'End Boss territory': Nick Schulman wins 7th bracelet in heads-up slug fest

"I've never felt like if I lose heads-up or come in second that it's all good, you know, but this guy is just... He's super tough and just a great guy. I wouldn't be surprised if he wins a tournament every summer for the next six years."

Schulman kept his feet off the table this year.

The End Boss

It was the same old story for Schulman, who has become a legitimate End Boss at the series. His last four WSOP wins were against a player who was seeking their first bracelet, and each of them were sent to the door. 

In 2023, Schulman outlasted Andrew Hasdal, a realtor from Chicago who took him to the brink in the $1,500 Stud event. The champ entered heads-up play with a big advantage, but Hasdal fought Schulman into the late hours at Horseshoe before he bowed out. 

The following summer, Schulman picked up bracelet number five and his largest WSOP score in the $25K High Roller against Noel Rodriguez. Rodriguez has over $3.5 million in earnings, according to The Hendon Mob, but his runner-up run-in with Schulman is the closest he has ever gotten to WSOP gold. 

Nick Schulman picked up more than $1.6 million for his $25K High Roller win.

Later on in 2024, Schulman picked up number six in the $5K Closer at WSOP Paradise in The Bahamas. This time it was Ren Lin who tried to win his first bracelet, but he was just another rest stop on the road to history for the End Boss. 

Which brings us to Elias, perhaps the best player in the world without a WSOP bracelet. He has run to third in this event twice (2017 and 2019) with several other WSOP final table finishes. This was the closest Elias has gotten to a WSOP win, but he's going home empty-handed, too. 

"It's all kind of crazy," Schulman said. "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. And I guess it was the biggest no-limit deuce tournament ever. It's just no surprise that he was there."

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Lowball evolution

The largest 2-7 Single Draw Championship ever may have also signaled a shift in the game's strategy, with a noticeable difference when the final table jumped to a livestream on Tuesday night. 

Anecdotally, there were several big folds and a lot less bluffing. It was uncharacteristic for a game that is normally played from the edge of your seat.

"There are theoretical ideas that have entered the landscape," said Schulman, when asked about the changing meta. "Some of the older moves are a little bit dated just in so far as there's been a merging of the game with tournament strategy. That is such a hot topic."

It's an open conversation, Schulman said. "If you have 10 great players in a room or 10 players period, they have very differing viewpoints on it."

Schulman is Hall of Fame eligible this year at the age of 40.

Players with expertise in tournaments are now clashing with players that know single-draw deuce, he explained. "Like (Alex) Foxen, for example, is just so great at tournaments. It feels like he could almost play any poker game because he just gets the dynamics of the table."

Regardless of the evolving strategic landscape, Schulman is still on top of the deuce world. He is now Hall of Fame eligible, and we still have two-thirds of the WSOP yet to play. There is a very good chance we have not heard the last of the seven-time champ at the 2025 WSOP. 

2025 $10K 2-7 NL Single Draw Championship final table results

^{Additional images courtesy of Rachel Kay Winter/WSOP.}