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Shaun Deeb’s reign at the top continues, but Kihara is closing fast in this year’s WSOP POY race.
Shaun Deeb, who won the 2025 WSOP Player of the Year race, continues to lead the 2026 WSOP POY leaderboard. However, the gap is beginning to shrink.
After back-to-back victories in $10,000 Championship events, Naoya Kihara has quietly climbed to No. 2 and now sits just 50-60 points behind Deeb, putting the top spot well within reach.
That said, there’s still a long road ahead. With plenty of events remaining and the WSOP Paradise series later this year, the leaderboard could look very different by the time the race concludes.
What’s particularly impressive is Deeb’s ability to remain on top despite not having a major breakout performance in Las Vegas this summer. A strong WSOP Europe campaign has helped keep him ahead of the pack.
Elsewhere, Michael Leah is also firmly in contention, currently sitting sixth, while Kristen Foxen, fresh off winning her sixth WSOP bracelet, rounds out the top 10.
PokerStars on FanDuel Ontario live in Ontario.
The launch had been postponed again and again, leaving eager players stranded and GGPoker Ontario with a temporary boost. Now, with the new iPoker-powered platform up and running, PokerStars will be looking to win back its lost ground.PokerStars is leaning into the summer vacation theme with its Jet Set Season, running June 7 to July 12.
This promo is all about tournaments with buy-ins for every budget, running alongside a 'Miles’ system that rewards participation and challenges.
The series is split into four weekly challenges, each with its own set of highlight events, like the $55 Jet Set Getaway with a $200k guarantee on June 14 and the $75 Jet Set Season Finale with $350k guaranteed on July 12.
Lex Veldhuis wins GGPoker World Festival title.
He takes the win for $68,147!Britney was removed mid-game from the WSOP’s first live cash game stream after losing almost $100K, with little explanation from the WSOP.
She later explained on Instagram that her funds came from legal blackjack winnings and that she followed every instruction given to her before sitting down at the table.
She wrote,
“If there was genuinely a compliance concern, it should have been addressed before I was allowed to buy in and participate – not after the game had already begun and substantial amounts of money had already changed hands.”
Britney criticized the way the situation was handled, calling it “both confusing and unfair.” According to her, players deserve clear and consistent rules, not surprises after they’ve put serious money on the line.
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For a split second, I thought it was actually the real Paris. In France.
📸 Fantastic photos from Jess!Main event or just another Tuesday for Spraggy?
PokerStars pro, Spraggy, takes viewers through his attempt to run deep for a six-figure payday, with the usual blend of banter and poker strategy.Hellmuth’s home game is back on stream, and Rampage is looking for redemption after what he calls the worst session of his life.
The lineup is a who’s-who of recognizable faces: Chalie Hook, Xuan Liu, Kelly Minkin, Stanley Tang, Jungleman, and Phil Hellmuth himself.
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The World Series of Poker is back with the $25K NLH High Roller 6-Handed Final Table.
WSOP is streaming the action live, so viewers at home can enjoy every tense moment and awkward stare as the final contenders battle it out for the title.
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Six WSOP bracelets later, Kristen Foxen looks to the future.
Kristen Foxen just won her sixth WSOP bracelet, marking the biggest score of her career. In her winner’s interview, Foxen talks about why representation matters at the tables and hopes her visibility encourages more young women to take a seat.
She sees herself as a role model for aspiring female poker players and believes that seeing someone like her succeed helps others believe they can do it too.
“I hope that future generations can look at my success and believe they can achieve the same.”
Apparently, playing your fourth live poker tournament is all it takes to win six figures and a WSOP bracelet.
Brayden Lou detoured to Vegas with his dad, bought into a $500 freezeout, and now has a better story than your entire family combined.
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“Best win of my poker career so far…”
We’re so happy for Kristen!Thinking Poker’s 500th episode features none other than Erik Seidel, a player whose poker résumé stretches back to when backgammon was cool the first time around.
Seidel reflects on his early days at the Mayfair Club and his famous runner-up finish to Johnny Chan at his first WSOP. He also talks about adapting to the relentless changes in poker over the decades.Daniel Negreanu talks about that Warner Bros Discovery x WSOP deal.
We’ve already shared the vlog, but jump to his section on WSOP coverage to understand what the new partnership means.
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“If you want to pursue it, there’s nothing stopping you…”
Words of wisdom to aspiring female poker players, from none other than 6-time WSOP bracelet-winner, Krissy Foxen.
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Another stellar shot from the WSOP.
📸 Jess BeckShould the Poker Tournament Directors summit talk about the re-entry debate?
Honestly, yes. Also loving the infographic!A new WSOP vlog, this time from Tristan Wade.
Check it out below.Kevmath called it.
The WSOP’s trying-to-get-through-a-closed-door traditions are going strong.The latest from Ivan at pokerfuse covers Andy Taylor’s rollercoaster ride as the Loose Cannon on PokerStars The Big Game on Tour.
