Triton Jeju II | Matthew Wantman wins his first Triton title, taking home $837,000 after a head-to-head deal with his close friend Nick Schulman.

On September 15, 2026, the Triton Super High Roller Series Jeju II $50,000 NLH 7-Handed tournament concluded with the championship match. American player Matthew Wantman emerged from a field of 16 on the final day, ultimately meeting his close friend Nick Schulman at the Heads-Up. The two first reached a prize money agreement, then left $30,000 to continue their battle for the championship title.

Wantman ultimately emerged victorious, taking home $836,721 and his first Triton title. Schulman finished as runner-up, earning $810,279.

For Wantman, who has suffered repeated setbacks in live competitions over the past year, this victory was described as a "huge breakthrough."

Wantman finally achieved a breakthrough, winning his first Triton Championship.

Wantman said after the race that he hadn't really had a big deep run and high prize money for a while.

He admitted that he had experienced the following in the past period:

• WSOP results were unsatisfactory.

• EPT also didn't go well.

• Previously, he had come close to the money multiple times at the Jeju KPC but was eliminated.

• He began to question his own form and playing style.

Therefore, returning to Jeju and winning a Triton championship was not just a financial gain for him, but also a significant psychological rebound.

He also stated frankly that this was one of the most special moments of his career.

$50K NLH 7-Handed Final Table Results

The top two Heads-Ups secured a Deal.

Sixteen players returned for the final day, with Danny Tang leading the pack.

At the start of the final match day, the following remained on the field:

16 contestants

Triton brand ambassador Danny Tang returns as the scoreboard leader.

Following in order are:

• Bryn Kenney

• Christoph Vogelsang

• Matthew Wantman

At that time, only the top 11 players could enter the prize pool.

Bryn Kenney was ultimately successfully locked in:

Minimum bonus of $88,000

Mike Watson, Bernhard Binder, and Raul Manzanares were subsequently eliminated, and the seven-person Final Table was officially formed.

Schulman eliminated Manzanares in a huge pot, leading the Final Table

Before the final table was set, Nick Schulman and Raul Manzanares hit a crucial big pot.

Schulman flopped a straight, while Manzanares hit a set.

Schulman ultimately held onto his straight, eliminating Manzanares.

This hand not only directly created a 7-player final table, but also allowed Schulman to:

King of Chips

Your identity is entered into the Final Table.

Moreover, he subsequently widened his lead even further.

Shylko ranked 7th, Danny Tang ranked 6th

Belarusian player Aliaksandr Shylko became the first player eliminated from the Final Table.

He held K10 against Ben Tollerene's A3, but ultimately failed to complete the comeback, ending with:

7th place

Takeaways:

$168,000

Subsequently, Danny Tang, the winner of Triton POY Season 3, was eliminated by Daniel Dvoress.

Tang's final ranking:

6th place

get:

$213,000

Schulman eliminated two players in a row, establishing a huge advantage.

Once the table was set to five, Schulman began to extend his lead further.

He was eliminated in succession:

Danilo Velasevic

as well as:

Daniel Dvoress

The two players achieved the following:

• Velasevic: 5th place, $273,000

• Dvoress: 4th place, $344,000

After two eliminations, Schulman controlled the majority of the scoreboard.

When the competition entered its final three rounds, the American players swept the top three spots:

• Nick Schulman

• Matthew Wantman

• Ben Tollerene

Wantman first doubled his bet with his friend Schulman.

Despite Schulman's significant lead at the time, Wantman quickly found an opportunity to fight back.

He first achieved a significant doubling of his investment through his friend Schulman.

This doubling of the price puts Wantman back in the competitive arena.

He then won a large pot from Ben Tollerene, further narrowing the gap with Schulman.

The match thus shifted from a near-one-sided affair back to a three-way melee.

Tollerene finished in 3rd place, and Wantman eliminated her himself.

Ben Tollerene continued to put up a fight at the three-person table, but was ultimately eliminated by Wantman.

Tollerene with:

3rd place

The match ended with the following results:

$448,000

With his departure, the final head-up of Wantman and Schulman was formed.

What's even more special is that the two were already very good friends in real life.

Close friends meet at Heads-Up and split the prize money almost equally.

When they went heads-up, Wantman and Schulman had almost identical scorecards.

The two quickly reached a deal.

The bonuses will be distributed roughly equally, with only the following retained:

$30,000

as well as:

Triton Champion Honors

The final showdown continues.

Wantman also stated after the match that if the two had actually made it to the Heads-Up, they would have definitely chosen to split the prize money.

For him, being able to reach the Triton Championship match with his best friend was the most special part of the entire tournament.

J8 became the final turning point against 86.

After the deal was completed, the pace of the one-on-one match between the two friends noticeably increased.

In one key hand, Wantman held:

J8

Go all in.

Schulman received:

86

Choose to call, and after calling, there are less than:

1 blind man

Wantman ultimately won the race.

Schulman has very few scorecards left.

After several more rounds, the match officially ended.

Schulman won the Triton Championship eight years ago.

This is not the first time Nick Schulman has come close to Triton's highest honor.

He had already:

8 years ago

He won his first Triton Championship.

Although he didn't reach the top again this time, entering Heads-Up and completing the Deal with his friend Wantman still gave the entire final a rather special emotional meaning.

PokerNews described Schulman as also very happy when Wantman finally won the championship, witnessing his friend complete his first Triton title.

Wantman: This is the most special moment of my career

For Matthew Wantman, this victory meant far more than $836,721.

He experienced a prolonged period of depression over the past year.

He did not achieve the results he expected in the WSOP, EPT, or the KPC held in Jeju.

He was even eliminated several times when he was close to the prize pool.

Now, he has not only finally achieved a breakthrough in a major tournament, but he has also won the championship on the top stage of a high-stakes tournament like Triton.

What's even more special is that the person who sat with him at the other end of the Heads-Up was his close friend Nick Schulman.

For Wantman, this championship was not just a rebound in performance, but a true turning point in his career.

After defeating world-class opponents including Danny Tang, Daniel Dvoress, Ben Tollerene, and Schulman, he officially joined the ranks of Triton champions.

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