Shaun Deeb had three runner-up finishes in World Series of Poker bracelet occasions in 2025, and people outcomes, alongside together with his eighth profession bracelet win, made Deeb a two-time WSOP Player of the Year.
Through all 15 occasions on the WSOP Europe and simply over half of the 2026 WSOP schedule in Las Vegas, Deeb as soon as once more matched the primary half of that equation. For the third time already this yr, Deeb completed second in a WSOP bracelet occasion. This newest shut name got here ended with a back-and-forth heads-up match in opposition to Joey Couden within the $3,000 nine-game combine occasion.
Couden, now a three-time bracelet winner in his personal proper, took residence $254,470 together with the {hardware}. His earlier wins got here in a 2018 pot-limit Omaha eight-or-better occasion and the 2025 $500 Salute to Warriors no-limit maintain’em occasion.
Along together with his first-place prize, Couden additionally earned 1,080 Card Player Player of the Year factors, in his first qualifying end result of 2026. Deeb’s 900 POY factors for second place put him in forty fourth place on the yearlong leaderboard offered by CoinPoker.
Mixed Game Skills
In the occasion’s greatest ever turnout but, 472 gamers purchased in to create a $1,260,240 prize pool. By the tip of two days of poker, 21 gamers remained, with Deeb effectively out in entrance. David Williams began day 3 of the match in a distant second place, with Couden exterior of the highest 10.
It was not Williams’ day, as he’d go on to complete in seventeenth place. Jeff Madsen, recent off his fifth profession bracelet, went out in 14th place, with Allan Le (eleventh), five-time bracelet winner Mike Gorodinsky (ninth), and Poker Hall of Famer Eli Elezra (eighth) narrowly lacking out on the ultimate desk.
When the sphere reached the seven-handed closing desk, Deeb remained the highest stack, however Couden was in a a lot nearer second place. Short stacks doubled, and in some circumstances tripled up, however Deeb as soon as once more put some critical distance between himself and the remaining of the pack. He eradicated Noah Bronstein in seventh place ($28,390) with a turned set of jacks in pot-limit Omaha.
Deeb eclipsed 10 million chips when he knocked out Antonios Onoufriou in sixth place ($38,560). Deeb’s jack-nine low in deuce-to-seven triple draw held off a wheel draw from Onoufriou on the latter’s closing hand.
Deeb’s lead prolonged to over 3:1 over Couden’s second-place stack together with his elimination of Yu Li in fifth place ($53,680). On the fateful hand, Deeb required solely a pair of nines in seven-card stud to finish Li’s match.
Another Close Call
Couden took out Thomas Taylor in fourth place ($76,510), making journey sixes on fifth road in stud. Those chips rapidly slipped away throughout an costly spherical of Omaha eight-or-better. But between pot-limit Omaha and restrict maintain’em, Couden hit a brand new high-water mark and closed Deeb’s result in lower than 2:1.
Kazuhiro Shirasawa slipped into third, and he, too, would get swept up by the Deeb landslide. In no-limit deuce-to-seven single draw, Deeb was dealt a nine-six low in opposition to Shirasawa’s jack-ten low to ship Shirasawa packing in third place ($111,610).
Deeb pushed to the precipice of his ninth profession bracelet, extending his result in over 4:1 at one level within the heads-up match. But a turned straight in Omaha eight-or-better and a full home in PLO out of the blue had Couden on prime for the primary time on the closing desk. Couden went up 2:1, just for Deeb to reclaim the lead when he known as on the tip with an ace-low in deuce-to-seven triple draw, accurately sniffing out Couden’s pair.
They’d go on to commerce the lead six extra instances over the course of greater than three hours earlier than Couden lastly made the run that will win him the bracelet. On the ultimate hand, Deeb acquired all in on sixth road in razz, with a made 8-7-3-2-A low. Couden was drawing to a wheel going into seventh road. He caught a six on the tip to make a 6-5-4-2-A low and sealed his victory.
Second-Best Again
Deeb gained his first WSOP bracelet in 2015, and his eight profession wins have him tied with Nick Schulman, Michael Mizrachi, and Benny Glaser for the fifth-highest complete. After his most up-to-date runner-up end, Deeb is nearer to the highest of one other checklist within the WSOP file books.
He now has 10 profession runner-up finishes in WSOP bracelet occasions, the third-most all-time. Phil Hellmuth, the 17-time bracelet winner and all-time file holder, has essentially the most runner-up finishes on the WSOP, too, with 14.
Daniel Negreanu, a seven-time bracelet winner, has the second-most runner-up finishes in WSOP occasions with 11. By comparability, amongst gamers with extra bracelets than Deeb, Johnny Chan has six runner-ups, Phil Ivey has 5 second-place finishes, and Doyle Brunson completed second on solely 4 events.
Despite having arguably essentially the most well-known runner-up end in WSOP historical past, 10-time bracelet winner Erik Seidel solely has three profession second-place finishes in bracelet occasions.
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Payout | POY Points |
| 1 | Joseph Couden | $254,470 | 1,080 |
| 2 | Shaun Deeb | $166,540 | 900 |
| 3 | Kazuhiro Shirasawa | $111,610 | 720 |
| 4 | Thomas Taylor | $76,510 | 540 |
| 5 | Yu Li | $53,680 | 450 |
| 6 | Antonios Onoufriou | $38,560 | 360 |
| 7 | Noah Bronstein | $28,390 | 270 |
Photo credit score: WSOP / Miguel Cortes
