The 2026 WSOP Player of the Year Race Is a 29-Point Dead Heat
The Vegas summer is done, and the 2026 WSOP Player of the Year race could not be tighter. Shaun Deeb leads with 3,410 points, but Japan’s Naoya Kihara (3,388) and Alex Foxen (3,381) are right on his heels — the top three separated by just 29 points. And here’s the kicker: nothing is decided yet. POY won’t be locked until WSOP Paradise wraps on December 18.
Everybody fixates on the Main Event, but if you ask the pros what they actually chase all summer, a big chunk of them will say Player of the Year. It’s the closest thing poker has to a “best all-around player this season” trophy — and the 2026 edition just delivered one of the tightest finishes to a Vegas leg you’ll ever see. After 100 bracelet events, Shaun Deeb sits on top with 3,410 points, but he’s got two world-class players breathing down his neck.
Per the official WSOP Player of the Year standings, Japan’s Naoya Kihara is second at 3,388, and Alex Foxen is third at 3,381. That’s a 29-point spread across the top three after seven weeks of poker — the kind of margin a single deep run can erase in an afternoon.
The Standings After the Vegas Leg
| Rank | Player | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shaun Deeb | 3,410 |
| 2 | Naoya Kihara (Japan) | 3,388 |
| 3 | Alex Foxen | 3,381 |
All three have already locked up $100,000 WSOP Paradise packages for their efforts, so no matter what, the summer paid off. But the trophy itself is still very much up for grabs — the Vegas series (May 26 to July 15) is only part of the POY calendar.
Why This Isn’t Over Yet
Here’s the part casual fans miss: the 2026 WSOP Player of the Year isn’t confirmed when the Vegas summer ends. Two big things still hang over these standings. First, the Main Event final table plays out in August, and a deep run there is worth serious POY points — enough to reshuffle this top three entirely. Second, WSOP Paradise runs later in the year and doesn’t conclude until December 18, meaning there’s a whole second act to this race.
So while Deeb technically “leads,” a 29-point cushion over two elite grinders is barely a cushion at all. Any one of these three could cash a big event this fall and leapfrog the others. Realistically, this is a three-horse race with a long way left to run, and I wouldn’t put money on any of them yet.
My Take: Consistency Is the Most Underrated Skill in Poker
Here’s what a POY race actually measures, and why I love it. Winning one tournament can happen to anyone on the right day — run good, hold your big pairs, and you’ve got a bracelet. But racking up POY points across an entire summer? That takes something completely different: showing up every single day, cashing deep in event after event, and grinding through the inevitable brutal beats without your results cratering. It’s the anti-variance trophy.
Shaun Deeb being in this spot surprises nobody — the guy is a POY machine and one of the most relentless tournament grinders alive. He was still deep in the mix late in the summer, including a final-table appearance in the brutal $25K H.O.R.S.E. that Alexander Kostritsyn won. That’s the thing about Deeb: he’s not just playing the No-Limit events, he’s contending in the mixed games too, which is exactly how you pile up POY points nobody else can reach.
If I had to pick right now? I lean Deeb, purely because he’s done this before and knows how to close — but Kihara representing Japan’s surging poker scene taking it would be a fantastic story, and Foxen is one of the scariest tournament players on the planet when he’s running hot. Honestly, I’m just glad it’s this close. A blowout POY race is boring; a 29-point margin with the Main Event still to come is must-watch.
The Kihara angle deserves its own mention, because it mirrors a theme that ran through this entire summer: the internationalization of the top of poker. A Japanese player leading — or nearly leading — the WSOP Player of the Year race would have been almost unthinkable a decade ago, and it lands in the same series where India, China, and the broader Asian scene kept showing up deep in events. POY isn’t just a trophy for one grinder; it’s a snapshot of who’s playing the most, and the fact that the answer now spans three continents tells you where this game is heading. Whoever wins it, the leaderboard itself is the story.
What to Watch Next
Two checkpoints will decide this. The Main Event final table in August could vault a contender or, if one of the three somehow made a run, essentially end the race. Then WSOP Paradise in December is the true finish line. Between now and then, expect Deeb, Kihara, and Foxen to be tracking each other’s every cash. For a race this tight, every single event from here matters.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who leads the 2026 WSOP Player of the Year race?
Shaun Deeb, with 3,410 points after the Las Vegas leg, ahead of Naoya Kihara (3,388) and Alex Foxen (3,381).
How close is the race?
Extremely close — the top three are separated by just 29 points, a margin a single deep run can erase.
Is the Player of the Year already decided?
No. The title isn’t confirmed until WSOP Paradise concludes on December 18, and the August Main Event still awards significant POY points.
What do the top three get so far?
All three have secured $100,000 WSOP Paradise packages based on their standings.
A 29-point gap after a full Vegas summer, three elite players, and two more chapters still to be written. The bracelets get the headlines, but the Player of the Year race is where the summer’s most complete grinders quietly settle who was really the best. Right now, nobody can say for sure — and that’s exactly what makes it worth following.