Why the WSOP Needs More Than Just a Player of the Year Award

Every summer time, the World Sequence of Poker (WSOP) turns into the beating coronary heart of the poker world. Lots of of hundreds of gamers descend upon Las Vegas with the dream of successful one of many coveted gold bracelets on supply. Over the course of seven weeks, the grind is relentless, a whole lot of occasions, hundreds of hours of poker, thousands and thousands in prize cash, and, for a choose few, an opportunity to be immortalized.

On the finish of all of it, there’s one prestigious title that stands above the remaining: WSOP Participant of the 12 months (POY).

This yr, Shaun Deeb claimed that honor—deservedly so. He put up a constant efficiency, cashed in 24 occasions (18 dwell and 6 on-line), reached 5 last tables, and took down Occasion #79: $100,000 Pot Restrict Omaha Excessive Curler for almost $3 million—his seventh profession bracelet.

For his efforts, Deeb receives the WSOP Participant of the 12 months trophy, a seat into the WSOP 2026 Predominant Occasion, and a commemorative banner displayed at Paris/Horseshoe in Las Vegas.

Primarily based on the present formulation, which rewards constant in-the-money finishes and last tables throughout the collection, Deeb earned the title honest and sq.. It additionally marked his second profession POY title, making him solely the second participant in WSOP historical past, alongside Daniel Negreanu, to win the award greater than as soon as.

Nonetheless, many followers and gamers have been left questioning: Did the POY title really mirror probably the most excellent efficiency of the summer time?

That query comes up for good cause. Two different gamers had standout summers that arguably rivaled, and even surpassed, Deeb’s run when it comes to significance and impression.

Michael Mizrachi, for instance, pulled off what many take into account the only most spectacular feat of the collection: successful each the Predominant Occasion and the Poker Gamers Championship, broadly considered the hardest event in poker.

These are the crown jewels of the WSOP. To win each in the identical yr is exceptional. In some other yr, this run might need been thought of sufficient to outline the collection. Rightly so, he was instantly inducted into the Poker Corridor of Fame, beneath particular circumstances.

Then there’s Benny Glaser, who claimed three bracelets this summer time. That’s a uncommon accomplishment in trendy WSOP historical past, particularly contemplating the competitiveness and depth of right now’s fields. And to not neglect Martin Kabrhel, who additionally had a fantastic run this yr.

All these gamers had outstanding summers. However just one walked away with the POY title.

Ongoing WSOP Participant of the 12 months System Debate

It’s no shock that the WSOP Participant of the 12 months formulation is as soon as once more beneath scrutiny, a debate that appears to resurface yearly. The scoring system has been tweaked a number of instances over the previous decade, but dissatisfaction stays, significantly when standout performances don’t translate into POY factors.

On the favored 2p2 poker discussion board, one consumer remarked, “Benny not successful appears extra egregious than Grinder not successful.” One other pointed to the issues in how cashes are counted: “Mincashes have been made fairly nugatory by the present POY formulation. Deeb had probably the most dwell cashes on the 2025 WSOP with 18, however solely 10 counted, and none have been mincashes.”

The identical consumer famous that Jake Schwartz, who recorded the second-most cashes with 17, didn’t even crack the Prime 100 in POY factors.

“It’s clear the POY factors are structured for who can pound probably the most ~min-cashes by taking part in nearly the entire schedule, which I believe is a little bit of a joke,” one other consumer commented.

Even Phil Hellmuth, holder of a report 17 WSOP bracelets, joined the dialog, publicly calling the POY end result flawed.

“I don’t assume any skilled poker participant believes that the best particular person received Participant of the 12 months,” he stated in a video posted after the collection.

“Mizrachi ought to have been Participant of the 12 months. I believe that 90% of the poker world believes that. Perhaps the opposite 10% thinks Benny Glaser ought to have received Participant of the 12 months. A type of two for certain ought to have received it,” Hellmuth additional stated.

Not everybody was essential of Deeb’s win. Over on Reddit, one consumer defended the result.

“The award could be pointless if it have been weighted closely in opposition to two occasions. Deeb is a deserving winner. I’m certain he would relatively have Grinder’s outcomes although.”

The controversy over how the WSOP calculates Participant of the 12 months is just not new. The present system rewards quantity, consistency, and deep runs however not essentially status. That’s the reason somebody can win the Predominant Occasion and the PPC and nonetheless fall brief.

It begs the query: Ought to one single award decide one of the best performer in such an enormous, numerous competition?

Perhaps not.

Time for Extra Awards

Maybe it’s time for the WSOP to rethink the way it acknowledges achievement throughout the collection. With greater than 100 bracelet occasions and a whole lot of hundreds of gamers participating, each on-line and dwell, the concept of a single Participant of the 12 months title feels more and more outdated.

When the WSOP was a smaller affair, with a couple of dozen occasions and some hundred devoted grinders, one POY award could have been sufficient. However the panorama has modified. At this time, gamers compete throughout vastly totally different codecs, buildings, and area sizes. It’s not a one-size-fits-all race.

There’ll at all times be conditions—like this yr—the place a number of gamers put up historic performances. Shaun Deeb received POY beneath the present system, and that’s totally justified. However Michael Mizrachi and Benny Glaser had equally monumental runs.

Listed below are a couple of classes that might add extra dimension to the WSOP leaderboard:

Most Helpful Participant (MVP) — For the participant who made the most important impression, with status weighted greater than quantity. Mizrachi would clearly earn this for 2025.
Bracelet Chief of the 12 months — For the participant who received probably the most bracelets. In 2025, that’s Glaser.
Finest Combined Sport Participant — Recognizing gamers who dominate non-Maintain’em codecs, usually missed in a Maintain’em-heavy highlight.
Finest Feminine Participant — To have fun high performances by girls, encouraging visibility and development.
Finest Senior Participant — For these crushing the 50+ occasions or making deep runs in open fields.
Finest Worldwide Participant — For standout gamers from outdoors the US, based mostly on deep runs and last tables.

Closing Ideas

Including extra award classes isn’t about giving everybody a trophy; it’s about acknowledging the depth, selection, and scale of what the fashionable WSOP has develop into. After all, increasing the variety of awards would possibly dilute the singular status of the Participant of the 12 months title to some extent. However in a competition the place a whole lot of hundreds compete, it feels much more applicable to honor a number of standout performances relatively than drive one narrative onto a really complicated story.

Shaun Deeb earned the POY title, and nobody can take that away from him. Most main sports activities—like Soccer, Basketball, Cricket, and Baseball—way back acknowledged {that a} single award isn’t sufficient.

WSOP, with its 100+ occasions and a whole lot of hundreds of gamers, could now be at the same crossroads. One title might need sufficed prior to now, however in right now’s period, it might be time to have fun a number of types of excellence, not only one.