WSOP Player of the Year 2026 Standings: Shaun Deeb Leads $1 Million Race by 22 Points

Shaun Deeb leads the WSOP Player of the Year 2026 standings with 3,410 points, but the race is almost impossibly close. Naoya Kihara is only 22 points behind on 3,388, while Alex Foxen listed by WSOP under his full name, William Foxen—is third with 3,381. Just 29 points separate first from third in a season carrying a $1 million leaderboard prize pool.

The 2026 competition is bigger than the traditional Las Vegas summer race. For the first time, Player of the Year points are connected across three live bracelet festivals: WSOP Europe in Prague, the summer World Series of Poker in Las Vegas and WSOP Paradise in the Bahamas. Only each player’s best 15 qualifying results count, and the final winner will not be decided until the Paradise festival ends in December.

This page brings together the current leaderboard, the prize structure, the points rules, the strongest contenders and the results that created the closest three-player race of the year. Bookmark it for updates after the delayed 2026 WSOP Main Event final table and during WSOP Paradise.

WSOP Player of the Year 2026: Quick Answer

The live source of truth is the official WSOP Player of the Year leaderboard. Rankings can change when eligible results are finalized, so any copied table should display a clear update date.

Current WSOP POY Standings: Top 15

The gap after third is enormous compared with the gap at the top. Foxen leads fourth-place Justin Liberto by 553 points, while Deeb, Kihara and Foxen are separated by fewer points than a single modest qualifying cash can produce. That makes the current leaderboard effectively two races: a three-player battle for first and a wider fight for the valuable package tiers.

Why This WSOP Player of the Year Race Is Different

For most recent seasons, poker fans associated WSOP Player of the Year mainly with the Las Vegas summer. In 2026, WSOP turned it into a global season. The eligible calendar includes:

• WSOP Europe: March 31 to April 12 in Prague;
• WSOP Las Vegas: May 26 to July 15 at Paris and Horseshoe Las Vegas;
• WSOP Paradise: December 1 to December 18 in the Bahamas.

That change rewards players who can succeed across different locations, schedules, buy-in levels and game mixes. It also prevents the summer leader from treating July as the finish line. The top three will carry almost identical totals into a final festival where one bracelet run could decide the award.

Our WSOP Europe 2026 guide explains the Prague festival that opened the race. The December destination and surrounding travel context are covered in our WSOP Paradise and Bahamas guide.

Why Shaun Deeb Leads by Only 22 Points

Deeb’s path to first place combines elite results in Europe with a dramatic Las Vegas finish. His most important 2026 performances include:

• winning the $1,500 8-Game Mixed event for his ninth bracelet;
• finishing runner-up in the $3,000 Nine Game Mixed event;
• finishing fifth in the $10,000 No-Limit 2-7 Lowball Draw Championship;
• finishing 15th in the $10,000 Main Event for $410,475;
• runner-up finishes in the WSOP Europe Colossus and Mixed PLO/PLO8/Big O events;
• additional qualifying cashes during the Prague series.

The Main Event run was particularly important because Deeb entered the late stages while the POY lead remained unsettled. He did not reach the final table, but finishing 15th in a 9,208-entry field added a high-quality result and pushed him ahead on the official leaderboard.

If Deeb remains first after Paradise, he would win Player of the Year for the third time after his 2018 and 2025 titles. Daniel Negreanu is the only other two-time winner on the official list, having won in 2004 and 2013. A 2026 victory would therefore make Deeb the first three-time winner and the first to take the award in consecutive seasons.

That historical angle gives the race value beyond a package prize. Deeb is also a Poker Hall of Fame-level candidate; our Poker Hall of Fame selection analysis explains why bracelets, longevity and performance across multiple variants matter so much.

Naoya Kihara Is Only 22 Points Away

Naoya Kihara produced one of the best mixed-game summers of 2026. He won two bracelets in Las Vegas:

• the $10,000 No-Limit 2-7 Lowball Draw Championship for $428,923;
• the $10,000 Seven Card Stud Championship for $301,970.

The second win made Kihara the first double-bracelet champion of the Las Vegas series and moved him to three career bracelets. His leaderboard strength is not based only on the victories. He also finished third in the $2,500 Mixed Big Bet event, seventh in the $10,000 Triple Draw Championship, seventh in the $50,000 PLO High Roller and tenth in the $5,000 Super Turbo Bounty.

Kihara’s position creates a compelling global storyline. He became Japan’s first WSOP bracelet winner in 2012. Winning Player of the Year in 2026 would add one of the series’ most prestigious season-long awards to a résumé already defined by mixed-game range.

