Poker Stories: Brek Schutten

Brek Schutten is a family man with five children that spends his days working as a nurse in the intensive care unit. But that hasn't stopped the Michigan native from dominating the live tournament circuit for more than a year now.  

The 34-year-old topped a record-field of 2,482 entries in the 2021 WPT Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open to win a life-changing $1,261,095, and in the months since has parlayed that score into even more cash. After making two final tables at the Poker Masters last September for a combined $162,900, Schutten took down the $15,000 high roller at the Wynn in March for $219,300.  

This summer he packed up the family for a trip to Las Vegas, where he opened with a win in the MGM Grand Mystery Bounty event for a total of $71,000. Then at the World Series of Poker, Schutten jumped into the big high rollers, taking fifth in the $25,000 event for $323,730 and second in the $50,000 event for $820,808. He now has $3.4 million in live tournament earnings. 

Highlights from this interview include finding poker through a radio ad, why he got into nursing, being cool under pressure, 15 big blinds and a dream, celebrating in Florida with Mickey Mouse, gambling on himself, battling Jake Schindler for the poker community, House vs. Grey's Anatomy, bagging groceries with big bro, a backyard batting cage, being kicked out of the band, Padme Amidala and brown sugar rice, and getting mistaken for David Peters.