The World Series of Poker (WSOP) has long stood as the premier poker event globally, drawing the most skilled and dedicated players worldwide. Over the next two months, fierce competition will unfold as players vie for one of the most prestigious accolades in the WSOP: the Player of the Year (PoY) title.
Those looking to immortalise their names in poker lore need to be aware of the set of new rule changes that the WSOP has implemented for the PoY race. These modifications are crucial for anyone planning their summer grind and hoping to secure a spot at the top of the leaderboard.
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What Are the New Rules?
In a significant update for the 2024 WSOP PoY, a new set of rules have been introduced.
Players will now need a minimum of five results to qualify for the title. Furthermore, only their top ten points results will count towards their final score. Of these, a maximum of one online bracelet result is allowed.
This change ensures that while online performance is recognized, it does not disproportionately influence the overall standings.
The player’s best online result will be included in their top ten points results, contributing to the Player of the Year race. This adjustment aims to maintain the prestige and competitive integrity of the WSOP Player of the Year award.
What Does the WSOP PoY Win?
Other than etching their names into poker’s history books for eternity, the winner of the WSOP PoY race receives:
- 2025 WSOP Main Event seat
- A unique trophy
- Player of the Year banner at Horseshoe/Paris
The latest player to have their PoY banner erected was Ian Matakis, who edged out Shaun Deeb to the title.
With one bracelet and 22 total cashes — nine of which were online — Matakis had a summer to remember. His biggest score of them all was for $205,696 when he took third place in a $3,000 Pot-Limit Omaha event.
He finished in the top 10 six times, including his first career bracelet in Online Event #2: $500 No-Limit Hold’em Bankroll Builder.
2023 WSOP Player of the Year Final Standings
| Place | Player | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ian Matakis | 5,203 |
| 2 | Shaun Deeb | 4,276 |
| 3 | Chris Brewer | 4,127 |
| 4 | Josh Arieh | 3,938 |
| 5 | Jesse Lonis | 3,865 |
| 6 | Michael Rodrigues | 3,513 |
| 7 | Chad Eveslage | 3,447 |
| 8 | Ben Yu | 3,128 |
| 9 | Phil Hellmuth | 3,072 |
| 10 | Yuval Bronshtein | 3,056 |
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What Events Count Towards the PoY Race?
The 2024 PoY race will be exclusively based on the open bracelet events of the upcoming WSOP, which takes place at the Paris Las Vegas Hotel and Casino and Horseshoe Las Vegas from May 28 to July 17.
The Nevada/New Jersey/Michigan events on WSOP.com are also included, but as mentioned, only a player’s best online result will count toward their PoY points tally.
It’s important to note that certain events will be excluded from the leaderboards, which are:
- Event #2: $500 Casino Employees No-Limit Hold’em
- Event #46: $1,000 Seniors No-Limit Hold’em
- Event #59: $1,000 Super Seniors No-Limit Hold’em
- Event #65: $5,000 Seniors High Rollers No-Limit Hold’em
- Event #71: $1,000/$10,000 Ladies Event
- Event #75: $1,000 Tag Team No-Limit Hold’em
Other key information:
Heads-Up and Shootout events: Players eliminated in the same round (e.g. fifth through eighth place in a heads-up event, or all players eliminated on Day 2 of a shootout) will all receive the same points. The points awarded for those places will be the average of the points those places would have earned in a standard event.
Multi-flight events featuring Day 1 payouts: Some events (e.g. The Closer) offer the opportunity to cash more than once. However, a player will only earn POY points once for each event, and the points earned will be based on the position in the final results.
How are PoY Points Calculated?
The formula for calculating points for the PoY race is inspired by the proven point system utilized in the WSOP Circuit over the years. This system will be applied to each bracelet event but with some adjustments to account for the buy-in amount and the number of entries.
Players can use the WSOP PoY calculator to estimate points for any event, and the leaderboard will be updated daily for people to follow.
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WSOP Player of the Year Winners
| Year | Winner | Runner-Up |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Ian Matakis | Shaun Deeb |
| 2022 | Dan Zack | Daniel Weinman |
| 2021 | Josh Arieh | Phil Hellmuth |
| 2020 | N/A (pandemic) | N/A |
| 2019 | Robert Campbell | Shaun Deeb |
| 2018 | Shaun Deeb | Ben Yu |
| 2017 | Chris Ferguson | John Racener |
| 2016 | Jason Mercier | Paul Volpe |
| 2015 | Mike Gorodinsky | Jonathan Duhamel |
| 2014 | George Danzer | Brandon Shack-Harris |
| 2013 | Daniel Negreanu | Matthew Ashton |
| 2012 | Greg Merson | Phil Hellmuth |
| 2011 | Ben Lamb | Phil Hellmuth |
| 2010 | Frank Kassela | Michael Mizrachi |
| 2009 | Jeff Lisandro | Ville Wahlbeck |
| 2008 | Erick Lindgren | Barry Greenstein |
| 2007 | Tom Schneider | Jeff Lisandro |
| 2006 | Jeff Madsen | Phil Hellmuth |
| 2005 | Allen Cunningham | Mark Seif |
| 2004 | Daniel Negreanu | Ted Forrest |
Editor & Live Reporter
Calum has been a part of the PokerNews team since September 2021 after working in the UK energy sector. He played his first hand of poker in 2017 and immediately fell in love with the game. Calum’s proudest poker achievement is winning the only tournament he has ever played in Las Vegas, the prestigious $60 Flamingo evening event.