Ian Matakis Leads Shaun Deeb in WSOP Player of the Year Race

As the 2023 World Series of Poker heads into the home stretch, Ian Matakis has just taken the lead in the Player of the Year race from Shaun Deeb who is chasing his second win.and aiming to become the second two-time champion since Daniel Negreanu won in 2004 and 2013.

Deeb has already accumulated 12 cashes and one bracelet so far this year, already close to his 2018 effort where he won two bracelets with a total of 20 cashes.

In addition to winning his sixth WSOP bracelet, Deeb has racked up three other top-five finishes: the $1,500 Seven Card Stud event, the $1,500 Omaha Mixed event, and the $ 1,000 No Limit Hold'em - Deepstack (Online Bracelet Event 3).

However, it’s not going to be plain sailing to the Poy title as Deeb faces stiff competition from Ian Matakis, a surprising contender this year. Matakis, a Minnesota native, has already won an online bracelet this summer and has 15 bracelet event cashes, six of which took place in the online series which runs in parallel . The two players have been neck and neck, with the lead changing multiple times already.

Meanwhile, Matakis has steadily added POY points to his running total and has logged 12 cashes in the series to date, four of which were in online events

The winner of the 2023 Player of the Year race will receive a seat in the 2024 Main Event and a banner honouring their win, which will hang at the series each year. With both Deeb and Matakis showing no signs of slowing down, the race for the 2023 WSOP Player of the Year title promises to be a thrilling contest.

Can the relatively inexperienced 25-year-old really challenge Shaun Deeb for one of the most sought after titles in poker? He seems to think so.

At the time of writing, Ian Matakis has a live tournament record of $1,126,557, but only four six-figure cashes, two of which came this summer. His career didn't even really kick off until 2018, making this extraordinary run all the more special.

2023 WSOP Player of the Year Leaderboard