Foxen Leads WSOP POY Race As Summer Nears End

The 2026 World Series of Poker in Las Vegas has reached its fever pitch, with the Main Event now underway and 85 gold bracelets already claimed within the hallowed halls of Paris Las Vegas. The series has shattered records, paying out close to $319.7 million in prize money across nearly 199,000 entries. This summer has been particularly electrifying, witnessing an unprecedented surge as three separate players notched their ninth career bracelets in rapid succession, while another, fresh off an eighth bracelet win, found himself heads-up for his ninth. This high-octane environment has naturally produced a compelling leaderboard for the 2026 WSOP Player of the Year (POY) race, with Alex Foxen currently holding a precarious lead as the summer action winds down.

Foxen, a high-stakes phenom, sits atop the standings with 3,004 points. Despite having the second-highest total earnings in WSOP history, his fourth career bracelet win this summer, a $594,246 victory in a $10,000 Super Turbo No-Limit Hold'em bounty event, might come as a surprise to some. This win was one of six final-table appearances for the 35-year-old, showcasing his versatility across buy-ins ranging from $600 to $100,000. His nine cashes also include a semifinal finish in the $25,000 Heads-Up Championship, demonstrating his consistent performance and setting him up for a strong finish.

Hot on Foxen's heels is Japan's Naoya Kihara, in second place with 2,863 points. Kihara has experienced a career-defining summer, becoming the first of three players to secure multiple bracelets in 2026. His journey began with a $428,923 win in the $10,000 No-Limit Deuce-to-Seven Single Draw Championship, followed just three days later by a remarkable back-to-back victory in a $10,000 Stud Championship for an additional $301,970. Kihara, who famously became the first Japanese player to win a WSOP bracelet in 2012, has amassed over $1 million this summer through ten cashes and five final tables, including two seventh-place finishes in high-stakes events.

Two-time WSOP POY winner Shaun Deeb occupies the third position with 2,817 points, proving he's still a dominant force. After narrowly missing out on bracelets in two separate instances at WSOP Europe where he succumbed to quads on the final hand, Deeb finally secured his ninth career bracelet in a $1,500 Eight-Game title for $181,625. This came after a third consecutive heads-up loss in a $3,000 Nine-Game event. With six final tables and ten cashes, Deeb, known for his high-volume play, still has room to accumulate more points.

Josh Arieh, a seven-time bracelet winner, is currently in fourth place with 2,640 points. Arieh, despite not securing a bracelet this summer, has had an exceptional run with two runner-up finishes in prestigious events: the $10,000 H.O.R.S.E. Championship and, for the second time in his career, the $50,000 Poker Players Championship, where he fell to Benny Glaser. With an astounding 18 cashes across WSOP Europe and Las Vegas, Arieh's consistent deep runs underscore his mixed-game prowess.

Right behind Arieh is Nick Schulman, in fifth place with 2,551 points. The 2025 Poker Hall of Fame inductee has shown no signs of slowing down, capturing his eighth career bracelet in a $1,500 H.O.R.S.E. event. Schulman also had a second-place finish in the $10,000 Limit Deuce-to-Seven Triple Draw Championship, narrowly missing his ninth bracelet. His bracelet wins in four consecutive years now tie the longest streak in WSOP history, placing him alongside legends like Bill Boyd, Doyle Brunson, and Loren Klein.

Benny Glaser, who narrowly missed the POY title in 2025 after winning three bracelets, is in sixth place with 2,494 points. Glaser achieved a long-sought-after victory this summer, taking down the $50,000 Poker Players Championship for $1,343,764. This win, coupled with a runner-up finish in the $10,000 Limit Hold'em Championship and two final table appearances at WSOP Europe, highlights his continued excellence, despite having already surpassed the 15-cash limit for point accumulation.

Emergent talent Josh Reichard sits in seventh with 2,431 points, the only player in the top 10 to win his debut WSOP bracelet this year. Reichard’s breakthrough came in a $2,500 No-Limit Hold’em event, complemented by two third-place finishes, including one in a $10,000 Mystery Bounty Championship where he also claimed a $100,000 bounty. His third-place finish in a $600 NLH/PLO event notably featured a final table alongside Foxen, Negreanu, and Maurice Hawkins.

Daniel Negreanu, a two-time WSOP POY winner, is in eighth place with 2,346 points. After ending a decade-long bracelet drought in 2024, Negreanu continued his winning ways this summer, securing his eighth career bracelet and a monumental $2,257,718 in a $100,000 PLO High Roller. This victory extended his record for the most money won in WSOP events to over $36.2 million, positioning him for a potential third POY title.

Finnish PLO specialist Eelis Parssinen occupies ninth place with 2,322 points. Parssinen had an incredible summer, winning two bracelets and over $3.3 million. His second career bracelet came in a $25,000 PLO event for $2,161,056, followed less than a week later by his third bracelet in another $25,000 Mixed NLH/PLO event for $1,172,296. These wins have propelled his lifetime earnings past $23.8 million.

Rounding out the top 10 is Martin Zamani, with 2,210 points. The two-time bracelet winner has had a quietly successful summer, reaching the final four in three separate $10,000 Championship events, though he finished fourth in each. His 14 cashes across WSOP Europe and Las Vegas have netted him just under $1 million. The race remains tight, with players like Jesse Lonis, Michael Moncek, and Michael Mizrachi on the cusp of breaking into the top tier, ensuring an exciting conclusion to the 2026 WSOP POY chase. With the Main Event, over a dozen more Las Vegas live bracelet events, and the entirety of WSOP Paradise still to come, the stakes for the top finishers — including prize packages to WSOP Paradise 2027 — have never been higher.