Three Contenders, One Race to Watch
The $25,000 H.O.R.S.E. event at WSOP Paradise has injected serious drama into the 2026 Player of the Year race, with three prominent names all running deep in one of the summer's final major buy-in tournaments.
The Key Contenders
Alex Foxen, Shaun Deeb, and Naoya Kihara each notched significant deep runs in the high-stakes mixed-game event — a discipline that rewards breadth of skill across five formats: Hold'em, Omaha Hi-Lo, Razz, Seven-Card Stud, and Stud Eight-or-Better. Strong showings in a $25K mixed event carry considerable POY-point weight, making this result a potential pivot point in the standings.
Why This Matters
The POY race is a long-game contest that rewards consistency across multiple events and buy-in levels throughout the series. When multiple frontrunners or chasers converge in a single high-profile event and all advance deep, the points differential can either tighten dramatically or create separation that's difficult to overcome in the remaining schedule.
With WSOP Paradise serving as the culminating leg of the 2025–26 series, every final-table appearance now carries heightened urgency. A single deep run — let alone a win — in an event of this stature could reshuffle the entire leaderboard heading into the closing stretch.
The Mixed-Game Dimension
H.O.R.S.E. has long been considered a true test of all-around poker acumen, which is part of why high-profile finishes here tend to resonate beyond the prize pool. For players targeting the POY title, navigating a multi-discipline field of this calibre signals more than just one good result — it signals range.
Expect the POY conversation to dominate the rail as WSOP Paradise winds toward its conclusion.