2017 Poker Masters

Event #1 $50,000 No-Limit Hold'em
Day: 2
Event Info

2017 Poker Masters

Final Results
Winner
Winning Hand
ak
Prize
$918,000
Event Info
Buy-in
$50,000
Prize Pool
$2,550,000
Entries
51
Level Info
Level
28
Blinds
60,000 / 120,000
Ante
120,000

Event #1 $50,000 No-Limit Hold'em

Day 2 Completed

Nick Schulman Wins Poker Masters Event #1: $50,000 NLHE for $918,000

Level 28 : 60,000/120,000, 120,000 ante
Nick Schulman - 2017 Poker Masters Event 1 Winner
Nick Schulman - 2017 Poker Masters Event 1 Winner

The first event of the inaugural Poker Masters is in the books, and Nick Schulman finished as the first winner in this five-event series.

By claiming a $918,000 prize, Schulman takes the early lead in the Poker Masters competition, which will see the player with the best results (highest total earnings) throughout all five tournaments (four $50,000 buy-in tournaments capped by a $100,000 freeze out finale) – win The Poker Masters Purple Jacket™.

Schulman, who has been lauded for prior commentary on PokerGO, has been on a heater this year. Back in August, he won the Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open $50,000 Super High Roller for $440,000, meaning he’s now won two $50K events in five weeks.

With the second-largest score of his career, Schulman, a World Poker Tour champ and two-time World Series of Poker bracelet winner, vaulted to over $10 million in lifetime earnings,

Event #1: $50,000 NLHE Final Results

PlaceWinnerCountryPrize
1stNick SchulmanUSA$918,000
2ndMatt HymanUSA$561,000
3rdStefan SchillhabelGermany$306,000
4thSteffen SontheimerGermany$204,000
5thDominik NitscheGermany$178,500
6thKoray AldemirGermany$153,000
7thAdrian MateosSpain$127,500
8thDaniel NegreanuCanada$102,000

Event #1: $50,000 NLHE began with 51 entries, but after Day 1 the field was whittled down to the final table of seven. They returned on Thursday to play down to a winner, and it didn’t take long for things to heat up.

Early on Spain’s Adrian Mateos fell to the short stack and jammed from the hijack holding queen-jack. Dominik Nitsche called from the small blind with pocket sixes, and while Mateos paired his jack on the flop, a six on the turn put the final nail in his coffin.

In the very next hand, Koray Aldemir tried to squeeze with a three-bet shove holding nine-eight of spades in the big blind, but Steffen Sontheimer sniffed it out and called with the queen-ten of spades out of the small blind. Aldemir flopped a pair, but Sontheimer had an open-ended straight draw, which he hit with an ace on the river.

It took a while for the next elimination to occur, but it happened when a short-stacked Nitsche moved all in holding five-six suited and failed to get there against the ace-three suited of Sontheimer. Not long after that, Schulman and Sontheimer played a big pot where the latter bluffed the river on a four-diamond board but Schulman sniffed it out and called off with the {10-Diamonds}, a call that vaulted him into the chip lead.

Not long after, Schulman finished off Sontheimer, and in the very next hand dispatched the last German in the field, Stefan Schillhabel. It happened in a cooler hand when Schillhabel picked up pocket queens only to run them smack dab into the kings of Schulman.

That allowed Schulman to take 4.2 million chips into heads-up play against Matt Hyman, who had a stack of 2.295 million. The match proved to be a back-and-forth affair with both players swapping the chip lead on multiple occasions.

Eventually, the blinds and antes put pressure on both players, and with Schulman in the lead he got it in with ace-king against Hyman’s ace-eight suited. Hyman flopped a flush draw, but he missed it to give Schulman the win.

The first event of the Poker Masters has come to an end, but already Event #2: $50,000 NLHE is underway. The PokerNews Live Reporting Team is providing complete coverage from that tournament, which you canfollow by clicking here.

Tags: Nick Schulman

Matt Hyman Eliminated in 2nd Place ($561,000)

Level 28 : 60,000/120,000, 120,000 ante
Matt Hyman - 2nd Place
Matt Hyman - 2nd Place

Heads-up play proved to be a back-and-forth affair, and it was only fitting that the last hand was a big sweat.

It happened when Matt Hyman raised to 310,000 with the {a-Diamonds}{8-Diamonds} only to have Nick Schulman three-bet all in with what would turn out to be the {a-Spades}{k-Hearts}. Hyman called off for 2.27 million and once again he was way behind.

However, he's bounced back time and again from similar spots, and it looked like he might do it again when the {q-Spades}{7-Diamonds}{5-Diamonds} flop gave him a flush draw.

Fortunately for Schulman, this time his opponent didn't get off the hook as the {5-Spades} blanked on the turn followed by the {A-Clubs} on the river.

