Chaotic standings and subpar guidance: Shaun Deeb discusses the unpredictable 2025 Player of the Year competition
WSOP 2025: Shaun Deeb Claims Second Player of the Year Title
In the recently concluded 2025 World Series of Poker (WSOP), Shaun Deeb emerged victorious in the highly competitive Player of the Year (POY) race. The POY standings saw a thrilling climax, with the final outcome hinging on a single tournament that separated Deeb from Benny Glaser.
Deeb, who won his second POY banner, was not primarily focused on chasing Glaser's lead, as he was playing to win bracelets and final tables instead. However, a late-night call from Martin Kabrhel on July 16, in which Kabrhel claimed he was ahead in POY points, prompted Deeb to double-check the totals.
Kabrhel, known as "The Grinder" in the poker world, had a strong run in the WSOP, with several top threes, a big win, and a series of cashes. His rise up the POY leaderboard had many believing he would take the WSOP title. However, it was Deeb who ultimately clinched the POY, finishing second in the $1,000 NLH event, which proved to be the decisive tournament.
Meanwhile, Michael Mizrachi, who won the Main Event, expressed interest in the POY competition during the WSOP Main Event. Mizrachi considered participating in additional events, such as The Closer and the $25K HORSE event, to improve his POY chances.
The POY scoring system in WSOP 2025 was updated and merged throughout the series, with points earned from live bracelet events and online bracelet events combined to create an overall POY leaderboard. The system limited point totals to a playerโs best 10 events across the series, including a maximum of one online event to avoid skewing from online results alone.
The WSOP staff informed Shaun Deeb that only 11 of his scores were being counted, not 10 as they should have been. They also informed him that the online results were not being updated and merged with the live points. This oversight was later rectified, but it is unclear how it affected Deeb's final POY standing.
Several of Kabrhel's scores were found to be incorrect, with some having fewer points than they should and others having more. If Benny Glaser had cashed in either of the flights and reached 7.5% of the field, rather than the 15% he achieved, he would have won the POY. If Glaser had a normal distribution of summer scores after his three wins, he would have definitely won the POY.
In the end, it was Deeb who emerged victorious in the POY race, winning close to $3 million in the $100k PLO event. Despite the close call and the initial confusion with the POY standings, Deeb's second POY banner solidifies his place as one of the most successful players in WSOP history.
[1] WSOP 2025 POY Rules [2] WSOP 2025 Main Event Results [3] WSOP 2025 Online Bracelet Event Results [4] WSOP 2025 POY Leaderboard
- Shaun Deeb's second Player of the Year (POY) triumph was a testament to his versatility, as he not only excelled in casino-and-gambling events but also demonstrated his entertainment value through his sporty approach to the competition.
- In the WSOP 2025 POY Leaderboard, Martin Kabrhel's exceptional performances in a variety of entertainment sectors, including sports, contributed significantly to his climb up the ranks and his strong challenge for the POY title.
