Phil Hellmuth Doesn’t Think Shaun Deeb Should’ve Won WSOP Player of the Year

Phil Hellmuth doesn’t consider Shaun Deeb ought to have received 2025 World Collection of Poker (WSOP) Participant of the Yr and criticized what he referred to as a “flawed” scoring system.

Deeb had a stellar summer season that included 18 reside occasion cashes, three runner-up finishes and a bracelet victory value $2.9 million. However Hellmuth believes there have been extra worthy candidates this 12 months for the distinguished POY honors.

In a three-minute video posted to X on Tuesday, the 17-time bracelet winner rebuked the method for figuring out WSOP POY and argued that both Poker Gamers Championship and Foremost Occasion winner Michael Mizrachi or Benny Glaser, who received three bracelets this summer season, ought to have received the POY distinction.

“I do not assume any skilled poker participant believes that the suitable individual received Participant of the Yr,” Hellmuth stated within the video.

“Mizrachi ought to have been Participant of the Yr. I feel that 90% of the poker world believes that. Possibly the opposite 10% thinks Benny Glaser ought to have received Participant of the Yr. A type of two for certain ought to have received it.”

“Participant of the Yr Ought to Be About Champions”

Hellmuth went additional and accused Deeb of lobbying for current adjustments to the POY scoring system that shifted from limitless cashes to a participant’s ten greatest outcomes, even if Deeb has criticized these very adjustments. The brand new formulation took impact on the 2024 WSOP.

“I imply, he is writing the principles and he is successful Participant of the Yr and no one likes the consequence? What is going on? This has to alter.”

One resolution provided by Hellmuth can be to make second bracelets value triple factors, third bracelets value triple factors, and so forth.

“What are we doing? Second place, second place, third place, that is bullsh**. We’re champions. Participant of the Yr must be about champions.”

Deeb Responds

Deeb fired again on X and accused Hellmuth of spreading misinformation about his POY victory.

“First off: I had zero involvement within the WSOP altering the POY formulation,” wrote Deeb. “The shift from counting limitless cashes to capping at 10 wasn’t my name — and it damage me greater than it helped. Phil himself admitted that.”

Deeb had beforehand criticized the brand new POY scoring system. In an interview with PokerNews forward of the collection, Deeb stated the rule “punish(es) individuals like me who put in quantity and multi-table.”

Whereas Deeb agreed that Mizrachi had a “phenomenal summer season” and that Glaser additionally “crushed,” he famous in his X submit that POY “isn’t about spotlight reels” and is as an alternative a “points-based system.”

“Is the system good? No. It nonetheless wants work. I’d gladly assist enhance it — even when it means decreasing my future probabilities. However make no mistake: I didn’t create the formulation, and I didn’t profit unfairly from it.”

A number of poker gamers voiced assist for Deeb, together with Chris Brewer, Landon Tice, Derek Kwan and David “ODB” Baker.

Connor Richards is a Senior Editor U.S. for PokerNews and host of the Life Outdoors Poker podcast. Connor has been nominated for 3 World Poker Awards for his writing.