The World Series of Poker is rich in history, and hyperbole can occasionally overstate the impact of a moment. But on Wednesday night, following four long days of competition and a heads-up battle for the ages, Nick Schulman entered one of the rarest pantheons poker has to offer.
Schulman won the 2025 WSOP $10,000 no-limit deuce-to-seven single draw championship, capturing that particular title for the third time in his career. To do so, Schulman played Darren Elias heads-up for nearly eight consecutive hours, with no dinner break, before finally closing out his seventh career WSOP bracelet. The 40-year-old poker pro hailing from New York is just the 13th player in history to have earned as many titles at the series.
The first-place prize, worth $497,356, is the largest ever awarded in a deuce-to-seven tournament. Schulman outlasted a record-setting field of 233 in this event, adding to an illustrious list of career highlights that also includes winning this event in 2009 and 2012. He also finished second in this tournament in 2015 and fifth in 2011.
Schulman now has nearly $23.8 million in recorded tournament earnings to his name. In addition to his incredible record at the series, he also boasts a World Poker Tour main event title, having won the 2005 WPT World Poker Finals at Foxwoods for nearly $2.2 million.
Reflecting On History
After Schulman’s third victory and fifth career final table in this particular tournament, he reflected on his dominance in no-limit deuce-to-seven single draw.
“I’ve just been around so many great players, and I’ve just just kind of seen them all,” said Schulman. “It’s my favorite game to play. And I think anytime you’re doing something that you’re really enjoying, it’s, you know, it’s good.”
For Elias, it was a tough end to another incredible run of his own in this specific event. Previously, he had finished third in the $10,000 no-limit deuce-to-seven championship in both 2017 and 2019. Remarkably, the record-holding four-time World Poker Tour champion had never even been heads-up for a WSOP bracelet before Wednesday’s war of attrition against Schulman.
Bittersweet finish in 2nd for $336k after 8 hour HU match. Big congrats to @NickSchulman. pic.twitter.com/oBgPjnmQoI
— Darren Elias (@DarrenElias) June 12, 2025
Even though Schulman emerged with the victory, he was effusive in his praise for Elias’ performance. In the aftermath of the exhausting battle they had shared, Schulman got choked up as he recounted the moment they shared.
“Darren is kind of the best at this game, you know?” Schulman said. “I mean, it was really an honor to play with him. I feel a little bit emotional about it, just because I’ve never felt like, if I lose heads up or come in second, like it’s just, it’s all good, you know? Because this guy is just, he’s super tough and just a great guy, you know.”
“I wouldn’t be surprised if he wins a tournament every summer for the next six years,” Schulman continued. “It’s all kind of crazy. It became very crap-shooty at the end, but that’s real end-boss territory. I’m honored to somehow come out on top, against him, in the biggest no-limit deuce tournament ever. And it’s just no surprise that he was there.”
How It All Began
This $10,000 championship event wasn’t even scheduled to reach a fourth day, let alone stretch deep into the night Wednesday. Play was paused on Tuesday night with six players left and Elias in the lead. Within the first hour of play on Wednesday, the field was cut in half to three. Schulman dispatched Dan Smith in sixth by making a seven-six low and an eight-seven low in consecutive hands.
Chad Eveslage eliminated four-time bracelet winner Ben Yu in fifth place. Eveslage was dealt a ten-eight low, Yu a ten-nine, and they both ultimately declined to draw any cards.
Oscar Johansson was the next to go, and this time Elias did the dirty work. Elias drew one card to a jack-five-four-three, while Johansson drew one to try to improve his nine-six-four-three. Elias pulled a nine, while Johansson drew a jack, and in a tough showdown Elias won because his third-highest card was best, a five to Johansson’s six.
Despite a solid standing three-handed, very little went right for Eveslage from there on out. A little over an hour into three-handed play, Evelage shoved all-in from the button and Schulman called in the big blind. Schulman’s nine-seven-six-three was ahead of Eveslage’s 10-six-five-three, and when Schulman pulled an eight, Eveslage was drawing dead despite pulling his best possible card, a deuce. The three-time bracelet winner and two-time WPT champion earned $231,321 for his podium finish.
A Battle Begins
Schulman quickly opened a lead of more than 2-to-1 over Elias. But just 15 minutes into the match, Elias seemingly put himself into the driver’s seat. After an Elias raise, Schulman three-bet and Elias four-bet, both players drew one card. Schulman pondered his choices and eventually put Elias all-in. Elias looked at his cards and quickly called, turning over an eight-seven low. It trumped Schulman’s ten-seven, and suddenly Elias was up by a margin of 2.5-to-1.
There would be no runaway victory on this day, though. Schulman and Elias battled for every single pot for hours on end, as each player took substantial leads on multiple occasions, only for the other to fight back to level ground.
Darren Elias. Credit PokerGO / Enrique Malfavon.
It took until almost six hours into heads-up play for the second all-in and call. Elias was on the edge of victory, drawing one card to a potential wheel with seven-four-three-deuce. Schulman had a strong draw of his own with eight-five-three-deuce. Ultimately, Elias paired his three, and despite only doing slightly better by drawing an ace, Schulman secured a crucial double to go up by more than 3-to-1.
Within short order, Elias took down five big pots and retook the lead, culminating in a big call with a queen-jack low. Schulman extended a lead again, only for Elias to find a double when his jack-ten low faded a Schulman draw at a seven-six.
They traded the lead back and forth, neither yielding an inch, until the final hand manifested in short order.
After Schulman raised, Elias reraised all-in and Schulman quickly called. Schulman, acting first, stood pat. Elias drew one card. It was all for naught. After an absolute marathon of perpetual clashes, the final hand ended anticlimactically. Schulman’s made ten-eight low had Elias’ draw at a ten-nine drawing dead.
A Legacy Extended
There was plenty of history to go around for Schulman in the aftermath of his win. He became just the seventh player in WSOP history to win the same event three times. That club also includes Johnny Moss and Stu Ungar (WSOP main event), Brian Rast and Michael Mizrachi ($50,000 Poker Players Championship), Adam Friedman ($10,000 dealers choice) and Billy Boyd (five-card stud).
With seven career WSOP bracelets, Schulman joined Benny Glaser in reaching the all-time top 10 in the early stages of the 2025 WSOP. Schulman won two WSOP bracelets in 2024, in a $25,000 no-limit hold’em high roller in Las Vegas and a $5,000 no-limit hold’em event at WSOP Paradise.
And on top of all his WSOP accolades, Schulman’s win, worth 960 Card Player Player of the Year points, puts him in the upper echelon of the race. This is Schulman’s second victory of 2025, joining a PokerGO Tour Last Chance win in early January, among 12 POY-qualified final table appearances.
With most of those final tables coming at the PokerGO Studio, Schulman’s win on Wednesday, worth 497 PGT points, put him at No. 1 in the season-long PGT standings.
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Payout | POY Points | PGT Points |
| 1 | Nick Schulman | $497,356 | 960 | 497 |
| 2 | Darren Elias | $336,421 | 800 | 336 |
| 3 | Chad Eveslage | $231,321 | 640 | 231 |
| 4 | Oscar Johansson | $161,721 | 480 | 162 |
| 5 | Ben Yu | $114,989 | 400 | 115 |
| 6 | Dan Smith | $83,179 | 320 | 83 |
| 7 | Daniel Negreanu | $61,231 | 240 | 61 |
Winner photo credit: WSOP / Rachel Kay Winter.