After dusting off his profits to Shaun Deeb in a rough hand, Andy did not let it shake him. He came back ready for action and managed to win a nice pot with a set of treys right off the bat.10 poker stories so wild they sound like Hollywood scripts (but actually happened).
An incredible line up of stories from Anuj! There’s everything from Chris Moneymaker’s WSOP Main Event run, to Phil Ivey edge sorting, to Victoria Coren-Mitchel’s fear of flying.
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Kristen Foxen for the Poker Hall of Fame!
Let’s start campaigning now!
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Watch: Here is the Krissy Foxen interview with the WSOP Countdown crew.
Let’s hear her thoughts on how she closed out on bracelet number 6, and some of the big hands along the way.Erm, what is Solana?
New WSOP branding coming from June 10.BELIEVE.
🙌Naoya Kihara won two WSOP bracelets in the same week.
Honestly, it is incredible scenes. Here is the WSOP Countdown team along with six-time WSOP bracelet winner Krissy Foxen discussing.
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Some great Kristen Foxen stats from Tim Duckworth.
Kristen’s WSOP Bracelets:
🏆 2013 $1k Ladies Championship
🏆 2016 $1,500 NLH Bounty
🏆 2020 $2,500 NLH 6-Handed (Online)
🏆 2023 $888 NLH Crazy 8’s (Online)
🏆 2024 $1k NLH 6-Max (Online)
🏆 2026 $25k NLH High Roller
Banning face coverings, hats and sunglasses good or bad for poker?
What do we think? I like Galen’s idea of banning face coverings, hats, and sunglasses for a third of tournaments.$50K high roller, Negreanu vs Moron.
As always, PokerStars ambassador David Lappin says it best.Yesterday
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Tune in for another high roller final table stream tonight.
It’s the conclusion of the $25k NLH High Roller 6-Handed event, with Sean Winter, a very accomplished player, looking to add a WSOP bracelet to his cabinet.
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Talk about a misclick…
When an accidental call with a really bad hand turns into a big pot… These things happen in big tournaments, no way around it, and it looks like the AQ player took it pretty well. Is J-3 new J-4, though?Brad Owen is back in action.
With so much focus on the tournament action these days, you can break up the routine with Brad’s latest vlog, featuring some high-stakes cash game action from California.The action is underway in the $1,500 Big O event.
There are only a few dozen players remaining in the hunt for the bracelet and the first-place money of almost $390kA hot take on the rake at the World Series of Poker.
This video has created some turmoil in the community, with most pro players not in agreement,. And so, the never-ending discussion continues.
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Kristen Foxen is celebrating her big win!
Last night’s win such a huge achievement, but we just know there is so much more in the cards for her.Allen Kessler comes up short once more.
The bracelet was once again within reach for Kessler, but the cards once more refused to cooperate when it mattered the most. Maybe next time?Daniel Negreanu is going from high rollers to trenches – and he loves it.
He may have his preferences, but there is no doubt that Daniel Negreanu just loves everything about the World Series of Poker, and it shows – in this vlog and every other!Caesars has agreed to be taken private by Fertitta Entertainment, owned by billionaire Tilman Fertitta, in a $17.6 billion all-cash deal.
The offer is $31 per share, which is almost 50 percent more than the stock price before rumors started flying. Fertitta will take on nearly $12 billion of Caesars’ existing debt, financed with a little help from ten different banks.
The combined company would run 60 casinos and gaming spots, at least until regulators step in. According to Legal Sports Report, past mergers have forced companies like Caesars to shed properties to avoid cornering local markets. For example, both Caesars and Fertitta already operate casinos in places like Atlantic City and Las Vegas.
GGPoker is giving Ontario players exclusive online qualifiers for two major WSOP events.
If you’re based in Ontario, you can play your way to the WSOP 2026 in Las Vegas or the debut of the WSOP Super Circuit Canada, which lands at Playground Poker Club in Quebec this August.
This marks the first time the Super Circuit is being held anywhere in North America. The festival is promising a C$5,000 Main Event with a record C$10 million guarantee, though the full schedule hasn’t dropped yet.
PokerStars Power Path tickets still up for grabs.
Tickets to PokerStars Open Malaga via the qualifying route, Power Path, are available until 6pm CET. Check out our Power Path or PokerStars Open guides for more information.Unpopular WSOP opinions.
I mean, he’s not wrong…Wow, WSOP signs Warner Bros. Discovery deal.
Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) and the World Series of Poker (WSOP) have agreed to a three-year deal that will see the WSOP broadcast across channels and platforms in Europe, Latin America, and Asia.
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Such a cool winner’s photo of Kristen Foxen at the WSOP.
📸 WSOP / Lennart HennigPokerStars Ontario is back, baby.
The online poker site returns under the PokerStars brand on FanDuel in Canada.From satellite ticket to high stakes regular: Moneymaker keeps dealing out the surprises.
