Ten new candidates have been narrowed down this year when the Governing Council of the Poker Hall of Fame went through a public nomination and screening process. Apart from the eight poker players who were already on the list during the previous several years, two new names appeared on the list – John Hennigan and David Oppenheim. The eight players that remain on the list are Huck Seed, Matt Savage, Chris Moneymaker, Mike Matusow, Bruno Fitoussi, Mori Eskandani, David Chiu, and Chris Bjorn.
The 28 members of the Poker Hall of Fame will send the official ballots to state their candidates. However, they were not the only ones who decide whom to put on the list. In fact, there are additional 18 members who belong to a media voting panel and who also have an impact. Their votes are all expected to be sent by July 8 to the Governing Council. They will count the votes and state who won the most votes. The winner or the winners of this voting will be inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame during the WSOP Main Event that will happen on July 13.
Long-Standing Tradition
The tradition that Poker Hall of Fame has is long – it has been established way back in 1979 and, at this moment, there are 54 members. The members and the voting panel members who decide on the next inductee do not choose at random. In fact, there are criteria which must be strictly followed when choosing the candidate. Take a look at what they must consider upon making their choices: A player must have participated in the best poker tournaments in the world and has played against the best poker players. At the time of nomination, the player must be at least 40 years of age. The player has played or still plays for high stakes
The player has played well consistently and has gained the great respect of other players and the public. The player has stood the test of time. If the person on the list is not a poker player, they must have helped poker grow and working on popularizing the game all over the country and the world. Their efforts must have positive and lasting results. Stay tuned as the Poker Hall of Fame Nominees will be announced very soon which will be a perfect opportunity for the poker lovers to root for one of the people on the list. The competition is great among the people who are nominated, and there are no favorites among them. Last year, the two people that were nominated and won this prestigious award were Phil Ivey and David Ulliott. It is very likely that two people will be received as the new members since this was has been the case for the last ten years. Who do you think will be introduced this time?