victory in 2024
In June 2024, Schulman won the WSOP 25.000 $ No-Limit Hold’em High Roller for 1.667.842 $. The event attracted 318 entries and gave him his fifth bracelet.
The victory had particular significance because Hold’em was his original tournament breakthrough game. He had become famous for his Lowball and mixed-game skills, but this result demonstrated continued success against a substantial modern high roller field.
Later that year, he won The Closer at WSOP Paradise for 145.000 $. Two bracelets in one year accelerated a period of renewed championship success.
The Eight-Hour Battle Against Darren Elias
Schulman’s seventh bracelet came in the 2025 WSOP 10.000 $ No-Limit 2-7 Draw Lowball Championship. He defeated a record field of 233 entries and earned 497.356 $.
The final confrontation with Darren Elias lasted nearly eight hours. A long heads-up match in a technical draw game tests concentration as much as knowledge, with both players repeatedly revisiting similar situations under changing stack conditions.
Schulman eventually prevailed to claim his third title in the championship. The win arrived shortly before another major honour: selection for the Poker Hall of Fame.
An Eighth Bracelet in H.O.R.S.E.
In June 2026, Schulman won the 1.500 $ H.O.R.S.E. event for 183.366 $. He outlasted 780 entries and defeated Canada’s Clayton Mozdzen heads-up.
H.O.R.S.E. rotates through Limit Hold’em, Omaha Hi-Lo, Razz, Seven Card Stud and Stud Hi-Lo. The changing games make it difficult for a player to rely on strength in only one discipline.
The victory gave Schulman a bracelet in a fourth consecutive Las Vegas WSOP summer. His championship record continued growing after his Hall of Fame induction rather than ending with it.
Triton Success and a Career-Best Payout
Schulman won his first Triton title in Jeju in 2018 in a 13.000 $ Short Deck event, earning 271.974 $. Eight years later, he returned to the same destination for a much larger victory.
On September 16, 2026, he won the 100.000 $ Triton Jeju II No-Limit Hold’em Main Event. The tournament attracted 196 entries and generated a prize pool of 19.600.000 $.
Schulman defeated Bernhard Binder heads-up after the pair agreed a deal. His final payout was 3.854.888 $, while Binder collected 3.080.112 $. The adjusted amounts should be distinguished from the originally advertised first prize.
The title brought his largest recorded cash and his second Triton championship, connecting his earlier Short Deck success with a premier modern Hold’em event.
Nick Schulman’s Biggest Tournament Payouts
Selected major results show how Schulman’s tournament career has developed across the WPT, WSOP, Triton and Poker Masters. The Jeju payout reflects the heads-up deal.
| Year | Tournament | Result | Prize |
| 2026 | Triton Jeju II 100.000 $ NLH Main Event | 1st | 3.854.888 $ |
| 2005 | WPT World Poker Finals | 1st | 2.167.500 $ |
| 2024 | WSOP 25.000 $ NLH High Roller | 1st | 1.667.842 $ |
| 2019 | WSOP 100.000 $ NLH High Roller | 3rd | 1.187.802 $ |
| 2017 | Poker Masters 50.000 $ NLH — Event 1 | 1st | 918.000 $ |
| 2007 | WPT World Poker Finals | 2nd | 864.652 $ |
| 2025 | WSOP 10.000 $ NL 2-7 Draw Championship | 1st | 497.356 $ |
High-Stakes Cash Games and the PokerGO Tour
Tournament results are the most visible part of Schulman’s record, but high-stakes cash games have also been central to his professional reputation. The WSOP’s Hall of Fame announcement recognised his presence in some of the largest Las Vegas games.
Cash-game results are not comprehensively recorded in public databases. Tournament earnings therefore cannot provide a complete account of his poker career or a verified estimate of his wealth.
On the PokerGO Tour, he has also won events in both Hold’em and mixed formats. These smaller elite fields offer frequent opportunities to compete against familiar opponents, where adjustment and detailed observation become especially important.
One of Poker’s Most Recognisable Voices
Schulman began broadcasting with PokerGO in 2015 on Super High Roller Cash Game. His commentary work later included the WSOP, Super High Roller Bowl and other major televised events.
In January 2023, PokerGO announced him as Gabe Kaplan’s replacement on High Stakes Poker. He joined A.J. Benza from the second episode of Season 10.
His appeal comes from the connection between playing experience and explanation. A commentator must discuss possible decisions without reducing every hand to an obvious answer supplied by visible hole cards. Schulman brings the perspective of someone who continues facing those decisions himself.
His delivery also leaves room for humour and the personalities at the table. Technical analysis can help viewers understand the game while still allowing a broadcast to feel like a live contest.
Playing Style, Maturity and Family Life
Schulman’s public manner is often understated, but calm delivery should not be confused with a passive approach to poker. His results across high rollers and mixed games require both technical judgement and the willingness to take calculated risks.
In a 2024 interview with PokerGO, he discussed improving his emotional relationship with competition and learning to perform without being paralysed by the possibility of mistakes. That account presents maturity as part of development rather than age alone.
The same interview described him as married with a daughter. He acknowledged the value of a major payout for family life while continuing to emphasise the satisfaction of competing successfully.
Playing and commentary remain connected parts of his career. The broadcast booth provides another outlet for his knowledge, while his results show that he remains an active competitor.
Poker Hall of Fame Induction
Schulman was selected for the Poker Hall of Fame in 2025, at 40. His record already combined major tournament titles, high-stakes cash-game respect and a substantial contribution to poker broadcasting.
The induction recognised a career rather than a single statistic. Winning across several variants strengthened his playing credentials, while commentary made his knowledge accessible to a much larger audience.
His eighth bracelet and career-best Triton cash followed in 2026. Those achievements demonstrate why the honour should be understood as recognition of an ongoing career.
The Poker Legacy of Nick Schulman
Nick Schulman connects several parts of modern poker. He emerged through online play, broke through on the televised WPT, developed into a Lowball and mixed-game champion, and became an influential voice on poker broadcasts.
His career also illustrates how a player’s strongest years can extend far beyond an early breakthrough. The 21-year-old Foxwoods champion became a Hall of Famer who continued winning major events in his forties.
Eight WSOP bracelets and a Triton Main Event title provide measurable achievements. His broader contribution comes from the combination of playing skill and clear analysis: competing at the highest level while helping viewers understand what makes that level demanding.
Career statistics checked in October 2026 against the latest indexed records available during preparation. Recorded earnings represent gross tournament prizes and exclude private cash-game results.