WSOP sets $1m Player of the Year finale at WSOP Paradise in the Bahamas

Top 100 share the POY leaderboard pool as Shaun Deeb leads a tight top three heading into the season-ending bracelet events.

The World Series of Poker (WSOP) said on October 8, 2026 that its 2026 WSOP Player of the Year (POY) race will be decided at WSOP Paradise in the Bahamas, positioning the stop as the season finale across Las Vegas, WSOP Europe, and Paradise results.

WSOP also confirmed a $1,000,000 POY leaderboard prize pool for the top 100 finishers. The overall POY winner, along with second and third place, will receive a $100K Paradise Package, while players finishing 4th through 15th will receive a $30K Super Main Event Package, with additional packages and championship tickets paid down to 100th.

Heading into the final events, defending 2025 POY champion Shaun Deeb leads the 2026 standings with 3,410 points. Naoya Kihara sits second on 3,388, and William Alex Foxen is third on 3,381. WSOP also lists Daniel Negreanu (2,698) at #6 and Nicholas Schulman (2,552) at #12, among others in the top 15.

"WSOP Paradise is the perfect setting for a dramatic finish to the year," said eight-time WSOP bracelet winner, two-time former WSOP POY champion, and current #6 in the standings, Daniel Negreanu. "I'm sitting a few hundred points back, but with big points available in the Bahamas, capturing a third Player of the Year title is absolutely within striking distance. It all comes down to how I perform in the season finale."

WSOP also announced a separate “WSOP Parlay” promotion tied to WSOP Paradise. The company said any player who has reached a WSOP bracelet event final table—live or online—during 2026 is eligible, with an additional $1,000,000 in parlay prizes available when they compete in the Bahamas.