2026 WSOP Player of the Year Race Heads Into Final Stage in Bahamas

By Mrinal Gujare

2 hours ago

Mrinal Gujare 2 hours ago

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The 2026 WSOP Player of the Year race will conclude at WSOP Paradise, Bahamas, determining the final rankings and prize distribution.
Shaun Deeb leads the tight leaderboard, with Naoya Kihara and William Alex Foxen trailing by fewer than 30 points.
Daniel Negreanu and Lucas Jumalon remain in contention, with points unified across WSOP events worldwide.

The 2026 WSOP Player of the Year race will conclude at WSOP Paradise in the Bahamas. Shaun Deeb leads ahead of Naoya Kihara and William Alex Foxen, while Daniel Negreanu and Lucas Jumalon remain in contention for higher positions.

The 2026 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Player of the Year (POY) race will conclude at WSOP Paradise in the Bahamas, where the season’s final bracelet events will determine the winner and the distribution of a $1 million leaderboard prize pool for the top 100 players.

Defending champion Shaun Deeb leads the standings as he targets a third POY title and the newly introduced Binion Cup. Japan’s Naoya Kihara and William Alex Foxen are close behind, separated by fewer than 30 points.

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

Daniel Negreanu, Joshua Arieh and Nick Schulman are also inside the top 15. Negreanu, currently sixth, is pursuing a third POY title after winning his first in 2004. The eight-time bracelet winner said the points available in the Bahamas leave him within striking distance.

Lucas Jumalon, the 2026 WSOP Main Event champion, sits 15th in the standings. He said he hopes to improve his position at WSOP Paradise.

The POY competition began in 2004, when Negreanu won his first of two titles. Points are now unified across the summer WSOP in Las Vegas, WSOP Europe and WSOP Paradise.

Online satellites for the $50 million-guaranteed WSOP Paradise Super Main Event are running at GGPoker, offering players worldwide a chance to qualify for the tournament.

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