Chris Moneymaker shares his latest adventure on the felt, squaring off against Nik Airball and Rampage at the World Series of Poker.
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Full Final Table replay of the $25K World Series of Poker High Roller.
If you want to watch the final table showdown in full, the WSOP replay is here for you.How to lose at everything, by Rampage.
Ethan 'Rampage’ Yau just put in a candidate for the roughest session ever recorded on Poker Night in America. Over 127 hands, he played more than half of them, but didn’t win a single showdown.Michael Mizrachi is making the impossible look routine at this year’s WSOP, at least according to PokerNews.
After registering late and losing most of his stack on his very first hand, Mizrachi was left with less than a big blind. Most players would already be halfway to the parking lot, but not 'The Grinder.’
Instead, he turned his 3,000 chips into a stack of 1,429,000, charging up the leaderboard with the same relentless style that made him a world champion. PokerNews calls it “vintage Mizrachi“—fearless, pedal-to-the-floor, and apparently allergic to elimination.
As the final day approaches, the field is left to wonder: Is it really a comeback if he does this every year?
Four days after completing a miracle comeback from one chip, Naoya Kihara has won another WSOP bracelet.
We have the first double bracelet winner of the year, and it’s Naoya Kihara. Just days after winning the $10,000 2-7 NL Lowball Single Draw Championship following an unbelievable comeback from a single chip, the Japanese poker pro has captured another title, this time in the $10,000 Seven Card Stud Championship.
What makes the story even crazier is the timeline. It took Kihara nearly 14 years to win his second WSOP bracelet, but only four days to win his third. After one of the most remarkable comebacks you’ll ever see, he followed it up by topping a 130-entry field in Seven Card Stud and taking home more than $300,000.
An incredible run and one of the stories of the summer so far.
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The final table of the $25,000 No-Limit Hold’em High Roller at the WSOP was stacked with some of the game’s most recognizable names.
Kristen Foxen took down the top prize, pocketing $1,773,083 and her latest bracelet, according to the official WSOP channel. Galen Hall finished runner-up, still banking over $1.1 million, with Biao Ding rounding out the top three.
The rest of the table didn’t exactly walk away empty-handed. Joey Weissman, Ignacio Moron, Zdenek Zizka, Ihar Soika, Giuseppe Calio, and Barak Wisbrod all scored six-figure payouts for their efforts. Not bad for a day’s work in Las Vegas.
Martin Kabrhel didn’t hang around long in the WSOP $25k High Roller.
According to PokerNews, he bought in on Day 2 but was out after a single hand when his pocket sixes met Nick Petrangelo’s ace-king.
Kabrhel joked about wanting a free afternoon, but the dealer had the final say as the ace hit the board. As he left, he quipped, “Okay, that’s it for today. One hand and one hand only. See you later, alligator. I really enjoyed this.”
It has not been an especially memorable WSOP for Kabrhel so far, with his best score a 28th place finish worth $15,879. The High Roller event itself drew 242 entries and a prize pool approaching $5.7 million, but Kabrhel will have to look elsewhere for his next deep run.
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Kristen Foxen finally gets the WSOP bracelet she can brag about.
Kristen Foxen has finally ticked the last remaining box in her poker career according to her own standards. After years of winning bracelets in what she considered lesser events, she took down the WSOP $25K High Roller for $1.7 million and her sixth bracelet, outlasting a field that PokerNews described as “all the best pros in the world.”
“It feels like where I’m supposed to be and what I’m supposed to be doing. I’m just so blessed that I found poker, that I’m able to do this,” Foxen told PokerNews after her win.
Galen Hall made things interesting by coming into the final day with a monster chip lead, but ultimately Foxen was the last one standing. This marks her fourth seven-figure cash in the last year and the fourth-highest live tournament payout for a female player ever.
This is the first time hearing this story. So cool! WSOP Main Event runner-up Perry Green tells all to PokerOrg.
The three-time bracelet winner famously lost to Stu Ungar heads-up for the Main Event title in 1981. Now, aged 90, he’s still competing at the WSOP.
Teething problems still plague the World Series of Poker.
But, the team is working hard to fix all the problems.Linda Johnson aka First Lady Poker its down with Table 1 Vegas for an in-depth interview.
Johnson is a legend! We can’t wait to watch this one!WSOP and Poker Flops: when sharing gets you shut out.
Ivan’s recent piece dives into the dust-up between WSOP and Poker Flops, who found themselves blocked and copyright-claimed after posting short clips from the WSOP live streams. The Poker Flops team was not amused, calling out WSOP for old-fashioned thinking and saying it is hurting the game’s exposure.
Poker Flops responded with a harsh statement, calling out the WSOP for not keeping up with the times and limiting the game’s exposure with their “backward views.”
Ivan points out that while content distribution has been a thorny subject in poker, WSOP does put a lot of resources into producing these streams. Still, the debate over free exposure versus content control continues, with no easy answers in sight.