Nick Schulman’s 2025 induction into the Poker Hall of Fame already felt like a career milestone—but if anyone thought that meant a victory lap, Schulman had other plans.
Fresh off capturing his seventh World Series of Poker bracelet last year, the 41-year-old added yet another line to his résumé by taking down the 2026 PGT Mixed Games $10,000 Eight-Game event. Schulman outlasted an 84-entry field to pocket $235,200, earning his eighth career PokerGO Tour title and pushing his lifetime tournament winnings to just under $25.3 million.
The win also carried significant leaderboard implications. Schulman picked up 480 Card Player Player of the Year points, vaulting him inside the top 20 of the 2026 POY race, while 235 PGT points moved him into third place in the season-long PokerGO Tour standings. Not bad for February.
The Schulman Show Rolls On
Once nicknamed “The Takeover” during his early years on the circuit, Schulman lived up to that moniker once again inside the PokerGO Studio. He entered the second and final day in the middle of the pack, with Nicolas Milgrom leading the final seven.
Milgrom stretched his edge early when his A♦K♣ held against the A♠Q♠ of Jesse Klein, who exited in seventh for $33,600. Schulman soon made his presence felt, scoring his first knockout when pocket aces cracked Walter Chambers’ pocket tens (6th – $42,000).
From there, momentum swung decisively. During five-handed play, Schulman seized control after winning a massive Omaha eight-or-better pot—turning aces full of queens against the flopped aces full of eights held by Qinghai Pan. Pan made a disciplined fold on the river but still surrendered a hefty chunk of chips, while Schulman surged into the lead.
Seven-time bracelet winner Scott Seiver was the next casualty, bowing out in fifth place ($58,800) during a round of deuce-to-seven triple draw after failing to improve beyond 10-8-4-3-2. After grinding through more than 100 minutes of five-handed action, the tournament suddenly accelerated.
Milgrom fell in fourth ($79,800) after his 8-7-5-4-3 was edged out by an 8-6-4-3-2. Schulman had broken a made 10-8 correctly and was rewarded with the winning six on the end—another spot where experience paid dividends.
Closing the Door
European Poker Tour champion Dzmitry Urbanovich made his final stand in no-limit hold’em, getting his last 17 big blinds in with A♠9♣ against Schulman’s A♦Q♣. The board ran queen-high, sending Urbanovich to the rail in third place for $109,200.
Heads-up play began with Schulman holding roughly a 4:1 chip advantage over Pan, and the gap only widened. The final hand came in Omaha eight-or-better on a board of 10♠7♣6♠A♣. Pan held Q♦Q♣7♥5♥, but Schulman’s K♣5♠3♠2♦ had the low locked up and plenty of outs to scoop. The K♦ on the river sealed it, giving Schulman both halves of the pot and the title.
Pan collected $151,200 for second place, marking his second podium finish of the series after a third-place result in the $10,000 T.O.R.S.E. event the day before. He now sits second in the series points race, with career earnings climbing past $2.3 million.
Final Table Results
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Nick Schulman — $235,200 (480 POY / 235 PGT points)
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Qinghai Pan — $151,200 (400 / 151)
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Dzmitry Urbanovich — $109,200 (320 / 109)
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Nicolas Milgrom — $79,800 (240 / 80)
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Scott Seiver — $58,800 (200 / 59)
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Walter Chambers — $42,000 (160 / 42)
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Jesse Klein — $33,600 (120 / 34)
With another dominant mixed-game performance in the books, Schulman continues to prove that Hall of Fame status isn’t the finish line—it’s just another checkpoint.
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