Why Nick Schulman Should Be Inducted into the 2025 Poker Hall of Fame

The heads-up match against Darren Elias in the $10K 2-7 Single Draw Championship lasted eight hours

The tournament drew 233 entries. Schulman faced one of the best players without a WSOP bracelet, Darren Elias, in the final duel. The heads-up lasted eight hours, and at one point, Schulman was close to giving up:

In the end, Nick Schulman came out on top and took home $497,356. Darren Elias earned $336,421 for his runner-up finish.

This is the seventh WSOP bracelet of Schulman’s career — three of them have come in the $10K 2-7 Single Draw Championship.

Nick Schulman’s WSOP Bracelets:

• 2009 — $10K No-Limit 2-7 Lowball Draw Championship ($279K)
• 2012 — $10K No-Limit 2-7 Lowball Draw Championship ($294K)
• 2019 — $10K PLO8 Championship ($463K)
• 2023 — $1.5K Seven Card Stud ($110K)
• 2024 — $25K NLHE High Roller ($1.66M)
• 2024 — $5K The Closer WSOP Paradise ($145K)
• 2025 — $10K No-Limit 2-7 Lowball Draw Championship ($542.5K)

Will Nick Schulman be inducted into the 2025 Poker Hall of Fame?

We can’t say for sure, but his chances look quite strong. WSOP has opened public voting, where anyone can nominate a player — as long as they meet the following criteria:

• Respected by Peers – Must have played against acknowledged top competition
• Age of Experience – Must be at least 40 years old at time of nomination
• High Stakes Experience – Must have played for high stakes
• Consistent Excellence – Must have played consistently well and earned peer respect
• Legacy That Lasts – Must have stood the test of time
• Shaped the Game – For non-players: contributed to poker’s growth and success in a meaningful, lasting way

Nick Schulman meets all of these standards. He’s played against the best. He turned 40 last year. He competes at the highest stakes, including in cash games. He’s been playing consistently well for over 20 years — and still going strong.

Nick Schulman never planned to become a poker pro — it just happened

Nick Schulman was born on September 18, 1984, in New York City. His first passion wasn’t poker, but pool — which he discovered at age 11. He spent every day hanging out at Amsterdam Billiards near his home, played in the US Open, and started gambling on pool at age 14. He was so obsessed with pool that he dropped out of high school and got his GED instead.

Schulman discovered poker by chance. At 16, he traveled to a pool tournament in Scranton, Pennsylvania. The tournament didn’t go well — he busted on the very first day. He stuck around and joined a Sit & Go NLHE game right there in the pool hall. He won — and instantly fell in love with the game.

From age 16 to 18, he played online on UltimateBet and PokerStars under the nickname “The Takeover.” From 18 to 21, he played poker up to 15 hours a day.

At the same time, he started playing live in underground poker clubs around New York.

His biggest early success came by accident. In 2005, Schulman decided to take a shot at live MTTs. He entered the $10K WPT Borgata — and busted. Then in November, he went to Foxwoods to play mixed game cash. The trip wasn’t going well, but on a friend’s advice, he played a satellite, won a seat, and then won the entire tournament — cashing for $2,167,500.

But after that huge score, Schulman fell into depression. He had money and fame but felt no happiness. Within a year, he burned through his winnings by loaning money to near-strangers, betting on sports, and investing in questionable ventures.

Eventually, he started over — and it worked. In 2007, he finished 2nd in the $10K WPT Foxwoods for $864K. That win helped him begin putting his life back together and never look back.

Today, Nick Schulman is still a force at the tables — and one of the best commentators in poker.