Nominations for this year’s Poker Hall of Fame inductees are open up until August 15. Poker fans from around the world are welcome to submit their nominations as well to briefly explain why they have chosen a particular nominee.
All submitted names will be tabulated and the poker players and personalities who have been nominated the most will be reviewed by the special Poker Hall of Fame Governing Council. Last but not least, members of the hall of fame will cast their votes in order for the new inductee/s to be chosen. Traditionally, one or two nominees are selected annually.
The Poker Hall of Fame was established back in 1979. It was acquired by Caesars Entertainment (then Harrah’s Entertainment) in 2004 together with the rights to the WSOP. Generally speaking, the Poker Hall of Fame aims at celebrating the achievements of poker players and the contributions of poker personalities to the popularization of the game.
In order to join the hall, players need to be at the age of 40 or above by the time of their nomination, to have faced serious competition over the years, to have played high stake games, to have demonstrated consistency and to have gained their peers’ respect. As for non-players, they have to have major contributions to the success and further growth of the game of poker.
As of August 2015, the Poker Hall of Fame has 48 members, of whom 23 are still living. And here are the people who have joined it from 2010 to 2014. Our lookback includes both players and non-players who have been inducted to the Poker Hall of Fame.
2010
Dan Harrington
Action Dan, as the player nicknamed himself, despite his tight and conservative playing style, is the holder of two WSOP gold bracelets. He won both of them back in 1995, when he topped the fields of the $2,500 No-Limit Hold’em event as well as the $10,000 Main Event. As of 2010, when he was inducted to the Poker Hall of Fame, Harrington had $3,524,476 in career WSOP winnings.
Erik Seidel
Quite a lot could be said about Seidel. He is an eight-time gold bracelet winner and has triumphed in a number of other prestigious events. As of 2010, the player had $4,352,051 in career WSOP winnings.
Seidel’s first major cash in a poker event was in 1988, when he almost became the WSOP Main Event champion. However, he could not stand a chance against Johnny Chan and had to settle for the runner-up finish and the amount of $280,000.
It is interesting to note that prior to entering the world of poker, Seidel was a backgammon player and Wall Street trader.
2011
Barry Greenstein
Greenstein is known among fellow poker players and fans as The Robin Hood of Poker as he usually gives his tournament earnings to various charities.
At the time of his election into the Poker Hall of Fame, he had $2,676,821 in career WSOP winnings. Greenstein is holder of three gold bracelets. He won his first one in 2004 when he topped the field of the $5,000 No-Limit Deuce to Seven Draw. Bracelet number two came a year later, when the player won the $1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha. In 2008, he emerged victorious in the $1,500 Razz.
Linda Johnson
Johnson is known not only for being a skillful player but also a major contributor to the popularization and growth of the game of poker. She has been involved in the World Poker Tour for quite some time both as a director for public relations and a tournament announcer. Prior to this, she had published the CardPlayer Magazine for eight years. Johnson was also one of the co-founders of the Poker Tournament Directors Association.
As for her poker career, she won a gold bracelet in 1997 for topping the field of the $1,500 Seven-Card Razz. Her WSOP winnings amounted to $140,296 at the time of her election into the Poker Hall of Fame.
2012
Eric Drache
Drache was a tournament director of the WSOP from 1973 to 1988. He is known to be the person who invented tournament satellites. Drache is also a quite skillful Seven-Card Stud player.
Bryan Roberts
At the time of his election, Roberts had $276,650 in career WSOP winnings. He won two gold bracelets. The player was awarded his first piece of WSOP jewelry in 1974 when he topped the field of the $5,000 No-Limit Deuce to Seven Draw. Only a year later, he won the $10,000 Main Event for $210,000.
He was known as The Sailor as he had served in the US Navy. Roberts passed away in 1995.
2013
Tom McEvoy
Holder of four gold bracelets and winner of the 1983 $10,000 Main Event, McEvoy is certainly someone who has worked hard for his spot into the Poker Hall of Fame. As of 2013, when he joined it, his WSOP winnings amounted to $1,307,010.
In fact, McEvoy was the first-ever player to win his seat into the WSOP Main Event through a satellite.
Scotty Nguyen
The Prince of Poker and probably the most colorful character in the world of this exciting game was the other inductee to join the Poker Hall of Fame in 2013. At that time, his WSOP winnings amounted to $5,074,729.
Nguyen has won five gold bracelets so far. In 1998, he emerged victorious in the $10,000 Main Event for $1,000,000.
2014
Jack McClelland
McClelland was one of the two members of the Poker Hall of Fame to be inducted in 2014. He served as WSOP tournament director in the 1980s. In addition, he was in charge of the Bellagio poker room from 2002 to 2013. His career in poker spans more than forty years.
Daniel Negreanu
Negreanu joined the Poker Hall of Fame only a few months after he turned 40 and became eligible for nomination. A six-time gold bracelet winner, the player is currently among the most popular and highly respected poker personalities.
At the time of his election into the Poker Hall of Fame, Negreanu had more than $14 million in career WSOP winnings. Although the $10,000 Main Event title still evades him, the player formerly won the 2013 WSOP APAC $10,000 Main Event.
