Poker tournaments usually end with one player celebrating and everyone else wondering what might have been. Matthew Wantman and Nick Schulman managed to make the end of a $50,000 Triton event feel rather different.
The two close friends reached heads-up together at Triton Jeju II, immediately agreed to split most of the money and then played for the trophy, $30,000 and bragging rights.
Wantman eventually won his first Triton title and collected $836,721. Schulman received $810,279, but the lasting image was less about the difference between first and second than the two friends sharing one of the biggest moments of Wantman’s poker career.
A Victory That Meant More Than the Money
Wantman had been waiting for a result like this.
The American arrived in Jeju after a difficult period at the tables, with disappointing trips to the WSOP and EPT among a sequence of results that had begun to test his confidence. He had also recently endured several painful bubbles during another visit to South Korea.
Poker can make even established professionals question themselves when the results disappear for long enough. Wantman admitted after the victory that he had been struggling for deep runs, questioning his game and waiting much longer than expected for another significant score.
That made winning the $50,000 event at Triton Jeju II about considerably more than adding another large number to his tournament earnings.
Wantman described the result as a “massive relief.” He also called it a breakthrough after a period in which very little had gone his way.
Then the tournament produced an ending that even he could hardly have planned.
Best Friends End Up Heads-Up at Triton
Triton final tables are not known for providing comfortable surroundings.
Wantman had to navigate a final seven containing Schulman, Ben Tollerene, Danilo Velasevic, Danny Tang, Aliaksandr Shylko and Daniel Dvoress. Between them sat years of high-stakes experience and multiple Triton titles.
Schulman initially appeared the man most likely to win it.
The Poker Hall of Famer built a commanding stack and eliminated both Velasevic and Dvoress as the tournament moved towards its conclusion. By the time only three Americans remained, Schulman held most of the chips in play.
Wantman refused to disappear.
He doubled through Schulman before winning another significant pot against Tollerene, dragging himself back into contention. Tollerene eventually fell in third for $448,000, leaving Wantman and Schulman almost level.
For most players, that would have been the moment for the pressure to increase.
For these two, it was the moment the pressure disappeared.
The Deal Was Never Really in Doubt
Wantman later said the pair had always planned to chop the money if they somehow reached heads-up together.
Once that unlikely situation actually arrived, they followed through.
The friends divided almost all of the remaining prize pool, leaving $30,000 and the Triton trophy to play for. Wantman was guaranteed $806,721 while Schulman locked up $810,279, with the additional $30,000 going to the eventual champion.
That transformed the final duel.
There were still cards to play and a prestigious Triton title at stake, but neither player had to worry about a six-figure swing every time the chips went into the middle. They could simply play poker against somebody they knew extremely well.
For Wantman, the situation was particularly meaningful.
“It was the best moment of my poker career,” he said afterwards when discussing reaching heads-up with his best friend.
Wantman Gets His Triton Moment
With the financial side settled, the heads-up contest did not last long.
Wantman eventually moved all-in holding jack-eight and Schulman called with eight-six while left with less than one big blind behind. Wantman won the hand and completed the victory shortly afterwards.
Schulman could hardly have looked less disappointed.
He watched his friend celebrate a first Triton title, smiling from the side as Wantman finally enjoyed the result he had spent much of the year chasing.
That reaction told much of the story.
Triton Jeju II $50K Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Matthew Wantman | United States | $836,721* |
| 2 | Nick Schulman | United States | $810,279* |
| 3 | Ben Tollerene | United States | $448,000 |
| 4 | Daniel Dvoress | Canada | $344,000 |
| 5 | Danilo Velasevic | Serbia | $273,000 |
| 6 | Danny Tang | Hong Kong | $213,000 |
| 7 | Aliaksandr Shylko | Belarus | $168,000 |
*Deal agreed heads-up.
Sometimes Poker Gives You the Right Ending
The current Triton Jeju festival has produced enormous pots, seven-figure prizes and a record-breaking $200,000 Invitational won for $7.25 million.
Wantman’s victory involved smaller numbers by Triton standards, but perhaps a better story.
A player who had spent months questioning his results finally broke through. His opponent for the title happened to be one of his closest friends, and rather than allow hundreds of thousands of dollars to define the moment, the pair removed most of the financial pressure before playing for the trophy.
There still had to be a winner.
Wantman got the Triton title he had been searching for, while Schulman got to watch his friend enjoy it from only a few feet away.
For once at the highest stakes, poker produced an ending where both players could walk away smiling.