Player Chips Progress
Profile photo of Nick Schulman us
Nick Schulman
6,375,000
3,075,000
3,075,000
WSOP 5X Winner
WPT 2X Winner
Profile photo of Matt Hyman us
Matt Hyman
Busted

Tags: Matt HymanNick Schulman

"This Just Might Not Be Mine to Win"

Level 28 : 60,000/120,000, 120,000 ante

Nick Schulman simply moved all in and Matt Hyman called off for 1.62 million.

Hyman: {j-Hearts}{10-Spades}
Schulman: {k-Diamonds}{2-Diamonds}

Once again Schulman got it in good only to fall behind on the flop, this time when it came down {8-Clubs}{7-Hearts}{j-Diamonds}.

"This just might not be mine to win," a frustrated Schulman said. The {9-Clubs} turn left him drawing dead and he sent over some chips after the {3-Diamonds} was run out on the river.

Player Chips Progress
Profile photo of Nick Schulman us
Nick Schulman
3,300,000
-1,395,000
-1,395,000
WSOP 5X Winner
WPT 2X Winner
Profile photo of Matt Hyman us
Matt Hyman
3,120,000
1,440,000
1,440,000

Tags: Nick SchulmanMatt Hyman

Matt Hyman Cracks Aces

Level 28 : 60,000/120,000, 120,000 ante

Nick Schulman just limped holding the {a-Hearts}{a-Clubs} and then snap-called when Matt Hyman shoved his last 900,000 with the {k-Spades}{q-Hearts}.

The title looked to be Schulman's, but alas it slipped his grip once again after the board ran out {9-Spades}{k-Clubs}{j-Diamonds}{10-Hearts}{6-Diamonds} to give Hyman a straight and the double.

Player Chips Progress
Profile photo of Nick Schulman us
Nick Schulman
4,695,000
-420,000
-420,000
WSOP 5X Winner
WPT 2X Winner
Profile photo of Matt Hyman us
Matt Hyman
1,680,000
420,000
420,000

Tags: Nick SchulmanMatt Hyman

Nick Schulman Back in the Lead

Level 28 : 60,000/120,000, 120,000 ante

With 620,000 in the pot and a flop of {j-Clubs}{3-Spades}{8-Hearts}, both players checked and the {8-Spades} was put out on the turn. Matt Hyman, who held the {j-Diamonds}{9-Diamonds}, bet 500,000 and Schulman just called with the {8-Diamonds}{7-Clubs}.

Hyman then bet 1.4 million on the {9-Hearts} river and Schulman called to win the pot and retake the lead.

Player Chips Progress
Profile photo of Nick Schulman us
Nick Schulman
5,115,000
2,270,000
2,270,000
WSOP 5X Winner
WPT 2X Winner
Profile photo of Matt Hyman us
Matt Hyman
1,260,000
-2,270,000
-2,270,000

Tags: Nick SchulmanMatt Hyman

Level: 28

Blinds: 60,000/120,000

Ante: 120,000

Matt Hyman Doubles

Level 27 : 50,000/100,000, 100,000 ante

Nick Schulman moved all in from the button and put the pressure on Matt Hyman, who called off for a little over 900K.

Hyman: {9-Hearts}{8-Clubs}
Schulman: {j-Clubs}{10-Diamonds}

Hyman needed help and he got it on the {6-Hearts}{8-Diamonds}{2-Spades} flop. Neither the {7-Diamonds} turn nor {6-Spades} river helped Schulman and he sent over some chips.

Player Chips Progress
Profile photo of Nick Schulman us
Nick Schulman
4,400,000
-950,000
-950,000
WSOP 5X Winner
WPT 2X Winner
Profile photo of Matt Hyman us
Matt Hyman
1,950,000
950,000
950,000

Tags: Nick SchulmanMatt Hyman

Nick Schulman Doubles Through Matt Hyman

Level 27 : 50,000/100,000, 100,000 ante

Matt Hyman raised to 300,000 only to have Nick Schulman move all in for 2.63 million. Hyman asked for a count and then opted to call.

Hyman: {k-Hearts}{10-Spades}
Schulman: {a-Hearts}{8-Hearts}

Hyman needed to catch, but that didn't happen as the board ran out {6-Clubs}{j-Diamonds}{a-Spades}{8-Diamonds}{10-Diamonds} to give Schulman the double. With that, we now have the biggest gap in the chip counts since heads-up play began.

Player Chips Progress
Profile photo of Nick Schulman us
Nick Schulman
5,350,000
2,950,000
2,950,000
WSOP 5X Winner
WPT 2X Winner
Profile photo of Matt Hyman us
Matt Hyman
1,000,000
-3,000,000
-3,000,000

Tags: Nick SchulmanMatt Hyman