List Of Poker Hall Of Fame Members
In 2019, Chris Moneymaker and David Oppenheim become the 57th and 58th individuals to be inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame. The entire list of 58 Poker Hall of Fame members includes (alphabetical). Savage was also the inaugural member of the Poker Manager Hall of Fame in 2003. It seems a matter of when and not if, for Savage to finally be an inductee. Perhaps 2021 would be a fitting year for Savage’s induction as it marks the 20th anniversary of the Tournament Directors Association, an organisation he co-founded which helped standardize.
10:5323 Nov
The World Series of Poker’s modified 2020 existence will have one more twist, according to WSOP Executive Director Ty Stewart, who recently acknowledged that this year the WSOP-owned Poker Hall of Fame will be inducting just a single honoree.
Stewart released the update on the PHOF’s plans amid a larger interview with another outlet regarding the hybrid online/live “$10,000 World Championship” No-Limit Hold’em Main Event set to begin later this month and conclude in late December with a heads-up bracelet showdown between domestic (United States) and international “bracket” tourney winners. However, the fate of the PHOF’s short-term plans had never been addressed by the WSOP or parent company Caesars Interactive Entertainment throughout months of other pandemic-related adjustments.
Stewart framed the change to a single honoree as a change already in the works.
“There will be a 2020 Poker Hall of Fame class, or said more accurately, a 2020 inductee,” he said. “We are going to return to the tradition of one inductee per year, voted in by their peers, but I’d like to present the full details on that in the near future.”
The last time the Poker Hall of Fame announced only a single inductee was over a decade ago. In 2009, the Ambassador of Poker, Mike Sexton, received that honor. Prior to that, Berry Johnston (in 2004) was the last solo inductee.
Though Stewart and the WSOP haven’t released many details, the likeliest scenario involves an induction between December 28-30, when the $10,000 World Championship concludes at the Rio in Las Vegas. This year’s inductee will be selected by a vote by all living members of the PHOF.
However, the late-changing plans likely mean that the Hall’s public-nomination process is no more, at least for 2020. WSOP.com’s online-nomination page appears in a disused or under-construction state at the present time. This infers that a list of finalists will be prepared by the Hall’s Executive Committee without any public input.
As for who is likely to be the 2020 inductee, the short-term format changes shift the balance in favor of Vegas-area pros who have received support in previous years. Ted Forrest, David Chiu, and Mike Matusow are among previous finalists likely to gain from the changes.
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Since the live version of the 2020 WSOP was all but canceled, we assumed that the Poker Hall of Fame would not induct members either. Then the WSOP announced they will play a live-online hybrid of the 2020 WSOP Main Event. Yesterday, WSOP Executive Director Ty Stewart shared that there will be an inductee into the Poker Hall of Fame in 2020.
However, there will be a single inductee, and that person will be selected by their peers. Today, we will discuss this new revelation and who is on the likely short-list of candidates for the 2020 Poker Hall of Fame.
There Can Be Only One Inductee into the 2020 Poker Hall of Fame
PokerNews spoke with WSOP Executive Director Ty Stewart about the upcoming Main Event. During that conversation, they spoke about the Poker Hall of Fame. When asked if there will be a 2020 class, Stewart said that there would be a single inductee. He told PokerNews that the WSOP is going to “return to the tradition of one inductee per year, voted in by their peers.
Stewart then said that details on this would be revealed in the near future. He didn’t elaborate any further, so we don’t know if peers mean only living members of the Poker Hall of Fame or also a panel of media and poker professionals like there have been in the past.
Just one inductee for the Poker Hall of Fame in 2020? Hopefully that is a one-off for the pandemic. Otherwise, that's rediculous.
— James Guill (@compncards) November 17, 2020
Excluding the Fans From the Process a Bad Idea
One thing I don’t like about this announcement is poker fans will have no voice in the selection of the next Poker Hall of Fame member. In the past, fans were able to make nominations on who they feel was deserving to be on the list of finalists. While this has resulted in some questionable finalists, including Tom Dwan, I feel that it is still good to include them.
I don’t like going back to just voting in Hall of Fame members based on peer votes as this can tend to be more biased. Having the vote open to a panel of media and poker industry professionals as well gives the voting a bit more legitimacy than just allowing the Hall of Famers to select the members.
Also, I hope that Stewart is not serious about just inducting a single member each year going forward. Hopefully, this is a one-off thing for the pandemic. There are so many deserving poker players and industry contributors that should be in the Poker Hall of Fame, we could induct three each year and still have a waiting list.
List Of Poker Hall Of Fame Membership
Who is On the Short List for 2020 Induction?
Below is my list of potential candidates for the 2020 Poker Hall of Fame. I will only list 5 potential candidates since only one person is getting in this year.
Isai Scheinberg – The PokerStars founder has finally settled his Black Friday charges. Most feel he should already be in the Poker Hall of Fame.
David Chiu – Chiu is one of the most respected players amongst poker pros. He has a resume going back decades and is one of the best all-time players not already in the Hall of Fame.
Ted Forrest – Another old school pro that is popular amongst those already in the Hall of Fame. He has multiple WSOP bracelets and was one of the most feared cash game pros for years.
Antonio Esfandiari – Antonio has played the highest stakes in both cash games and tournaments. The winner of the first Big One for One Drop, he will always get consideration.
List Of Poker Hall Of Fame Members Through The Years
Chris Ferguson – Not a popular choice by poker fans, Chris has the resume for the Poker Hall of Fame. A former WSOP Main Event champion and a well-liked pro, his induction will probably only happen if it’s done by his peers only.
In the end, I have a feeling that the vote will either be Ted Forrest or Isai Scheinberg. If the vote is only done by living HOF members, Forrest will win. If media and industry members are included, Scheinberg gets in. Once the official announcement regarding HOF voting is made, we can give you a better prediction. For now, I would put money on Ted Forrest.