Poker Hall Of Fame Members

Posted on 13-05-2021 by admin

The Poker Hall of Fame, established in 1979, was acquired by Caesars 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.
Jun 24, 2019 The rights to the Poker Hall of Fame were sold to Caesars Entertainment (then known as Harrah’s) with the rights to the World Series of Poker. The administrators of the WSOP currently handle all aspects of the Poker Hall of Fame. Hall of Fame Induction Criteria. Before 2009, there were no defined criteria to nominate or induct a person into.

Jul 13, 2018 A panel of Hall of Famers and media members have selected poker player John Hennigan and television executive Mori Eskandani as the 2018 inductees into the Poker Hall of Fame.The WSOP announced the selections as the final table of the WSOP Main Event got underway on July 12. Hennigan is an underrated all-time great. John Hennigan enters the Hall of Fame in his first year as a finalist.

Last night, Chris Moneymaker and David Oppenheim became the 57th and 58th inductees of the Poker Hall of Fame during the World Series of Poker Main Event coverage on ESPN.

They were voted into the 2019 Poker Hall of Fame Class by the thirty living Poker Hall of Fame members and a 21-person media panel. They were the two from an elite list of poker players which also included Chris Bjorin, David Chiu, Eli Elezra, Antonio Esfandiari, Chris Ferguson, Ted Forrest, Mike Matusow, and Huckleberry Seed to make it into the Poker Hall of Fame.

The Hall of Fame was established in 1979 to honor the most influential players and other key contributors to the game of poker. Harrah's Entertainment acquired the elite poker club in 2004, and it is now under Caesars Entertainment after the company changed its name in 2010.

Voters took into consideration the following criteria when casting their ballots.

Deceased Poker Players

A player must have played poker against acknowledged top competition.
Be a minimum of 40 years old at the 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.

Chris Moneymaker

Chris Moneymaker might not satisfy all of the voting requirements, specifically in playing in high stakes games. However, one can't deny the contribution Moneymaker made to the poker boom after winning the 2003 WSOP Main Event for $2,500,000.

Moneymaker: 'It's great for my kids — it'll be a cool thing for them to see when they grow up.'

At the time, it was unheard of for online poker players to win big money on the live poker stage. Moneymaker proved to the world that online poker players could be taken seriously and provided a considerable growth to online poker after parlaying a win in a satellite at PokerStars into the WSOP Main Event title. Moneymaker was an instant sensation and signed on to become a PokerStars Ambassador, a title he still holds to this day.

Moneymaker has yet to find WSOP gold a second time but has won titles in WPT and EPT side events as part of his nearly $3.9 million in live tournament cashes.

'I'm very honored... very happy,' says Moneymaker upon receiving the news. 'It's great for my kids — it'll be a cool thing for them to see when they grow up.'

Wsop Hall Of Fame

David Oppenheim

It is usually tournament players that get all the notice, and David Oppenheim has certainly had some success there with nearly $2 million in live tournament earnings. However, unlike the other nominees for the 2019 Poker Hall of Fame Class, Oppenheim has yet to win a WSOP bracelet or any major poker title.

What separates Oppenheim from the other nominees, is that he has been consistently crushing the high stakes cash games. The 46-year-old American has been playing poker for the better part of this century, having started out playing his second year in college when he was 19 years old.

'Being recognized as one of the all-time greats by my peers is truly humbling, and I am honored to have been selected to the Poker Hall of Fame.'

Until now, Oppenheim has been one of poker's unsung heroes as he wasn't on tv as often as some of his peers. He is a regular winner in the high stakes games in Bobby's Room.

'Being recognized as one of the all-time greats by my peers is truly humbling, and I am honored to have been selected to the Poker Hall of Fame,' said Oppenheim about his induction. 'I have been so fortunate to be able to do what I love for a living. I never planned to be a professional poker player; rather, it was a passion that became my job. People often ask me, how does one become a professional poker player? The answer is hard work, and that goes for everyone that plays at the highest level. From the time I began playing, I was incredibly passionate about poker, and it led to me being able to travel this road that has been traveled by very few. Again, I am extremely grateful to be receiving this honor. Thank you.'

Poker Hall of Fame Members

Moneymaker and Oppenheim join an elite group of poker players and contributors to the game as part of the Poker Hall of Fame. Here is a look at all 58 members in alphabetical order.

