Champion Matthew Wantman!

It was a day of celebration for American poker in Jeju on Monday with the top three places in the $50,000 NLH 7-Handed event going to players from the United States. More specifically, it was a time of joy for two close friends: Matthew Wantman and Nick Schulman, who finished the 70-entry tournament heads-up and chopped it for more than $800K apiece.

Schulman, a member of the Poker Hall of Fame, an eight-time WSOP bracelet winner, and a former Triton champion as well as commentator, had a marginal lead when the deal was done. But three blind flips later and it was Wantman who had his hands on the trophy, sealing his first win and $836,721.

"I haven't even had a chance to process it yet," Wantman said. "Getting heads up against one of my best friends."

Describing himself as a "mid-stakes grinder" who nonetheless occasionally likes to test his skills in the big leagues, the 38-year-old Wantman continued: "I like coming here, challenging myself, playing against the best, proving that I can do it...If you can win here, you can win anywhere."

Friends go heads up for the win

This was not for the faint-hearted. The final table also featured one previous Triton Player of the Year, Danny Tang, as well as the hot front-runner in this year's race, Dan Dvoress. The first player out in the money was the all-time money list leader Bryn Kenney. The bronze medal went to Ben Tollerene, himself a four-time Triton champion.

It was, in short, as competitive as any tournament on the series, and Wantman's victory was hard-fought and well earned. The final stages were just two friends having fun — "It wasn't the most serious heads up match," Wantman confessed — but the trophy he takes home is no less real for all that.

"It should be you up here!" Wantman shouted to Schulman as his friend looked over at the winner's ceremony. Schulman shook his head. It was Wantman's day.

Nick Schulman, right, celebrates with his friend Matthew Wantman

TOURNAMENT ACTION

Played its entirety while the Triton Invitational was also taking place in the tournament room, this last five-figure, regular-structure, buy-in event on the schedule had something of a side event feel to it. But only on the Triton Poker Series does a "side event" cost $50K for a seat and put $3.5 million in the prize pool, and the 49 unique players certainly took is as serious as any other event.

Day 1's conclusion found Triton Ambassador Danny Tang at the top of the chip counts, with another seeming certain Player of the Year, Dan Dvoress, close behind. But they weren't yet into the money, which meant the opening couple of hours of Day 2 focused on the bubble — specifically, the attempts to avoid it.

Phil Ivey fell early. Then Ferdinand Putra and Joe Hindry, which left the field at 12 and one from the money. After Aliaksandr Shylko doubled up, Bernhard Binder and Bryn Kenney were the short stacks on one of the two tables in play, while Christoph Vogelsang was critically short elsewhere.

Vogelsang had earlier lost a crucial pot to Mike Watson, when Watson spiked a set of fours to double against Vogelsang's pocket sevens. And the German had folded pretty much everything since then in a bid to survive. However, with only a little more than one blind left, Vogelsang once again found pocket sevens and this time had no fold equity. Danilo Velasevic and Shylko both gave him a spin holding A6 and A, respectively. Though there were only two aces left, one of them came on the flop, and a six on the river gave the pot to Velasevic.

Vogelsang earned a second bubble of this trip to Jeju, putting the rest of them in the money.

Another unfortunate bubble for Christoph Vogelsang

By the time the field contracted all the way to its seven-handed final, all of Shylko, Tang, Velasevic and Dvoress were still involved, but three others occupied the top spots. The final lined up as follows, with players refusing to do anything but mess around as they took the customary final table picutre:

Nick Schulman - 4,015,000 (67 BBs)

Ben Tollerene - 2,855,000 (48 BBs)

Matthew Wantman - 2,465,000 (41 BBs)

Dan Dvoress - 1,730,000 (29 BBs)

Danilo Velasevic - 1,465,000 (24 BBs)

Danny Tang - 1,140,000 (19 BBs)

Aliaksandr Shylko - 325,000 (5 BBs)

Event 11 final table players (clockwise from back left): Matthew Wantman, Aliaksandr Shylko, Dan Dvoress, Danny Tang, Ben Tollerene, Danilo Velasevic, Nick Schulman.

Having survived on the bubble, Shylko had immediately locked up $88,000 more than might otherwise have been the case. Then by reaching the table, he'd found another $80K boost to that. Going any farther would always be difficult with only five blinds, and even though he did manage one double, he still became the first to leave from the final.

Shylko's last stand came only five hands after his double, when he three-bet pushed from the big blind after Ben Tollerene opened the small. Shylko had K10 but went down to Tollerene's A. His $168,000 payout is a buy-in to the main event, plus change.

Aliaksandr Shylko leaves the spotlight behind

The overnight leader Danny Tang was now among the shorter stacks. But no one had fewer than 18 blinds thanks to the level roll-back at the start of the final, so there was still play for everyone.

However, in back-to-back-to-back hands there was a big shake up: Tang busted, then Danilo Velasevic lost heaps, then busted right after. We went from six to four in the blink of an eye.

Tang found KQ in the small blind and open-jammed. He only had Dan Dvoress to get through, but Dvoress looked down at A and called with marginally the bigger stack. The better hand held and Tang departed in sixth for $213,000.

One PoY, Danny Tang, depar

Right after, Velasevic found 1010 in the cutoff and raised, only to see Matthew Wantman three-bet the big blind. Velasevic started the hand with 21 blinds to Wantman's 18 and he shipped it in. Wantman's quick call revealed the strength of his hand. He had pocket kings, and they stayed best.

That left Velasevic with only four blinds, which immediately went to Schulman, whose A10 beat Velasevic's K. Velasevic won $273,000 for fifth.

Danilo Velasevic prepares to leave

Schulman still led, by Wantman and Tollerene were very close behind. There was a bigger gap beneath the three Americans to Canada's Dvoress in fourth.

There was no way back for Dvoress. He lost a third of his stack to a Shulman river shove on one hand, and then picked up A9 in the small blind the next. Schulman opened UTG and Dvoress jammed for 14 blinds. Schulman called with pocket jacks and the board was 10-high.

Dvoress took $344,000 over the other side of the room to play the Main Event.

Canada's Dan Dvoress leaves the Americans to it

Schulman was crushing now. He had 99 blinds as the tournament went three-handed, ahead of Tollerene's 21 and Wantman's 20. But while Wantman was able to chip away at that lead, Tollerene found himself on the ropes. He slipped down to four blinds and even though he doubled those twice, he was still only just clinging on.

And then he wasn't. Tollerene shipped for six blinds from the small blind holding 94. Wantman had A in the big blind and called. He held, to send Tollerene out in third with $448,000.

Ben Tollerene couldn't bounce back and was knocked out in third

The heads-up counts couldn't have been much closer. Schulman had 47 blinds, Wantman had 46. But these two very good friends immediately decided to chop it up. Schulman secured himself $810,279, with Wantman landing $806,721. There was $30,000 left on the side.

With the deal done, neither of the pair seemed keen on prolonging the heads-up battle longer than they needed to. It all went in pre-flop, with Wantman's J8 beating Schulman's 8 for pretty much all of it.

Schulman still had some scraps, which he doubled on the next hand. But it finished for good one hand later, meaning Wantman got to hold up AJ in his winner's photo, the hand with which he beat Schulman's Q.

A first win for Matthew Wantman

Schulman therefore misses out on a second title, more than eight years since his first. But Wantman gets his Triton career up and running with a maiden success, and all the momentum going into the Main Event.