Shaun Deeb's Hyped-Up Attitude for the World Series of Poker (WSOP) is Waning This Year
Shaun Deeb, a six-time bracelet winner, kicked off his bid for the 2025 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Player of the Year award yesterday. However, he remains critical of the scoring system, believing it unfairly penalizes high-volume players.
Deeb, who communicated with PokerNews during a break, participated in Day 1a of Event #1: $1,000 Mystery Millions. He opted to skip the 25k Fantasy Draft, taking place concurrently at Aria, due to the excessive number of participating teams.
"I didn't want to put in the effort to identify late-value players for a draft of 200 individuals. It's just too many players," Deeb explained.
This year, 24 teams are competing in the Fantasy Draft, a record high. Each team spends up to $200 on drafting eight players, with points assigned based on WSOP results. Deeb, as usual, was among the priciest bids, fetching $99 for Team Riordan. Jeremy Ausmus, with five bracelets since 2021, fetched the highest bid at $141.
Deeb, a repeat contender for WSOP Player of the Year in late summer, won the award in 2018. However, he was less of a factor in the race last year, the first year the WSOP changed the scoring system to focus on quality over quantity, a shift he dislikes.
"The rule change to penalize players like me who put in a lot of volume and multi-table is somewhat ridiculous. I was in the minority and lost that argument, which is why we now have the 10 cash scoring system," Deeb said.
Although the scoring changes have diminished the importance of smaller cashes, Deeb demonstrated that he can still compete effectively under the current system. In 2018, had the system been in place, he would likely have won with two bracelets and a third-place finish.
Deeb's summer schedule will be full, a tradition he has maintained for the past decade. However, his participation depends on his wife, Ashley Deeb. "It's not really up to me, it's up to my wife," Deeb said. "Every year it's a little different with me."
Deeb, a father of four, admitted that his enthusiasm for the WSOP this year is not as high as it has been in the past. "It's strange, every other year I got a bit more excited. I'm just not as in tune with the game as I used to be, so there's a little less excitement because I know I'll be at a disadvantage in higher buy-ins," Deeb said.
Despite his reservations, Deeb remains a strong contender for a bracelet and the 2025 WSOP Player of the Year title.
In the interview with PokerNews, Deeb revealed he skipped the 25k Fantasy Draft,aving nothing to do with casino gaming, based on the excessive number of participating teams. In his opinion, the shift in the scoring system to focus on quality over quantity in WSOP, which penalizes high-volume players like him, is somewhat unfair.
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