WSOP Player of the Year Race to End at

WSOP Player of the Year Race Heads to the Bahamas

The 2026 WSOP Player of the Year (POY) race will be decided at WSOP Paradise, the annual season finale held in the Bahamas. The series is set to host some of the largest guaranteed prize pools of the year and will crown the champion of the 2026 poker season.

The WSOP POY competition dates back to 2004, when Daniel Negreanu won the first of his two POY titles. POY points are now unified across the summer WSOP in Las Vegas, WSOP Europe and WSOP Paradise, meaning the race spans the full calendar rather than a single festival.

Leaderboard Prizes and Packages

The top 100 finishers on the 2026 POY leaderboard will share $1,000,000 in prizes. The overall POY winner, along with the second and third place finishers, will receive a $100K Paradise Package. Players finishing fourth through 15th will earn a $30K Super Main Event Package, with further packages and championship tickets distributed down to 100th place.

Because points are available at the final bracelet events in the Bahamas, the standings remain volatile heading into the finale. The prize structure is designed to reward sustained performance across multiple WSOP stops rather than a single deep run.

Current Top 15 Standings

Defending 2025 POY champion Shaun Deeb holds the No. 1 spot, narrowly ahead of Japan's Naoya Kihara and high-roller regular William Foxen. The gap between the top three is fewer than 30 points, leaving the title effectively open.

• 1. Shaun Deeb (United States) — 3,410 points
• 2. Naoya Kihara (Japan) — 3,388 points
• 3. William Foxen (United States) — 3,381 points
• 4. Justin Liberto (United States) — 2,827 points
• 5. Joshua Arieh (United States) — 2,750 points
• 6. Daniel Negreanu (Canada) — 2,698 points
• 7. Jesse Lonis (United States) — 2,674 points
• 8. Eelis Jaakko Eino Paerssinen (Finland) — 2,638 points
• 9. Michael J. Moncek (United States) — 2,592 points
• 10. Joshua Reichard (United States) — 2,575 points
• 11. Benny Glaser (United Kingdom) — 2,554 points
• 12. Nicholas Schulman (United States) — 2,552 points
• 13. Calvin Anderson (Mexico) — 2,365 points
• 14. Martin Zamani (United States) — 2,280 points
• 15. Lucas Jumalon (United States) — 2,271 points

Deeb is chasing a historic third POY title. Negreanu, Joshua Arieh and Nick Schulman are all inside the top 15, adding further depth to the final stretch.

Players on the Race

Negreanu, an eight-time WSOP bracelet winner and two-time former POY champion, currently sits sixth in the standings. He said the Bahamas setting suits a dramatic finish and noted that a third POY title remains within reach given the points available at the finale.

Lucas Jumalon, the 2026 WSOP Main Event champion, is currently 15th. He said the knowledge that the POY race will be decided in the Bahamas adds to the anticipation and that he hopes to climb higher in the standings.

WSOP Parlay Promotion

An additional promotion, the WSOP Parlay, offers $1,000,000 in extra prizes. Any player who has reached a WSOP bracelet event final table in 2026, whether at a live stop or online, is eligible to participate when they compete in the Bahamas.

Satellites and Registration

Online satellites for the WSOP Paradise Super Main Event, which carries a $50 million guarantee, are running at GGPoker. Players can also register directly for WSOP Paradise events through the WSOP LIVE app to avoid registration lines.

How POY Points Work

The WSOP POY system awards points based on results across eligible bracelet events. Points are unified across the summer WSOP in Las Vegas, WSOP Europe and WSOP Paradise, so a player's standing reflects performance across the entire year. In practice, this means a strong run at the season finale can significantly shift the leaderboard, particularly when the margin between contenders is small.

For players outside the top three, the mathematics of the race typically require a deep run in the Bahamas combined with weaker results from the leaders. This is a common dynamic in season-long points races and is one reason the finale draws heightened attention.

What to Watch

With fewer than 30 points separating the top three and a $1,000,000 prize pool distributed down to 100th place, the final bracelet events in the Bahamas will determine both the 2026 POY title and the shape of the leaderboard payouts. The combination of the POY finale, the Super Main Event guarantee and the Parlay promotion makes WSOP Paradise the focal point of the winter poker calendar.