button in SafariNick Schulman Heads-Up Against Chess Master for Eighth WSOP Bracelet
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Nick Schulman is just one elimination away from adding another chapter to his already glittering World Series of Poker career after making it to heads-up in Event #8: $1,500 Badugi.
Should Schulman close it out, he would become an eight-time WSOP bracelet winner, joining Shaun Deeb, Michael Mizrachi and Benny Glaser in one of poker's most exclusive clubs.
The tournament attracted 554 entries and generated a prize pool of $735,435. With only two players remaining, each finalist has locked up $94,607 while $141,963 is set aside for the champion.
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Can Chess Master Withstand Schulman?
Schulman will have to overcome chess master Michael Casella, who holds a healthy chip advantage. Casella has a FIDE rating of 2,045, the international rating system used to measure chess strength, making him the 624th-ranked player in the United States. He also holds the title of FIDE Master.
Casella has a commanding 3:1 chip lead into heads-up play, holding 10,655,000 to Schulman's 3,195,000.
The 2025 Poker Hall of Fame inductee enters heads-up play as the short stack, but few players would relish seeing him on the other side of the table with a bracelet on the line.
A victory for Schulman would continue one of the most remarkable runs in modern WSOP history. He is chasing a bracelet in a fourth consecutive summer and a fifth bracelet since 2023.
Scott Seiver was also in pursuit of his eighth bracelet in the event, but fell in third place for $62,920.
Final Day Action So Far
Ten players returned for the Badugi finale, and it took only 15 minutes for the final table of seven to be set. Among the early casualties were 25K Fantasy Draft selections Yuri Dzivielevski and Jon Turner, while Kyle Arora fell in eighth place to leave the remaining seven players battling for the bracelet.
Walter Chambers became the first final table elimination when his 3♥2♠A♦ was unable to improve against the made jack of Stephan Nussrallah.
Casella then seized further control of the table by decimating Nussrallah, and Seiver finished the job a few hands later with a queen badugi. Seiver soon added another knockout to his tally, making a nine badugi to send Brant Hale to the rail in fifth place.
Meanwhile, Schulman found himself on the ropes at one stage with just four big bets remaining. The Poker Hall of Famer fought back and secured his seat in the final three when his queen badugi held against Australia's Gary Benson, setting up a three-handed battle with Casella and Seiver for the bracelet.
Casella soon left Seiver on fumes, and Schulman collected the rest to put the tournament into heads-up.
$1,500 Badugi Final Table Payouts
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $141,963 | ||
| 2 | $94,607 | ||
| 3 | Scott Seiver | United States | $62,920 |
| 4 | Gary Benson | United States | $42,815 |
| 5 | Brant Hale | United States | $29,824 |
| 6 | Stephan Nussrallah | United States | $21,279 |
| 7 | Walter Chambers | United States | $15,560 |
