In addition to the ongoing 2009 World Series of Poker Main Event, this time of year is also highlighted by another event. Each summer, a list of nominees for the Poker Hall of Fame is announced and if things go as expected, Phil Ivey will have yet another reason to celebrate this summer, as the 2009 two bracelet winner, leads the list.
The 7-time bracelet winner is just about a lock to be inducted in a nominating process which allowed the public to vote on this honor for the first time.
Top 10 Poker Hall of Fame Nominees
Voted by Public Tom Dwan Barry Greenstein Dan Harrington Phil Ivey Tom McEvoy Men Nguyen Scotty Nguyen Daniel Negreanu Erik Seidel Mike Sexton
At this point, the players on this list need to have their candidacy vetted by the Poker Hall of Fame Governing Council at which time, a final candidate list will be announced. Once affirmed, the 15 living members of the Hall of Fame will vote along with 15 media members with induction announcements occurring at the WSOP Main Event Final table in November.
In addition to the players above, 41 players received multiple nominations though the online voting system. Those players nominated for the Poker Hall of Fame are:
Patrik Antonius Humberto Brenes Mike Caro Norman Chad Allen Cunningham Ivan Demidov Eric Drache Annie Duke John Duthie Sam Farha Chris Ferguson Ted Forrest Andy Glazer Bertrand Grospellier Gus Hansen Jennifer Harman-Traniello Jay Heimowitz Rob Hollink Jesper Hougaard Phil Laak Howard Lederer Marcel Luske Mike Matusow Chris Moneymaker Luca Pagano Greg Raymer Matt Savage David Sklansky
Criteria for being inducted to Poker Hall of Fame
Players inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame must meet the following criteria:
- Must have played poker against acknowledged top competition 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.
It would seem that the top 25 players are all deserving in some way, but there is some early debate on the merits of certain listed players such as Tom Dwan who is a relative newcomer to the game and has gained a bulk of his notoriety in the online realm without having ever won a major tournament live or online. What do you think?
Source: www.aintluck.com
