LAS VEGAS (Dec. 1, 2020) – Nominations for the Poker Hall of Fame have officially opened today and will remain open through Friday, Dec. 11 at WSOP.com/PHOF. All poker enthusiasts across the country and globe are encouraged to nominate those they feel most worthy of meeting the Poker Hall of Fame criteria:
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A player must have played poker against acknowledged top competition
- Be a minimum of 40-years-old at time of nomination
- Played for high stakes
- Played consistently well, gaining the respect of peers
- Stood the test of time
- Or, for non-players, contributed to the overall growth and success of the game of poker, with indelible positive and lasting results.
The 2019 finalists, all whom remain eligible for induction include: Chris Bjorin, David Chiu, Eli Elezra, Antonio Esfandiari, Chris Ferguson, Ted Forrest, Mike Matusow and Huckleberry Seed. The open nomination process on WSOP.com is meant to identify other worthy nominees to fill out the finalist ballot, which will include 8-10 individuals.
On Wednesday, Dec. 16, Caesars Entertainment, Inc. will announce the finalist list, which will be delivered to the 32 living Hall of Fame members to cast their votes. Each Hall of Famer will have ten (10) total points to allocate as they see fit across the finalist nominees. In 2020, as was the case from 1980-2004, only one honoree will be inducted. The 2020 inductee will be announced Wednesday, Dec. 30 just prior to the WSOP Main Event finale.
In 2019, Chris Moneymaker and David Oppenheim become the 57th and 58th individuals to be inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame.
CLICK HERE TO SUBMIT YOUR NOMIATIONS
The entire list of 58 Poker Hall of Fame members includes (alphabetical):
- Tom Abdo ‘82
- Crandell Addington ‘05
- Bobby Baldwin ‘03
- Billy Baxter ‘06
- Lyle Berman ‘02
- Joe Bernstein ‘83
- Benny Binion ‘90
- Jack Binion ‘05
- Bill Boyd ‘81
- Doyle Brunson ‘88
- Todd Brunson ‘16
- Johnny Chan ‘02
- T.J. Cloutier ‘06
- Nick Dandolos ‘79
- Eric Drache ‘12
- Barbara Enright ‘07
- Mori Eskandani ‘18
- Fred “Sarge” Ferris ‘89
- Henry Green ‘86
- T “Blondie” Forbes ‘80
- Barry Greenstein ‘11
- Jennifer Harman ‘15
- Dan Harrington ‘10
- Murph Harrold ‘84
- Phil Hellmuth ‘07
- John Hennigan ‘18
- James Butler “Wild Bill” Hickok ‘79
- Red Hodges ‘85
- Edmond Hoyle ‘79
- Phil Ivey ‘17
- Linda Johnson ‘11
- Berry Johnston ‘04
- John Juanda ‘15
- Jack Keller ‘93
- Jack McClelland ‘14
- Felton McCorquodale ‘79
- Tom McEvoy ‘13
- Chris Moneymaker ‘19
- Roger Moore ‘97
- Carlos Mortensen ‘16
- Johnny Moss ‘79
- Daniel Negreanu ‘14
- Scotty Nguyen ‘13
- David Oppenheim ‘10
- Henry Orenstein ‘08
- Walter “Puggy” Pearson ‘87
- Julius Oral Popwell ‘96
- Thomas Austin “Amarillo Slim” Preston ‘92
- David “Chip” Reese ‘91
- Brian “Sailor” Roberts ‘12
- Erik Seidel ‘10
- Mike Sexton ‘09
- Jack “Treetop” Straus ‘88
- Duane “Dewey” Tomko ‘08
- David “Devilfish” Ulliott ‘17
- Stu “The Kid” Ungar ‘01
- Red Winn ‘79
- Sid Wyman ‘79
For more information on the Poker Hall of Fame, visit http://www.lnmandiya.com/pokerhalloffame/.
ABOUT THE POKER HALL OF FAME
The Poker Hall of Fame, established in 1979, was acquired by Harrah’s Entertainment along with the World Series of Poker in 2004. Though the Hall of Fame is virtual in nature, its membership includes poker's most influential players and other important contributors to the game. There are now 32 living members, and 58 members have been bestowed the honor of Poker Hall of Famer. The Poker Hall of Fame traditionally elects one or two members annually. The enshrinement ceremony is now held in concert with the final table of the Main Event of the WSOP, held in Las Vegas.
About the World Series of Poker
The World Series of Poker® is the largest, richest and most prestigious gaming event in the world, having awarded more than $3.29 billion in prize money and the prestigious gold bracelet, globally recognized as the sport’s top prize. Featuring a comprehensive slate of tournaments in every major poker variation, the WSOP is poker’s longest-running tournament in the world, dating back to 1970. In 2019, the event attracted 187,298 entrants from 118 different countries to the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas and awarded more than $293 million in prize money. In addition, the WSOP has formed groundbreaking alliances in broadcasting, digital media and corporate sponsorships, while successfully expanding the brand internationally with the advent of WSOP Europe in 2007 and the WSOP Asia-Pacific in 2013 and the WSOP International Circuit Series in 2015. For more information on the WSOP, please visit www.lnmandiya.com.