Two players won seven-figure sums in the 26th event of the 2024 World Series of Poker, with Nick Schulman and Noel Rodriguez reaching heads-up for a half-million dollar jump and the crucial WSOP gold bracelet. After a devastating final table performance, it was Nick Schulman who bagged the gold and banked a latest winning WSOP Cash of $1.66 million, as Shaun Deeb fell short of his seventh title.
| WSOP 2024 Event #26: $25,000 High-Roller 8-Max NLHE Final Table Results: | |||
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
| 1st | Nick Schulman | United States | $1,667,842 |
| 2nd | Noel Rodriguez | United States | $1,111,897 |
| 3rd | Dean Lyall | United Kingdom | $760,083 |
| 4th | David Stamm | United States | $529,833 |
| 5th | Ben Heath | United Kingdom | $376,762 |
| 6th | Roberto Perez | Spain | $273,414 |
| 7th | Yingui Li | China | $202,574 |
| 8th | Shaun Deeb | United States | $153,302 |
Bumper Field Beats 2023 Total
There were 318 entries in this $25,000-entry High Roller event, which equates to 17 more than the corresponding event in 2023. With a massive prize pool of $7.47 million up for grabs, there were some very big names, there were nine players left when the final table bubble approached, with Sam Laskowitz the victim of Shaun Deeb. All-in with seven-five when short, Laskowitz was crushed by Deeb’s pocket kings as the six-time WSOP bracelet winner knocked out Laskowitz for a score of $118,552.
Deeb himself was the next an to be eliminated, as he left in eighth place for $153,302. That wasn’t before a major hold for Schulman, however, whose pocket queens stayed ahead of Noel Rodriguez’s ace-king to swing the momentum in the eventual winner’s direction.
After a rollercoaster level where he lost to Rodriguez’ trips, then doubled up, Deeb lost his final chips to Dean Lyall. The British player called when Deeb shoved with ace-king, and Lyall turned over pocket sixes. The board of J-5-3-5-T paid off the player with the biggest stack and Deeb headed to register for the next event.
The next elimination was possibly the most vital, as the overnight chip leader Yingui Li lost his stack in seventh to the eventual winner. Li was all-in with king-jack and had the misfortune of being dominated by Nick Schulman’s king-queen. A runout of K-T-9-6-3 sent Li home with $202,574. Soon six players became five, as Roberto Perez’ queen-nine was eliminated after Schulman again called with the dominating hand, this time ace-nine.
Heath Finds No Luck in Fifth
British high-stakes poker boss Ben Heath cashed in fifth place for $376,762. Calling all-in with ace-ten in the small blind when short stacked, the Brit looked good for a double-up when Schulman had shoved pre-flop on the button with ten-six. A flop of K-6-6 changed all that, however, and although Heath hit one ace on the turn, an ineffectual seven on the river meant Schulman led the final four.
Another high roller regular, this time the American David Stamm busted in fourth for $529,833. Again, it was Schulman’s turn to dominate and his queen-five beat Stamm’s ‘Jackson Five’, also known as jack-five. It’s worth remembering at this stage just how experienced Schulman is. In some ways, the American pro has flown under the radar. He does commentary, he’s a very relaxed guy. But the hard work has been put in. The time has been invested.
This classic look back at a WSOP final table with Nick Schulman in conversation with PokerGO’s Remko Rinkema shows exactly how laser-focused Schulman’s reads are on situational poker play:
Joining the ‘Big 50’
“I was fortunate enough to have the kind of golden lane, where [they couldn’t] do anything.”
It was perhaps an anomaly before this event that Nick Schulman’s WSOP bracelet wins have all come in mixed games. He’s a mixed game legend but Schulman’s mastery of NLHE is well documented too. Winning in 2-7 Lowball Draw, Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better and Seven Card Stud in the past put Schulman on the brink of what he has now achieved – becoming the 50th member of the $20 million dollar club in terms of lifetime tournament earnings on The Hendon Mob, currently sitting just below the 2015 WSOP Main Event winner Joe McKeehen.
After Noel Rodriguez took out Dean Lyall in third place, ace-king beating ace-three, play was heads-up and Schulman held a massive 5:1 chip lead. He made it count soon, as a flop of T-8-2 with two clubs prompted all the chips to be pushed into the middle. Rodriguez’ jack-deuce of clubs needed to hit to beat Schulman’s ten-four with the four of clubs and two offsuit sixes meant Schulman was the champion.
“It felt incredible,” Schulman told PokerNews after the event. “[Getting] that set up where there was one big chip leader [is] pretty rare, and a very special setup to find yourself in. I was fortunate enough to have the kind of golden lane, where [they couldn’t] do anything. Even if they know you’re messing around, they still kind of can’t do anything. And that’s the best place to be in at a final table.”
Turning 40 before next year’s Hall of Fame nominations is meaningful to Schulman who admitted that it would be a “tremendous honor” if he were to be considered. “That’s not up to me, but of course, I’m a big sports fan, and Hall of Fame has a great ring to it.”
After his latest domination in a WSOP event, no one would begrudge Schulman’s innate poker skills being recognized on an official basis.