Images courtesy of World Series of Poker
The 2026 WSOP is just past the halfway point, and the creme de la creme have risen to the top, as the Player of the Year race shows a stacked lineup that includes last year’s Hall of Fame inductee Nick Schulman in 2nd and the 2025 Player of the Year Shaun Deeb.
Yet, leading the pack is Alex Foxen, a player whose results at this year’s Series have been every bit as impressive as the rest of his career.
Foxen’s outstanding performances have given him quite a lead on the POY leaderboard, but have far from secured the title for him, as there is still a lot of poker to be played before the curtains close on another edition of the World Series of Poker.
As the POY contenders for the year become a bit clearer, we take a closer look at the current leaders and their chances of adding their names to one of the most elite lists in all of poker.
Alex Foxen Dominates in Early Going
It’s been a great summer for the Foxen family, as both Alex and Kristen have already added new bracelets to their cabinets, alongside a number of other final tables and deep runs.
While Kristen’s performances have been impressive in their own right, Alex has been even more dominant. He kicked the summer off with a fourth-place finish in the $25k Heads Up Championship, before making the final table of a massive $600 NLH event alongside Daniel Negreanu and Brian Rast.
Alex was at the final table again just a couple of days later, this time in the $100k High Roller, showcasing his ability to play against the general population and the toughest players in the game just the same.
Foxen proceeded to go all the way in the $10k Super Turbo NLH event and make another final table in the $25k PLO High Roller to complete his first half performance at this year’s Series.
In total, Alex cashed for well over $1.5 million in the first 50 events of the summer, secured his fourth WSOP bracelet, and earned enough POY points to have a solid lead at the top of the leaderboard.
With 2,720 points, he now sits more than 600 points clear of Nick Schulman, whose chances of winning the race come from his incredible ability to dominate in all the games.
Fresh Hall of Famer Chases the POY Title
Just last summer, Nick Schulman was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame, and he would have been the talk of the town had Michael Mizrachi not gone on to win the PPC and the Main Event in a single WSOP.
Despite Mizrachi’s success, Schulman’s achievements have not gone unnoticed, and he came back for the 2026 WSOP with a point to prove.
A true master of the game of poker, Nick decided to demonstrate his incredible variety this time around by making four different final tables in four different disciplines.
His summer started with a 2nd place in one of the early events of the year, the $1,500 Badugi, where he just narrowly missed a chance to win his eighth WSOP bracelet.
Nick was back at the final table in the $10k Dealers Choice Championship a week later, before going all the way and capturing the bracelet in a $1,500 HORSE event.
Another final table appearance and 5th place finish in the $10k Big O Championship rounded up the first half of the summer for Schulman, who demonstrated his ability to switch gears and play every poker game at the top level day after day.
With just over half of the WSOP done, Schulman sits second in the POY race with 2,093 points, and is closely followed by Shaun Deeb, last year’s champion and the player who was widely believed to be the top favorite for 2026 as well.
Shaun Deeb Keeps the Dream Alive
It’s been a nightmare summer for one of the top tournament poker players alive. The 2025 Player of the Year came into the summer with some great scores from Prague, but was not able to replicate his success in Sin City thus far.
In fact, Deeb has only secured two cashes at the 2026 WSOP, which is quite an underperformance from a player we are used to seeing at multiple final tables each year.
Yet, the two cashes he did get were quite impressive, as Deeb got 5th place in the $10k NL 2-7 Lowball Championship and a 2nd place in the $3k Nine Game Mix, which was his best chance at a WSOP bracelet so far this summer.
While Shaun’s results in Vegas have not been too impressive so far, his overall standing is still great, thanks in big part to the points he brought with him from the WSOPE, which was played earlier in the year in the Czech capital.
Deeb now holds 2,029 points, 22 more than Naoya Kihara, whose double bracelet win was not enough to break into the top three so far.
The POY Hunt Continues
The 2026 WSOP POY race will be special in more ways than one. For starters, the players finally have a proper incentive to chase the title, as a $1 million prize pool is being distributed among the top 100 finishers, including $100k Paradise packages for the top three.
What’s even more, the POY race was extended to include the WSOPE and WSOP in Paradise, which means the final results won’t be known when all 100 bracelets are awarded in Vegas.
Instead, we will only get the definitive POY decision this December, when the best tournament players from all over the world gather in the Bahamas to play the final leg of the 2026 WSOP.
As things stand, Alex Foxen holds a significant lead at the top of the leaderboard, but betting on him to go all the way would be a risky proposition.
A master of NLH and PLO, Foxen’s ability to gather POY points is heavily restricted by his inability to compete on a higher level in mixed game events.
Followed by the likes of Schulman, Deeb, Kihara, and Arieh, Foxen will need to post some incredible results in the remaining big bet events of the year if he is to retain his POY lead.
On the other hand, all of his closest contenders will be playing dozens of mixed game events before the year is over, and likely making quite a few final tables.
Even hundreds of points behind the leader, Schulman and Deeb are both eyeing the top spot, although any top-three finish guarantees them a valuable $100k WSOP Paradise package.
Stay tuned for more updates from the 2026 WSOP, as we keep a close eye on all POY developments and key moments of the summer.
