Nick Schulman Wins Eighth WSOP Bracelet in H.O.R.S.E.

Nick Schulman adds another major chapter to his WSOP legacy

Nick Schulman won the 2026 World Series of Poker $1,500 H.O.R.S.E. event and claimed his eighth career gold bracelet. That number matters. In WSOP history, only a tiny group of players has ever reached eight bracelets, and Schulman has now joined that elite club with a victory that underlines just how complete his game really is.

This was not a one-dimensional no-limit hold’em score. H.O.R.S.E. is one of the most demanding mixed-game formats in poker, rotating through limit hold’em, Omaha hi-low, razz, stud, and stud eight-or-better. Winning there requires more than card sense; it demands discipline, memory, adaptability, and the ability to stay sharp across very different decision trees.

For players who want to understand why certain pros keep winning year after year, mixed games are a great classroom. If you are studying the game seriously, a strong poker school can help build the foundation needed to survive in formats where one mistake can cost a huge chunk of the expected value.

Schulman’s comments show a champion focused on process, not hype

After the win, Schulman made it clear that he is not chasing bracelets for the sake of a number. He said he plans to keep playing as long as he is happy, learning, and not burned out. He also noted that surpassing Phil Hellmuth’s all-time bracelet record is not on his mind.

That mindset is telling. A lot of fans track greatness through milestones alone, but the best professionals often think in terms of longevity, energy management, and sustainable edge. Schulman’s comments suggest a player who understands that poker careers are marathons, not sprints.

He also said this bracelet felt especially meaningful because it reflects where he is in his career right now. In his view, he is still growing, still improving, and better able to handle emotional swings than he was earlier in his life. That self-awareness matters in tournament poker, where tilt, fatigue, and overconfidence can be as dangerous as any bad runout.

For recreational players, that is a useful lesson too. The more stable your mental game is, the more likely you are to make better decisions in live events, whether you are grinding the biggest poker rooms or playing smaller mixed-game fields.

A decorated career that keeps expanding

Schulman is already a World Poker Tour champion, and his WSOP résumé has been building for years. He first broke through at the series in 2009, when he won the first of his three $10,000 deuce-to-seven lowball championship titles. He repeated in that event in 2012 and again in 2025.

• the $10,000 pot-limit Omaha eight-or-better championship in 2019;
• a $1,500 stud title in 2023;
• two bracelets in 2024, including a $25,000 no-limit hold’em event at Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas and a $5,000 turbo bounty event at WSOP Paradise in the Bahamas.

Now he has added a H.O.R.S.E. title to that resume. That matters because it shows he can win in both niche mixed formats and major no-limit fields. Very few players can move between those worlds with the same level of confidence.

His victory also pushed his lifetime earnings past $26.5 million, and the $183,366 first-place prize only strengthened an already impressive career portfolio. If you are looking at poker as a long-term craft, Schulman is a clear example of how depth across formats can keep a player relevant for many years.

The 2026 WSOP H.O.R.S.E. field was deep and demanding

The event attracted 780 entries, building a prize pool of $1,035,450. A total of 117 players made the money, and the field included plenty of well-known names who made serious runs.

• John Monnette in 52nd;
• Ryutaro Suzuki in 38th;
• Philip Hui in 37th;
• Eric Baldwin in 33rd;
• Scott Clements in 27th;
• Michael Gagliano in 25th;
• Brian Hasting in 22nd;
• Carol Fuchs in 16th.

That list says a lot about the strength of the lineup. In mixed games, the best players tend to rise because the format punishes weakness in any one discipline. There is nowhere to hide, and the field quickly exposes anyone who is only comfortable in one variant.

Clayton Mozdzen entered the final day as chip leader among the last 14 players, while Schulman started seventh in chips. That setup made the closing stretch especially interesting, because the event was still wide open and the eventual winner had to navigate both stack pressure and format changes.

Final-table swings and key elimination spots

Matthew Grapenthien finished 12th, Bart Hanson was 11th, and Philip Stenheimer exited in 10th place before the unofficial final table was reached. Schulman kept climbing and was already at the top of the leaderboard by the time the last nine players came together.

Mozdzen made a strong push of his own, scoring back-to-back knockouts. He sent Ryan Caskey out in 9th place for $13,418 and William Klevitz out in 8th for $17,390. Later, during a round of razz, Kent Gugelman was eliminated by Raymond Smego-Barranco, with a 10-8 being beaten by a smooth 6-5. Gugelman earned $22,978 for 7th.

Smego-Barranco then became the next casualty, finishing 6th for $30,944. In a format like H.O.R.S.E., those shifts can happen fast because each game rewards a different type of technical edge. A player who is ahead in one round can suddenly be under pressure in the next.

That is one of the reasons mixed-game specialists are so respected. They are not just playing cards; they are constantly recalibrating ranges, betting patterns, and hand values as the game changes. The best players are those who can switch gears without losing focus.

Expert analysis: why this win matters beyond one bracelet

Schulman’s eighth bracelet is important for more than the trophy case. It is a reminder that mixed games still produce some of the most complete poker players in the world, and that technical breadth remains a real competitive advantage in live poker.

• specialization is useful, but flexibility extends your career;
• mixed games reward patience and memory more than reckless aggression;
• emotional control can be worth as much as solver work in live settings;
• studying weaker formats can produce more value than endlessly repeating your strongest one.

For the industry, wins like this help keep mixed games visible. When a high-profile name like Schulman wins on a major stage, the format gets more attention from fans, more respect from peers, and more curiosity from players who may want to try something beyond no-limit hold’em. That often leads to more traffic in poker clubs and a stronger appetite for alternative formats across the schedule.

There is also a broader strategic angle. Schulman is not chasing every leaderboard or every summer-long race, and that itself is instructive. Some players excel by grinding relentlessly; others maximize results by choosing the right spots and preserving energy. Both paths can work, but Schulman’s approach shows that sustainable excellence can be just as powerful as sheer volume.

Conclusion: Schulman remains one of poker’s true all-around threats

Nick Schulman’s eighth WSOP bracelet is a major milestone, but it also feels like part of a larger story that is still unfolding. He has proven he can win in deuce-to-seven, stud, PLO8, no-limit hold’em, and now H.O.R.S.E., which is exactly the kind of résumé that defines a modern poker great.

The most impressive part may be his attitude. He is not forcing a chase for records, yet the results keep coming. That combination of calm, depth, and consistency is what makes him dangerous in any field.

If Schulman continues to play with the same clarity and balance, there is every reason to believe his name will keep showing up deep in major events. And when a player with this kind of range keeps winning, the rest of the poker world has to pay attention — especially anyone studying the game through promotions & bonuses and looking for the best place to compete with a real edge.

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