Shaun Deeb has extended his lead in the 2025 World Series of Poker Player of the Year race over Martin Kabrhel, Benny Glaser, and Scott Bohlman after a runner-up finish in the $1,000 NLH event on Sunday.
The deep run comes just days after Deeb scored his seventh bracelet in the $100K PLO High Roller and this was Deeb's sixth second-place effort since his first bracelet in 2015. He collected $154,906 and added 63 fantasy points for his loyal owners. The deep run was also good for 532 PoY points, replacing his bottom score of 107.88 in his current total under a rule set that only considers your best 10 cashes.
Deeb pulling away
Deeb has added some space between himself and the rest of the pack, but there is still plenty of poker left to play. Glaser has cashed in just five events in the 2025 series, which leaves plenty of open point slots that would not knock out the lowest score. Kabrhel, along with Bohlman, has filled his slots up and he would need multiple final tables or a bracelet to close the gap. Glaser would still need a lot of help, but a fourth bracelet would put him right there.
2025 WSOP PoY race (approximate as of 7/6/25)
| Rank | Player | PoY Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shaun Deeb | 3,785 |
| 2 | Martin Kabrhel | 3,346 |
| 3 | Benny Glaser | 3,310 |
| 4 | Scott Bohlman | 3,235 |
The second-place finish was not for lack of opportunity after Deeb returned with the chip lead among the final three players. They needed an extra day to decide the winner after it ran into the early morning on Day 3. Jeffrey Thoney, who entered the day with a very short stack, got it in on the second hand of the session and lost. Deeb and Zdenek Zizka proceeded to battle it out for another 90 minutes before the latter secured his first WSOP bracelet.
'Vamos!'
The heads-up battle could have gone either way with both players short on big blinds and willing to get it in. Side feature table action attracted a Team Lucky rail that included the likes of Matt Glantz, Josh Arieh, and 'Crazy' Mike Thorpe. Also on watch was Kabrhel, who took advantage of a 20-minute break in the Main Event to anti-sweat Deeb.
Frequent cries of 'Vamos!' peppered the scene after each hand Deeb lost until the break ran out and Kabrhel shifted away for good. His antics were quickly replaced by those of 'Crazy' Mike, who stood on the risers behind the final table.
Repeated screams of 'One for the good guys!' eventually led to admonishment from tournament staff. Even Mori Eskandani had to step in when Thrope was repeatedly banging on the rail.
"Did you expect Crazy Mike to be this much of a tournament rail bird?" Deeb asked.
The big limits led to a back-and-forth exchange of double-ups and the chip lead until Deeb found himself with the short stack. He shoved with 
, but Zizka held on with 
to secure the win.
After the loss, Deeb mentioned that he may go jump right in the Main Event, which was in its last hour of registration for the day. He had considered skipping the summer's flagship tournament to chase Player of the Year. Deeb was not seen in the chip counts for Day 2ABC, but he has another chance on Monday to claim a seat.
$1,000 NLH final table results
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zdenek Zizka | $232,498 |
| 2 | Shaun Deeb | $154,906 |
| 3 | Jeffrey Thoney | $112,413 |
| 4 | Santiago Maglio | $82,480 |
| 5 | Brian Klish | $61,195 |
| 6 | Dinesh Singham | $45,917 |
| 7 | Logan Kim | $34,848 |
| 8 | Ricky Robinson | $26,754 |
| 9 | Santiago Plante | $20,781 |
