On Monday night, the new MTV series “World of Jenks” featured an in-depth look at the tumultuous life of poker pro Nick Schulman. After winning the 2005 World Poker Tour (WPT) Foxwoods World Poker Finals for $2.1 million, Schulman blew through his bankroll in just a year.
Yesterday’s installment of “World of Jenks,” a documentary featuring young host Andrew Jenks, began in Las Vegas for the 2010 World Series of Poker (WSOP). With the Main Event just days away, Schulman, his girlfriend, and others discussed the upcoming $10,000 buy-in tournament. Schulman relayed, “It always trips me out that someone is going to win the tournament and they don’t even know it.” This year’s Main Event will shell out a top prize of nearly $9 million when it resumes in four weeks.
Back in Schulman’s Las Vegas hotel room, he battled with John “World” Hennigan in Chinese Poker. At the same time, he hit the felts of his home site, Full Tilt Poker, and took down a $10,000 pot. Hennigan and Schulman also forged a prop bet centered on throwing playing cards into an ice bucket across the room.
The party then moved to B.J.’s Cocktail Lounge, where round after round of Southern Comfort was ordered. Among those in attendance was former WPT champ Daniel Alaei, who dropped $1,500 in a game of roshambo. The next day, Jenks explored Las Vegas while Schulman played poker and won $34,000. The pro candidly explained, “If you look at the money, poker’s probably not for you.”
After primarily focusing on the high life of poker players, “World of Jenks” dove into Schulman’s dark side. He used to have major anxiety attacks in school and promptly dropped out. He also noted that he still suffers from attacks when he’s alone, especially at night. However, poker provided him with a sanctuary from his anxiety, likely a reason that he chose to become a staple of the industry.
Schulman and Jenks then flew to London to tape a poker television show. The one-day trip ended with Schulman taking third in the event in which the top two moved on. Visibly upset, Schulman admitted, “The losses stick with me and the wins just evaporate.” While in London, Schulman told Jenks how he lost over $2 million following his breakthrough victory at Foxwoods: “I was a maniac. Every day, I just wanted to be in action… It’s like rags to riches to rags, fast.”
Back in Sin City, Schulman bled chips in the Main Event. In a critical hand, the Full Tilt Poker pro picked up pocket kings and moved all-in on a queen-high board after the turn. His opponent flipped over A-Q, but another queen on the river sent Schulman packing. Schulman explained his mindset following the bad beat: “It’s just depressing. When the World Series is over, it’s another year until it starts again.”
In the closing scene of the half-hour episode, Jenks and Schulman cruised the Nevada desert in a convertible. Schulman told viewers, “If poker doesn’t go as I envision, I think I’ll walk away from the game… It’s exhausting and it doesn’t feel like a lifelong thing for me.” In the closing credits, it was revealed that he’s currently taking a break from the game by traveling across the United States with his brother.
Schulman returned to the World Poker Finals feature table in 2007, where he was the runner-up to Michael Vela and banked $864,000. In 2009, Schulman earned his first WSOP bracelet in the 2-7 Lowball World Championship, defeating a final table that included John Juanda, David Benyamine, and Ville Wahlbeck. This year, he finished ninth in the $50,000 Player’s Championship and took seventh in the HORSE Championship for a combined $231,000.
Watch the entire episode of “World of Jenks” featuring Schulman by clicking here.