The 22-point deficit is practically negligible. Because only the top 15 results count, the December strategy is not simply “cash as many times as possible.” Once a player has 15 scores, a new result must be strong enough to replace the weakest counting result. That makes final tables and wins increasingly valuable late in the season.

Alex Foxen Is 29 Points Behind and Still a Major Favorite

WSOP’s leaderboard lists Foxen as William Foxen, while poker audiences generally know him as Alex Foxen. He enters the break with 3,381 points, only seven behind Kihara and 29 behind Deeb.

Foxen’s Las Vegas run included a bracelet victory in the $10,000 Super Turbo Bounty for $594,246. He also reached several major final tables:

• sixth in the $100,000 No-Limit Hold’em High Roller;
• seventh in the $25,000 Pot-Limit Omaha High Roller;
• fifth in the $10,000 8-Game Mixed Championship;
• fifth in the $600 Mixed NLH/PLO Deepstack;
• multiple additional cashes, including the Main Event.

Foxen’s advantage is his ability to produce points across large-field no-limit events, high rollers and mixed formats. His challenge is the same as Kihara’s: a small cash may not improve a top-15 portfolio. The final festival rewards quality more than empty volume once weak results begin dropping from the count.

Daniel Negreanu and the Chasing Group

Daniel Negreanu sits sixth with 2,698 points after a summer that included his eighth bracelet and a self-reported $1.69 million tournament profit. He trails Deeb by 712 points, a meaningful gap but not an impossible one across an entire Paradise schedule.

Negreanu’s strongest single result was his victory in the $100,000 PLO High Roller for $2,257,718. He also reached other high-roller final tables and accumulated 15 Las Vegas cashes. Read the full financial breakdown in our report on Daniel Negreanu’s 2026 WSOP profit.

Josh Arieh, Jesse Lonis, Eelis Pärssinen, Michael Moncek, Joshua Reichard, Benny Glaser and Nick Schulman all remain close enough to improve their position dramatically. The prize structure gives them two separate incentives: chase the title when possible and protect or upgrade a valuable package tier.

WSOP Player of the Year 2026 Prize Structure

WSOP announced a total leaderboard prize pool of $1 million, distributed through tournament packages and tickets to the top 100 players.

The top three are currently positioned for equal-value $100,000 packages, but only one player receives the historical Player of the Year distinction. Further down, individual points can still produce large jumps in package value: 15th versus 16th changes the published tier from $30,000 to $5,000, while 50th versus 51st changes it from a $5,000 package to a $2,500 ticket.

How Are WSOP Player of the Year Points Calculated?

WSOP’s official calculator uses several variables, including the tournament buy-in, the number of entries, the player’s final rank and a finish multiplier. The published multiplier values are:

• Winner: 6;
• Top-nine final table: 4;
• In the money: 2;
• Eliminated without cashing: 1.

The exact output depends on the full combination of buy-in, field size and finishing position. This is why a victory in a prestigious championship can produce a major score, while a deep finish in an enormous lower-buy-in field can also matter.

The system is not a simple earnings leaderboard. A player cannot assume that earning more dollars always means earning more POY points. The race is designed to reward finishing position, event scale and repeated excellence across eligible tournaments.

Which WSOP Events Count Toward Player of the Year?

The 2026 race includes open live bracelet events from WSOP Europe, the Las Vegas World Series and WSOP Paradise. WSOP publishes several important limitations:

• Only a player’s top 15 qualifying scores count.
• The final table is defined as the top nine players.
• Players who cash multiple times in a multi-flight event earn POY points only once, based on their final overall finish.
• Players eliminated in the same round of a heads-up or shootout event receive equalized points based on the average for those positions.
• Online bracelet events do not count.
• Non-open events do not count, including categories such as Employees, Seniors, Super Seniors, Tag Team and Ladies events.

These rules stop the race from becoming a pure online-volume competition and focus it on open live events across the three main festivals.

Does the Delayed Main Event Final Table Affect the POY Race?

The Main Event is an eligible open live bracelet event, but its final nine will not complete the tournament until August 3-5. The current leaderboard is therefore a live snapshot rather than the final post-Las Vegas table.

Deeb, Foxen and many other contenders already have confirmed Main Event finishing positions. The nine finalists do not. It is reasonable to expect the standings to receive another adjustment when their final ranks are known, although the size and impact will depend on the official point calculations.

For the finalists, chip counts, payouts and broadcast schedule, read the complete 2026 Main Event final-table guide. Our WSOP viewing guide covers where to follow the August finale.

Why the Top-15 Rule Changes the December Race

The top-15 rule is the most strategically important change for interpreting the leaderboard. Early in the year, almost every qualifying result adds points. Later, a player with 15 scores must replace an existing result.

