Shaun Deeb has been displaying exceptional performance as a poker player in 2023, establishing himself as an elite closer. Throughout the year, he has reached nine final tables, emerging victorious in more than half of them. Recently, the 37-year-old poker pro secured his fifth title at the Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open, where he outlasted a competitive field of 22 entries in the $25,500 buy-in pot-limit Omaha high roller event, earning an impressive $239,100 for his triumph.
As a result of this latest victory, Deeb has climbed to 15th place in the 2023 Card Player Player of the Year standings presented by Global Poker. Accumulating 4,286 points and amassing over $1.3 million in Player of the Year earnings, he has proven himself as a formidable contender.
The final table of the high-stakes PLO event also featured other notable Player of the Year contenders. Ren Lin, ranked fifth, secured the fourth-place position, adding $65,200 and 126 points to his impressive record of 18 final-table appearances this year. With a total of 6,241 points and nearly $3.3 million in Player of the Year earnings to date, Lin stands as a force to be reckoned with. Alex Foxen, finishing in third place, took home $97,800 and 168 points. With 5,183 points and almost $2.3 million in Player of the Year earnings, he currently holds the eighth spot on the leaderboard.
Deeb’s impressive streak of victories began with his first title earlier in the year when he triumphed in the $10,300 H.O.R.S.E. event at the PGT Mixed Games festival in February. In March, he emerged victorious in the World Series of Poker Circuit Turning Stone $1,700 no-limit hold’em main event, prevailing over a field of 1,070 entries and winning $275,916. Later, he secured a six-figure payday by taking down a $5,000 side event at the Lodge Championship Series in Texas.
During the WSOP, Deeb made 24 cashes, including a remarkable victory in the $1,500 buy-in eight-game mix event, earning him his sixth career gold bracelet.
In the intense final hand of the PLO event, Deeb had to face not only Lin and Foxen but also the World Poker Tour champion Roger Teska. Despite Teska holding a flush draw, straight draw, and overpair to the board with JDiamond SuitJClub Suit5Club Suit3Heart Suit, Deeb’s JHeart Suit9Spade Suit7Diamond Suit6Spade Suit, which provided him with top two pair, prevailed. The 5Heart Suit on the turn strengthened Deeb’s lead, and the 9Heart Suit on the river sealed his victory with nines full of sevens. Teska’s second-place finish earned him $141,300, bringing his lifetime earnings to nearly $4.3 million.
Here is a look at the payouts and POY points awarded at the final table:
| Place | Player | Earnings | POY Points |
| 1 | Shaun Deeb | $239,100 | 252 |
| 2 | Roger Teska | $141,300 | 210 |
| 3 | Alex Foxen | $97,800 | 168 |
| 4 | Ren Lin | $65,200 | 126 |
