Joe Johnson

The 2026 Player of the Year was settled with a tournament to spare. Joe Johnson won #51 in January, #52 in February, #53 in March and #59 in September — the first four Eight Deuce wins of his career, all of them this year, and four wins in a season ties the league record.

Two of them are the biggest scoring nights the regular season has seen. His 130 points at #52 are the most any player has earned in a single regular-season tournament, and his 125 at #51 are next.

Before this season Johnson was a big-event player. He won the Annual in 2008, 2009 and 2016 — three Annuals, which ties the all-time record — and then waited more than nine and a half years for his next win. The Player of the Year makes it four trophies.

For seven wins, the number that stood out was the one that was missing: he had never finished second. That ended at #60, the last night of the 2026 season, when Jeff Ferguson beat him heads-up. Seven wins across every event he has entered, from 31 starts, one runner-up finish, and 6-1 in heads-up matches. $4,325 in career prize winnings, and net of every buy-in he has paid, he is $2,950 ahead — third in league history.