Nominations Open for 2016 WSOP Poker Hall of Fame

The World Series of Poker is inviting the public to nominate who they believe should be considered for induction into the Poker Hall of Fame in November.

Since 1979, the World Series of Poker has recognised the world´s greatest poker players and individuals who have made an outstanding contribution to the game of poker by inducting them into the Poker Hall of Fame. To date, fifty “legends” have been welcomed into the WSOP Poker Hall of Fame – including such great names as Johnny Moss, Doyle Brunson and Phil Hellmuth.

In recent years, two players or individuals have been inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame each year in a ceremony that takes place immediately prior to the conclusion of the WSOP Main Event. However, unlike many industry awards, those considered to be worthy of a place in the Poker Hall of Fame are chosen by the general public, and nominations have just opened for the Class of 2016.

How to Make Your Poker Hall of Fame Nomination

In order to be considered for a place in the Poker Hall of Fame, players must have played at high stakes against acknowledged top competition. They must have “stood the test of time”, gained the respect of their peers by playing consistently well, and be at least forty years old. For non-playing individuals, they must have made an outstanding contribution to the game of poker.

If you have somebody in mind who fits this criteria, the WSOP wants to hear from you. To make your Poker Hall of Fame nomination, visit www.wsop.com/phof/, register for your vote and then explain on the nomination form why you believe your nominee is worthy of a place in the Poker Hall of Fame. Please note that you are only allowed one nomination, so pick your nominee carefully.

How the Selection Process Works

Nominations will stay open until around mid-August, at which time the WSOP governing council will vet all the nominations to ensure they meet with the qualifying criteria and compile a list of the top ten nominees. This list is then distributed to the existing members of the Poker Hall of Fame and a media panel, who rank each of the nominees in their preferred order with a vote between one and ten.

By the middle of September, the votes will all have been counted and we will know who the next inductees will be into the WSOP Hall of Fame following Daniel Negreanu and Jack McClellan in 2014, and Jennifer Harman and John Juanda last year – Juanda taking the trouble to thank all of the people who nominated him and commenting that the acknowledgement of his achievements was “nice”.

Who is in the Frame for the 2016 Hall of Fame?

There are two stand-out nominees for this year´s Hall of Fame – Phil Ivey and Chris Moneymaker, both of whom are eligible for nomination for the first time having turned forty years of age in the past twelve months. Phil Ivey should be a shoe-in for a place in the Poker Hall of Fame as he has been regarded as the best live poker player in the world since he won three bracelets at the 2002 World Series of Poker.

The year following Ivey´s remarkable achievement, Chris Moneymaker won the WSOP Main Event after qualifying for the tournament via an online poker satellite. His victory led to many more players taking up online poker and the phrase “the Moneymaker effect” became synonymous with the online poker boom that lasted up until Black Friday in April 2011.

Another Vegas-Centric Year?

With Phil Ivey and Chris Moneymaker both firm favourites to be inducted into the WSOP Poker Hall of Fame in November, there will be complaints once again that the Poker Hall of Fame is too “Vegas-centric” – especially from fans of European players who are yet to see one of their nominees inducted. However, this is quite a special year – with two giants of the game being eligible for nomination for the first time – and the likelihood is that European players will have to wait until 2017.