Consider a simplified example. A contender already has 15 counting scores, and the weakest is worth 100 points. A new 80-point cash changes nothing. A 250-point final table increases the leaderboard total by only 150 because the 100-point result falls out.

This means the raw points earned in Paradise may not equal the points added to the leaderboard. Fans should look at each contender’s lowest counting result before claiming that a small cash has changed the title race.

It also makes chasing the title expensive. Players may enter many tournaments, but only meaningful finishes improve a mature scorecard. The same risk-reward tension appears in tournament prize equity; our ICM in poker guide explains why tournament value is rarely as simple as counting chips or cashes.

Who Is the Favorite to Win WSOP Player of the Year?

Shaun Deeb is the current leader, but there is no safe favorite. A 22-point advantage over Kihara and a 29-point advantage over Foxen can disappear through one replaced result.

Deeb has the historical experience: he has already won the award twice and understands how to build a schedule around the race. Kihara arrives with two 2026 bracelet victories and exceptional mixed-game form. Foxen has the broadest high-roller profile of the three and can generate major points in expensive no-limit and PLO events.

The likely winner is the player who reaches at least one major Paradise final table while continuing to cash elsewhere. A bracelet victory would be powerful, but the top-15 structure means a deep run may be enough if the other two leaders fail to improve.

Previous WSOP Player of the Year Winners

There was no standard 2020 Las Vegas race because of the disrupted live schedule. The historical list shows why Deeb’s current position matters: nobody has won the published award three times, and nobody has won in consecutive listed seasons.

How to Follow the 2026 POY Race

The official leaderboard is the primary source. During Paradise, follow these steps:

1. Check whether a result is an eligible open live bracelet event.
2. Wait for the official finishing position and field size.
3. Check whether the player already has 15 counting scores.
4. Compare the new result with the player’s weakest existing score.
5. Use the official leaderboard rather than manually adding every cash.

Our global poker tournament calendar tracks the major festival dates, while the WSOP Main Event 2026 guide provides the wider context for poker’s largest championship.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is leading the WSOP Player of the Year 2026 standings?

Shaun Deeb leads with 3,410 points as of July 19, 2026.

How many points behind is Naoya Kihara?

Kihara has 3,388 points, only 22 behind Deeb.

How many points does Alex Foxen have?

Alex Foxen, listed by WSOP as William Foxen, is third with 3,381 points.

How much is the 2026 WSOP Player of the Year prize?

WSOP created a $1 million total prize pool in packages and tickets for the top 100 players. The top three receive $100,000 Paradise packages, while the winner also claims the POY title.

When will the 2026 Player of the Year be decided?

The winner will be decided after WSOP Paradise, scheduled for December 1-18, 2026.

Do WSOP Europe results count?

Yes. Eligible open live bracelet events from WSOP Europe in Prague count toward the 2026 leaderboard.

Do online WSOP bracelet events count?

No. WSOP states that online bracelet events do not count toward the 2026 POY standings.

Do Seniors and Ladies events count?

No. WSOP lists non-open events such as Seniors, Super Seniors, Ladies, Employees and Tag Team among the excluded categories.

How many tournament results count?

Only each player’s best 15 qualifying scores count toward the final leaderboard.

Has Shaun Deeb won Player of the Year before?

Yes. Deeb won in 2018 and 2025. A 2026 victory would make him the first three-time winner on WSOP’s published list.

Has anyone won WSOP Player of the Year back to back?

No player appears in consecutive years on WSOP’s published winners list from 2004 through 2025. Deeb can become the first in 2026.

Can Daniel Negreanu still win?

Yes mathematically. Negreanu is sixth with 2,698 points, 712 behind Deeb, and the Paradise festival still remains.

Final Verdict

The WSOP Player of the Year 2026 race is the best kind of long-running poker story: famous names, official live standings, a new global format, a $1 million prize structure and a lead small enough to disappear in one tournament.

Shaun Deeb leads with 3,410 points, Naoya Kihara follows with 3,388 and Alex Foxen sits on 3,381. The 29-point spread between first and third is smaller than the normal movement created by one meaningful result. Behind them, Justin Liberto, Josh Arieh, Daniel Negreanu and a deep group of bracelet winners are competing for both the title race and valuable package tiers.

Deeb is chasing history as the first three-time and first back-to-back POY winner. Kihara is chasing the award after a two-bracelet summer. Foxen is chasing from only 29 points back after winning a bracelet and reaching several elite final tables.

The standings may adjust again after the delayed Main Event final table, but the decisive stage arrives in the Bahamas. When WSOP Paradise begins on December 1, the three leaders will start almost level—and every qualifying final table will matter.