Member	Year	Member	Year	Member	Year
Tom Abdo	1982	Barry Greenstein	2011	Johnny Moss	1979
Crandell Addington	2005	Jennifer Harman	2015	Daniel Negreanu	2014
Bobby Baldwin	2003	Dan Harrington	2010	Scotty Nguyen	2013
Billy Baxter	2006	Murph Harrold	1984	David Oppenheim	2019
Lyle Berman	2002	Phil Hellmuth	2007	Henry Orenstein	2008
Joe Bernstein	1983	John Hennigan	2018	Walter 'Puggy' Pearson	1987
Benny Binion	1990	James Butler 'Wild Bill' Hickok	1979	Julius Oral Popwell	1996
Jack Binion	2005	Red Hodges	1985	Thomas Austin 'Amarillo Slim' Preston	1992
Bill Boyd	1981	Edmond Hoyle	1979	David 'Chip' Reese	1991
Doyle Brunson	1988	Phil Ivey	2017	Brian 'Sailor' Roberts	2012
Todd Brunson	2016	Linda Johnson	2011	Erik Seidel	2010
Johnny Chan	2002	Berry Johnston	2004	Mike Sexton	2009
T.J. Cloutier	2006	John Juanda	2015	Jack 'Treetop' Straus	1988
Nick Dandolos	1979	Jack Keller	1993	Duane 'Dewey' Tomko	2008
Eric Drache	2012	Jack McClelland	2014	David 'Devilfish' Ulliott	2017
Barbara Enright	2007	Felton McCorquodale	1979	Stu 'The Kid' Ungar	2001
Mori Eskandani	2018	Tom McEvoy	2013	Red Winn	1979
Fred 'Sarge' Ferris	1989	Chris Moneymaker	2019	Sid Wyman	1979
Henry Green	1986	Roger Moore	1997
T 'Blondie' Forbes	1980	Carlos Mortensen	2016

_{*Lead image courtesy of the Poker Hall of Fame. More information about the Poker Hall of Fame via WSOP.com/pokerhalloffame/ and Wikipedia.}

Chris Moneymaker Poker

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Tags
Amarillo SlimAntonio EsfandiariBarry GreensteinBilly BaxterBobby BaldwinCarlos MortensenChris FergusonChris MoneymakerDan HarringtonDaniel NegreanuDoyle BrunsonEli ElezraErik SeidelJohn JuandaJohnny ChanLinda JohnsonLyle BermanMike Matuso
Related Players
Daniel NegreanuJohn JuandaBarry GreensteinErik SeidelChris FergusonJohnny Chan

A couple days ago, the list of the 10 final nominees for induction to the Poker Hall of Fame was published. There are four repeat nominees this year (John Juanda, Tom McEvoy, Jennifer Harman, Scotty Nguyen) and six first-time nominees (George Hardie, Brian “Sailor” Roberts, Chris Bjorin, Eric Drache, David Chiu, Thor Hansen). In the past couple of years, we’ve written about the latest inductees, Barry Greenstein and Linda Johnson (2011) and Erik Seidel and Dan Harrington (2010), so if any of the nominees end up getting inducted, we’ll naturally be doing another write-up. News, names, and inductions aside, however, we think that it’s high time for a proper Poker Hall of Fame to be built.

What Does It Mean to Get Inducted?

Election to the Poker Hall of Fame is considered to be one of the biggest honors in the game. As many of you know, while public nominations are accepted, to be eligible for enshrinement nominees must fulfill a number of strict criteria. Wikipedia has a great page with details about Poker Hall of Fame and its 42 current members. Owned by Caesars Entertainment, all Poker Hall of Fame matters are handled exclusively by the people who run the World Series of Poker.

Currently, the official “home” of the Hall of Fame is at Binion’s in downtown Las Vegas; the original home of the WSOP. There, a dedicated wall displays pictures of all Hall of Famers, dating back to Johnny Moss and the other six initial members who were inducted back in 1979. Ironically, the Poker Hall of Fame at Binion’s was originally conceived not just to honor the achievements of the game’s greatest players and proponents, but also to serve as a tourist attraction. I’ve been to Binion’s and I’ve seen the wall. Buried in the bowels of an aging downtown Las Vegas relic, however, I’ve got to say that as a poker fan I was both very unimpressed and disappointed.

Like Sports and Music or Professional Wrestling?

The head honchos over at the WSOP need to decide what sort of character they want the game’s Hall of Fame to have. Currently, it most resembles WWE’s professional wrestling Hall of Fame, which essentially exists online, “in people’s minds and hearts”, and in yearly induction ceremonies. Perhaps that type of Hall of Fame is apropos for what essentially boils down to lifetime achievement awards for excellent service to a private entertainment company. Real-world achievements in public arenas like sports and music, however, arguably deserve better. When there’s an actual shrine to visit, it elevates those enshrined that much more.

Members Of Poker Hall Of Fame

Famous Halls of Fame like in Cooperstown (baseball), Cleveland (rock and roll), Canton (football), and Nashville (country music) get millions upon millions of visitors each year and for good reason. Fans of those enshrined make pilgrimages to these edifices in order to pay tribute to their heroes and the greats of sports and music who have inspired and influenced them.

If You Build It, They Will Come

We call upon the WSOP to build a permanent home for the Poker Hall of Fame in Las Vegas at the Rio. The game of poker has so much to gain from the creation of a bona fide Hall of Fame tourist attraction. Hold the annual ceremonies there and collect memorabilia from current members, who will likely be all too happy to contribute their time and effort. Put up plaques, showcase video footage, mention it during WSOP broadcasts – we’re talking about something very highly marketable here.

Give us tens of millions of poker fans worldwide another reason to want to come to Las Vegas. I dare say go ahead and even charge us $1 admission (payable by poker chip – how’s that for unique and innovative?) to keep the hall open 24/7 (another first) and ensure that it’ll be a moneymaker (“you know who” would be a great front man to promote it…).

Thoughtsnin

Poker Hall Of Fame Members

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