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Matthew Wantman has captured his first Triton Poker title, defeating longtime friend Nick Schulman heads-up in the Triton Jeju II $50K NLH 7-Handed event at Les A Casino. The American walked away with $836,721 after agreeing to a deal with Schulman once the pair reached the final two.
Wantman described the win as a much-needed breakthrough following a difficult stretch that included disappointing results at the WSOP, EPT, and recent Korean Poker Cup events. He told PokerNews the victory brought immense relief after months of near-misses and self-doubt.
The final table featured a stacked lineup of talent, including Hall of Famer Schulman, Daniel Dvoress, Ben Tollerene, and Triton ambassador Danny Tang. Sixteen players had returned for the final day, with Tang initially leading the pack ahead of Bryn Kenney, Christoph Vogelsang, and Wantman.
Schulman built an early chip lead after eliminating Raul Manzanares with a flopped straight, and he continued to dominate through the middle stages of the final table, sending both Danilo Velasevic and Dvoress to the rail.
As play narrowed to an all-American trio, Wantman clawed back into contention, doubling through Schulman and later eliminating Tollerene in third place to leave the two friends nearly even in chips heading into heads-up play.
With a deal already struck, the two friends played on for $30,000 and bragging rights. Wantman ultimately closed out the win, with Schulman, an eight-year Triton title veteran, watching on as his friend celebrated the milestone victory.
