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WSOP Player of the Year Race Heads to Bahamas for Final Showdown
- The 2026 WSOP Player of the Year will be decided at WSOP Paradise in the Bahamas, with Shaun Deeb currently leading.
- The competition offers a $1 million prize pool shared among the top 100 players, plus the new Binion Cup for the champion.
- Final bracelet events and the $50M Super Main Event will determine if Deeb retains his title or another player overtakes him.
The 2026 WSOP Player of the Year race will conclude at WSOP Paradise in the Bahamas. Shaun Deeb leads Naoya Kihara and William Alex Foxen, while Daniel Negreanu remains in contention. A $1 million leaderboard prize pool awaits 100 players.
The World Series of Poker (WSOP) has confirmed that the 2026 WSOP Player of the Year (POY) title will be decided at WSOP Paradise in the Bahamas, bringing the season-long competition to a close during the final bracelet events of the year.
Defending champion Shaun Deeb currently leads the standings as he pursues his third POY title, while Naoya Kihara and William Alex Foxen remain close behind.
With less than 30 points separating the leading contenders, the competition remains open heading into the season finale.
Alongside the Player of the Year title and the newly introduced Binion Cup, a $1 million leaderboard prize pool will be distributed among the top 100 players.
The WSOP Player of the Year competition began in 2004, when Daniel Negreanu claimed his first of two titles.
The current points system combines results from three major WSOP series: the summer WSOP in Las Vegas, WSOP Europe, and WSOP Paradise. This unified structure allows players to accumulate points across the three stops before the final standings are determined in the Bahamas.
The 2026 competition will conclude at WSOP Paradise, where the remaining bracelet events will provide opportunities for players to improve their leaderboard positions.
In addition to deciding the overall champion, the final standings will determine which players receive a share of the $1 million leaderboard prize pool.
Shaun Deeb Leads as Kihara and Foxen Remain in Contention
Shaun Deeb, who won the 2025 WSOP Player of the Year title, occupies first place in the current standings. He is seeking a third career POY award, which would add him to the list of players to have won the title three times.
Naoya Kihara of Japan and high-stakes tournament regular William Alex Foxen are among his closest challengers, with fewer than 30 points separating the leading contenders.
Several established WSOP players also remain within reach of the top positions. Daniel Negreanu, Joshua Arieh, and Nick Schulman are all ranked inside the top 15.
Negreanu, an eight-time WSOP bracelet winner and two-time Player of the Year champion, currently sits sixth. He believes the points available at WSOP Paradise leave him with an opportunity to secure another title.
"I'm sitting a few hundred points back, but with big points available in the Bahamas, capturing a third Player of the Year title is absolutely within striking distance. It all comes down to how I perform in the season finale," Negreanu said.
He also described WSOP Paradise as an appropriate setting for the conclusion of the annual competition.
Lucas Jumalon, winner of the 2026 WSOP Main Event, is another contender looking to improve his position during the final stage of the POY race.
Jumalon currently occupies 15th place and will have an opportunity to accumulate additional points during the remaining bracelet events.
"I’ve been on an incredible journey this year, and it isn’t over yet. Knowing that the Player of the Year race will be decided in the Bahamas just adds to the anticipation. I'm excited to get to WSOP Paradise, play my best poker, and hopefully climb even higher up the ranks," Jumalon said.
His position places him among the players competing for both a higher final ranking and a share of the leaderboard prize money.
WSOP Paradise to Determine Final POY Rankings
| Position | Name | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shaun Deeb (United States) | 3,410 |
| 2 | Naoya Kihara (Japan) | 3,388 |
| 3 | William Alex Foxen (United States) | 3,381 |
| 4 | Justin Liberto (United States) | 2,827 |
| 5 | Joshua Arieh (United States) | 2,750 |
| 6 | Daniel Negreanu (Canada) | 2,698 |
| 7 | Jesse Lonis (United States) | 2,674 |
| 8 | Eelis Jaakko Eino Paerssinen (Finland) | 2,638 |
| 9 | Michael J. Moncek (United States) | 2,592 |
| 10 | Joshua Reichard (United States) | 2,575 |
| 11 | Benny Glaser (United Kingdom) | 2,554 |
| 12 | Nicholas Schulman (United States) | 2,552 |
| 13 | Calvin Anderson (Mexico) | 2,365 |
| 14 | Martin Zamani (United States) | 2,280 |
| 15 | Lucas Jumalon (United States) | 2,271 |
Alongside the conclusion of the Player of the Year competition, WSOP Paradise will host the $50 million guaranteed Super Main Event, one of the central tournaments of the season finale.
Online satellites for the Super Main Event are currently running on GGPoker, offering players the opportunity to qualify for the tournament. The Bahamas series will also feature the final bracelet events contributing to the unified POY standings.
With Deeb defending his leaderboard advantage and several challengers still positioned to move up, the remaining results at WSOP Paradise will determine the 2026 Player of the Year champion, the recipient of the Binion Cup, and the final distribution of the $1 million leaderboard prize pool.
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