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

mrinal-gujare
By Mrinal Gujare
4 hours ago
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  • Shaun Deeb leads WSOP Player of the Year by 22 points over Naoya Kihara.
  • Alex Foxen drops to third as leaderboard remains tightly contested.
  • Upcoming WSOP Paradise high-roller events could shift rankings further.
Shaun Deeb
Image by Eloy Cabacas / Pokernews
Shaun Deeb holds a narrow Player of the Year lead over Naoya Kihara after a dramatic summer conclusion. Alex Foxen dropped to third, while contenders like Daniel Negreanu remain close before the high-roller heavy WSOP Paradise schedule begins.

The race for the World Series of Poker Player of the Year title concluded its summer segment in spectacular fashion. Four of the top five contenders made deep runs in the exact same closing event, causing a dramatic shift at the top of the leaderboard.

Alex Foxen, who held onto the number one position for the majority of the summer, dropped down to third place following the final event. 

Naoya Kihara mounted a serious charge, putting together a massive summer that included 18 cashes. Despite finishing above Shaun Deeb in the final summer event, Kihara fell just short of taking the pole position.

As a result, Deeb heads into the upcoming WSOP Paradise segment with the narrowest of leads. Deeb currently sits at 3,410 points, holding a slim 22-point advantage over Kihara, who has 3,388 points.
Beyond the top three, a highly competitive group of prominent players remains firmly in contention. 

The chasing pack includes former champions and high-profile names such as Daniel Negreanu, Jesse Lonis, Eelis Pärssin, Benny Glaser, Nick Schulman, Calvin Anderson, Josh Arieh, and Michael Mizrachi.

Deeb approached the summer series with a clear motto: "I want to play everything." He backed up that mentality by firing a staggering 122 entries in bracelet events over the summer. 

While he only recorded five total cashes, his efficiency was remarkably high, as he consistently finished in the top 20 places throughout the series.

His standout performance came in the world's most-watched tournament, the $10,000 Main Event. Following eight exhausting days of play, Deeb navigated his way to a 15th-place finish, securing a payout of $410,475. 

His calm demeanor immediately after his elimination surprised many fans. Demonstrating his relentless drive for the leaderboard title, Deeb registered for two additional tournaments just 10 minutes after busting out of the Main Event to continue accumulating points.

Comparing the Cashes of the Top Contenders

The battle for the leaderboard highlighted contrasting strategies and volume among the field. The final cash counts for several key contenders during the summer series include:
  • Naoya Kihara: 18 cashes
  • Alex Foxen: 14 cashes
  • Daniel Negreanu: 14 cashes
  • Josh Arieh: 14 cashes
  • Michael Mizrachi: 7 cashes
  • Shaun Deeb: 5 cashes (with multiple top 20 finishes)

The race is far from over as the players prepare for the next leg of the schedule. The upcoming WSOP Paradise series leans heavily toward no-limit hold'em high-roller tournaments rather than mixed games. 

Because of this specific schedule structure, poker analysts would not want to bet against Foxen regaining his footing at the top.

Fans and players will not have to wait long to see the full layout of the next stops. The official schedule for WSOP Paradise is typically announced around the start of the WSOP Main Event final table, which kicks off at the start of August.
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