The elite tier of the tournament world has a serious problem. Nick Schulman is convinced he is only now entering his prime.

I dedicate a lot of my life to the game, I feel like I am just getting into my prime, I don’t want to be the delusional sort of games player hanging on, but I can feel it, that I’m finally starting to kind of come into my own a little bit

Just one year after his induction into the Poker Hall of Fame, the 41-year-old poker professional and broadcast commentator proved the voters right. Schulman navigated a field of 780 entries in Event #37: $1,500 H.O.R.S.E . at the 2026 World Series of Poker (WSOP) , locking up his eighth career gold bracelet and a top prize of $183,366.

The victory keeps an incredible summer streak alive, marking the fourth consecutive year that Schulman has won a tournament title at the annual series.

The Masterclass by Nick Schulman

The mixed-game tournament brought a highly experienced field to the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas , creating a total prize pool of $1,035,450. When the final 14 players returned for the deciding day of play, Schulman found himself in the middle of the pack while Canada’s Clayton Mozdzen held the chip lead.

The early levels of the afternoon saw cautious play, with the short stacks gradually hitting the rail. Popular professionals like Bart Hanson and Philip Sternheimer missed out on the official final table, setting up the final eight players to battle for the bracelet.

#37 $1,500 HORSE ($1,500)

Total Prize

$1,035,450

Entries

780

ITM

117

#	Payout	Player	SPI
1	$183,366	NS Nick Schulman United States of America	3,069.44
2	$122,206	CM Clayton Mozdzen Canada	2,170.42
3	$84,397	JN Jonathan Nebbout France	1,772.14
4	$59,324	JB Joe Brindle United Kingdom	1,534.72
5	$42,455	MW Mike Wattel United States of America	1,372.69
6	$30,944	RS Raymond Smego Barranco United States of America	1,253.09
7	$22,978	KG Kent Gugelman United States of America	1,160.14
8	$17,390	WK William Klevitz United States of America	1,085.21
9	$13,418	RC Ryan Caskey United States of America	1,023.15

Check the 117 Payouts & Results ...

Trading Chips at the Final Table

Schulman entered the final table with the chip lead, but the mixed-game format quickly caused the chips to rotate. France’s Jonathan Nebbout briefly took control of the leaderboard after winning a massive four-way pot in Razz.

Jonathan Nebbout poker — Jonathan Nebbout

The turning point for Schulman arrived after Kent Gugelman exited in seventh place. Schulman won a massive, direct confrontation against Nebbout to reclaim the top spot.

From there, the veteran commentator took over the table momentum, personally knocking out Joe Brindle in fourth place and sending Nebbout to the rail in third to establish a massive 5-to-1 chip lead going into heads-up play.

Turning a Set Into a Cardboard Box

Despite the wide chip gap, Mozdzen put up a fierce 90-minute fight and managed a few double-ups. Ultimately, it took a massive cooler in Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo to bring the tournament to a close.

Mozdzen was dealt three of a kind with pocket twos, a massive starting advantage that looked locked to secure him a double-up.

He moved his chips into the middle, and Schulman called with a collection of spades. Mozdzen’s set stayed ahead all the way until seventh street, where Schulman caught a spade on the final card to complete a winning flush, ending the tournament on the spot.

When a Plan Accidentally Comes Together

With eight bracelets now to his name, Schulman is quietly climbing into the historic ranks of the game, though he claims he isn’t losing any sleep over the leaderboard. He openly admitted that the 2026 WSOP Player of the Year race doesn’t motivate his schedule because he lacks the endurance to blindly chase it, though he wouldn’t turn it down if it “accidentally happens.”

As for catching up to the all-time records, Schulman remains realistic but highly competitive. While passing Phil Hellmuth’s towering record of 17 WSOP bracelets isn’t an active goal, the newly minted Hall of Famer joked that if he manages to get close enough, he just might have to go after him.

There’s no target number [of bracelets], but it’s certainly not surpassing Hellmuth. That’s just not on my mind… But, you know, if we get close, I might have to get his ass.

All quotes and photos courtesy of WSOP.