Shaun Deeb Grabs Narrow WSOP Player of the Year Lead Over Naoya Kihara

mrinal-gujare
By Mrinal Gujare
17 Jul 2026
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Mrinal Gujare 17 Jul 2026
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  • Shaun Deeb leads WSOP Player of the Year by just 22 points over Naoya Kihara.
  • Deeb's deep finishes outshined competitors’ higher volume of cashes.
  • The tight POY race continues at the high-stakes WSOP Paradise event.
Shaun Deeb
Image by Eloy Cabacas / Pokernews
Shaun Deeb holds a narrow Player of the Year lead over Naoya Kihara after a dramatic end to the summer WSOP. Despite Alex Foxen dropping to third, the race remains wide open heading into the high-roller heavy WSOP Paradise.

The race for the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Player of the Year (POY) honors concluded its summer stretch in spectacular fashion. The race intensified as four of the top five contenders made deep runs in the exact same final event. 

Following this dramatic conclusion, Shaun Deeb holds the top spot as the tournament action shifts toward the upcoming WSOP Paradise.

Alex Foxen held the lead for the majority of the summer series. However, the final event shook up the standings, causing Foxen to drop down to third place.

Naoya Kihara put on a strong performance and finished above Deeb in the final event of the summer. Despite this finish, Kihara could not quite secure the top position. 

Consequently, Deeb holds the narrowest of leads as the leaderboard stands before WSOP Paradise. Deeb sits at the top with 3,410 points, while Kihara trails closely behind in second place with 3,388 points.

The POY race remains highly competitive. A significant number of prominent poker players are still in contention for the title, including GGPoker ambassador Daniel Negreanu, Jesse Lonis, Eelis Pärssin, Benny Glaser, Nick Schulman, Calvin Anderson, and Michael Mizrachi.

Deeb approached the summer series with a clear motto: "I want to play everything." He backed up this mindset by firing a staggering 122 entries across the scheduled bracelet events.

His standout performance of the summer came in the prestigious $10K Main Event. After eight exhausting days of play, Deeb secured a 15th-place finish, which earned him a payout of $410,475. 

Fans noted his remarkably calm demeanor following his elimination from the world's most-watched tournament. 

Showing no signs of slowing down, Deeb registered for two additional tournaments just 10 minutes after busting out of the Main Event, driven by his pursuit of crucial POY points.

Notable ITM List from WSOP 2026

While Deeb leads the points standings, his path relied heavily on deep runs rather than pure volume of cashes. Deeb recorded 5 total cashes at the WSOP but consistently finished within the top 20 places throughout the series.

In contrast, his closest competitors accumulated higher cash volumes over the summer:
  • Naoya Kihara led the frontrunners with 18 cashes.
  • Alex Foxen, Daniel Negreanu, and Josh Arieh each cashed 14 times.
  • Michael Mizrachi secured 7 cashes during the series.

The battle for the Player of the Year title will resume at WSOP Paradise. The upcoming schedule for the event tends to be announced around the start of the WSOP Main Event final table, which kicks off at the start of August.

Because the WSOP Paradise schedule is geared more toward no-limit high-roller tournaments rather than mixed games, Foxen remains a serious threat to reclaim the top position as the race concludes in the upcoming tropical series.
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