With eight players left in a high-stakes tournament, Nick Schulman and Kristen Foxen found themselves locked in a tense battle on a four-handed table. The blinds sat at 20,000-40,000 with a big blind ante of 40,000. Schulman, a six-time bracelet winner, opened the action with a raise to 80,000 from under the gun. Foxen, a five-time bracelet winner, defended her big blind. What followed was a hand that left Foxen on the ropes and Schulman stacking up chips ahead of Day 1’s end.
A Battle of Flush Draws and Mind Games
The flop changed everything. It came down three diamonds, giving both players four to a flush. Schulman, holding pocket aces, had the nut flush draw, while Foxen, with two Broadway cards of the same suits, had the second-best possibility.
Foxen checked, allowing Schulman to continue for 55,000—just a quarter of the pot. Foxen called, staying in with her middle pair and solid draw. The turn? A complete blank. No help for either player. Foxen checked again, but Schulman decided to keep things interesting by checking back.
The River Blocker Bet That Triggered a Massive Raise
Then came the river. Another blank. No flushes. No straights. Nothing to drastically change the board.
Foxen, recognizing she might still have some showdown value, fired out a small bet of 40,000—just over 12% of the pot. A classic blocker bet. Schulman, however, wasn’t buying it. He went for an aggressive raise to 320,000, putting Foxen in a difficult spot.
She had a reasonable bluff catcher, as poker pro Jesse Sylvia noted from the PokerGO commentary booth. Still, calling meant risking a chunk of her stack with just second pair. After a long deliberation, Foxen made the call, only to see Schulman’s aces take down the pot.
Schulman’s Non-All-In Shove Strategy
One of the most fascinating parts of this hand was Schulman’s strategic raise. Instead of going all-in, he left himself with just a single 5,000 chip behind.
Why? Because it gave him a lifeline if things didn’t go his way. A total shove would have risked everything, but keeping that single chip meant he could technically stay alive and attempt a miraculous comeback if Foxen called with a winning hand.
Foxen’s Tournament Comes to a Brutal End
Foxen’s tournament run didn’t last much longer. She was eliminated on the bubble when her Q-4 suited failed to overcome Chris Hunichen’s A-9. Schulman, on the other hand, doubled up and carried strong momentum into the next phase of the event.
This hand was a reminder of why poker isn’t just about the cards—it’s about strategy, psychology, and the ability to make high-pressure decisions at the right moment. Schulman executed it to perfection.
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