POY Race 2026: Punsri, Lonis, Schulman in Tight Battle

The 2026 Card Player POY race is reaching a boiling point

With a little more than two months left in 2026, the Card Player Player of the Year race, presented by CoinPoker, is set up for a dramatic finish. The leaderboard is close enough that one major final table can swing the entire picture, and that is exactly what makes this stretch so compelling for tournament poker fans.

Punnat Punsri currently holds the top spot, but his lead is anything but safe. Six players are close enough to strike with one strong score, and the group chasing him includes a former POY winner, a Hall of Fame member, and several of the most reliable high roller performers in the game. In other words, this is not a one-man race.

For players who want to study the broader ecosystem around these big events, it helps to keep an eye on poker rooms, poker clubs, and poker school resources, because the road to a POY run is built long before the trophy is handed out.

Punnat Punsri’s season has been built on volume and quality

Punsri enters the final stretch with 7,624 POY points, and that total reflects more than one hot run. His 2026 campaign has been marked by consistent deep finishes across elite fields, especially in Triton and WSOP events where the points can stack up quickly.

• 3rd place, Triton Super High Roller Series Jeju $15,000 no-limit hold’em — 720 points
• 6th place, WSOP $3,000 no-limit hold’em — 660 points
• 5th place, Triton Super High Roller Series Jeju $100,000 no-limit hold’em — 650 points
• 1st place, Triton Super High Roller Series Jeju $30,000 NLH/PLO — 504 points

What makes Punsri’s year so impressive is not only the quality of the results, but the frequency. He has reached 25 qualifying final tables in 2026, which is an elite number even by world-class standards. That kind of consistency is what turns a strong season into a serious POY campaign.

The bigger picture matters too. Punsri has climbed steadily over the last few years: 44th in the 2022 race, 21st in 2023, 4th in 2024, and narrowly missing out on the crown in 2025. He is now in position to convert years of progress into the title that has been chasing him.

Jesse Lonis, Nick Schulman, and the tightest part of the chase

Jesse Lonis is right on Punsri’s heels with 7,556 POY points. That gap is tiny, especially considering how much value remains on the calendar. Lonis is also the player who edged Punsri for the 2025 POY title, so the storyline is already loaded with history.

Now Lonis is trying to do something nobody has done in 30 years of this award: win back-to-back POY honors. If he pulls it off, he would join an extremely exclusive club that already includes Adrian Mateos, Stephen Chidwick, and Daniel Negreanu as multiple-time winners.

Nick Schulman is also right there at 7,556 POY points, which means he is effectively one small cash away from the lead. That is an extraordinary place to be for a player who entered the Poker Hall of Fame just 15 months ago. In the time since his induction, Schulman has put together one of the best runs of his career.

This summer he won his eighth WSOP bracelet, and he kept knocking on the door for a ninth. Then in September he set a career-high score that dated all the way back to 2005 by winning his second Triton title in Jeju for $3,854,888. For a player with his résumé, that is a reminder that even after Hall of Fame recognition, the ceiling can still rise.

Brandon Wilson, Alex Foxen, and the value of staying power

The race is not limited to the top three. Brandon Wilson has continued to prove that his 2026 breakout is real, especially in high roller fields where one final table can dramatically alter the standings. His rise is a useful reminder that modern POY races often reward players who can consistently show up in the toughest events and keep converting pressure spots.

Alex Foxen remains one of the most dependable tournament performers in the world. He may not always produce the flashiest headline result, but his ability to stay near the top of the leaderboard through sustained consistency is exactly the type of profile that wins season-long races.

Eelis Parssinen is another fascinating contender because he is showing that a player does not need to be a pure no-limit hold’em specialist to stay alive in a POY battle. His strength in pot-limit Omaha and mixed formats gives him another path to points, and that versatility is a real edge over a long season.

Expert analysis: what this POY race tells us about modern tournament poker

The 2026 POY race offers a clear lesson: in today’s tournament landscape, one huge score is rarely enough. The award tends to reward players who combine volume, versatility, and discipline across many months rather than those who simply spike one marquee event.

• Deep runs matter more than isolated wins when fields are stacked and point structures are tight.
• Format flexibility is a real weapon; players who can win in NLH, PLO, and mixed-game settings have more chances to accumulate points.
• Schedule selection is part of the edge; choosing between elite high rollers and broader fields can make or break a POY push.
• End-of-year pressure changes everything; every cash and every final table becomes more valuable as the calendar shrinks.

For grinders, this is also a reminder that preparation pays off long before the biggest events begin. Studying structures, selecting the right series, and managing bankroll and stamina are all part of the same equation. That is why resources like promotions & bonuses and long-term path-building options such as a poker agent can matter to players planning a full season rather than a single stop.

What comes next on the calendar could change everything

The end-of-year schedule is loaded. One more Triton Super High Roller Series stop, World Series of Poker Paradise, the WPT World Championship at Wynn Las Vegas, EPT Prague, and several other major festivals remain on the board. That means the standings are not just close — they are fragile.

In practical terms, this is the kind of stretch where one player can jump multiple spots with a single heater. A couple of deep runs, a title, or even a pair of final tables at the right time can completely reshape the POY picture. That is why the race feels so open despite the quality of the leaders.

For serious players, this is the best moment to think like a season planner. The smartest competitors are not just looking for one good event; they are mapping out where the best score potential exists, where fields are softer, and where the ROI of travel and buy-ins makes sense. If you are building your own live schedule, it is worth comparing options across poker rooms and poker clubs with the same discipline the pros use.

Final take: the 2026 POY title is still up for grabs

The bottom line is simple: the 2026 Card Player POY race is far from decided. Punnat Punsri leads, but not by enough to relax. Jesse Lonis is chasing history with a chance to repeat, Nick Schulman is producing a Hall of Fame-level season, and Brandon Wilson, Alex Foxen, and Eelis Parssinen remain very much alive.

The final months of the year should deliver a real battle, not a formality. That is great news for fans and a useful case study for players: in tournament poker, the title usually goes to the competitor who finishes the season best, not necessarily the one who spent the most time in front early on. The race is wide open, and the next major stop could change everything.

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