Readers Respond to My Hall of Fame

I recently invited Card Player readers to respond to my "Hall of Fame" column, and, boy, did they ever! I knew that making such a list would be controversial and generate debate, but hey, that's part of the fun of it all.

I'd first like to apologize to Rick Gianti for misspelling his name. He is representative of the hard-working professionals who spread the game for us.

A number of readers made comments about whom they agreed with among my choices. The person mentioned by most readers was Mike Sexton, who is very much the public face of poker as a result of his work on World Poker Tour telecasts, although he made the list for much more than that.

Most reader comments involved my failure to include some players, great or perceived as great, whom readers deemed worthy of recognition. My list wasn't about great players, though, but about those who have made a positive contribution to the game. From the column:"What sparks my list is a positive contribution to poker, playing a major role in making the game what it is today. Some of my honorees overlap those in the Binion's Poker Hall of Fame, albeit for different reasons. While negative character won't knock you off my list, fostering a positive image for the game helps you to be on it. I don't consider figures from the distant past, such as Hickock, Hoyle, and President Ulysses S. Grant." Binion's has a Hall of Fame with membership predicated solely on greatness as a player, and that is a different thing. That said, I thought I'd share some reader comments with you.

I received negative comments for only one honoree, Chris Moneymaker. Several people stated that Chris doesn't warrant inclusion because he has no history as a great player, his World Series of Poker title notwithstanding. And if great play defined my criteria, perhaps they would be right. I've never played with Chris, or even watched him beyond ESPN's WSOP telecasts, so I can't really comment on his playing ability. But you sure can't take away from Chris what he accomplished. Give the guy lots of credit for guts, stamina, and heart. Most inexperienced guys crack like raw eggs against cement, but he never wavered under the pressure. And the Chris Moneymaker story has been great for poker. Not only did he travel a road worthy of a live-happily-ever-after fairy tale, but after winning the Series, he presented himself to the public in a way that reflected well on both himself and the game. Chris' story has inspired millions to give our game a try, and I think I was justified in including him as an honorable mention honoree.

The biggest single knock on my list was the failure to include Stu Ungar. There is universal recognition that Stu was one of the greatest players who ever lived, if not the greatest. But, the personal demons that tortured Stu prevented him from accomplishing what he could have, both with his life and for the game. In fact, Stu's story represents much of the dark side of poker, the dangers and traps that the illusion of easy money can drag one into. Stu was a bona fide genius, and he belongs near the top of any list of great players. But despite his sort of iconic status, it's my opinion that he doesn't belong on a list of those who have made great contributions to poker.

The next most mentioned name was Eric Drache. Eric was a big part of the early days of the WSOP and the Golden Nugget, managed the Mirage poker room in its beginning, has promoted in a variety of ways high-limit games since the '80s, and has played a role in Larry Flynt's efforts to promote poker in California. He is credited with inventing satellite tournaments, which are a staple of modern-day tournaments. He developed many of the procedures used in cardroom management today, and established many poker rules, especially those related to how floormen render decisions. There's a solid case for Eric's inclusion in the honorable mention section of the list, and perhaps even on the main list.

A number of players, like Ungar, were recommended by readers based on their quality of play or perception of their quality of play. They included Phil Hellmuth, Annie Duke, Jennifer Harman, Phil Ivey (who was mentioned), T.J. Cloutier, Paul Darden, and Men Nguyen. As I said, though, my list wasn't about great play.

Hellmuth and Cloutier also received reader votes for their books, as did Jesse May and George Epstein, who is also a poker lecturer. For the most part, I didn't include poker authors unless their other contributions to the game had been outstanding.

A person mentioned by several readers who is worthy of special note is Barry Greenstein, a longtime winning pro who donates all of his tournament winnings to charity. I have never met Barry, but salute him out of respect for the quality of person I believe he is.

One reader recommended including the producer/director who first used lipstick cameras to show holecards in an English tournament. I don't know who that person is, and it has been suggested to me that the Isle of Man tournaments were the first place that these cameras were used. Whoever that person is (feel free to e-mail me the name if you know it) certainly warrants inclusion in at least the honorable mention section. That said, while somebody else may have done it first, Steve Lipscomb and Lyle Berman were the ones who took the idea and ran with it in a big way.

W.C. Fields was recommended for inclusion by readers among entertainers who have highlighted poker. Wild Bill Hickock and Abraham Lincoln were also mentioned. Fields just didn't occur to me. Someday I'll have to write a piece on famous poker players, and he certainly belongs among them. Lincoln and Hickock were excluded on the premise that I included people from only the 20th and 21st centuries. Also, I didn't know Lincoln was a poker player, and would greatly appreciate it if somebody could give me a historical reference of him playing our game. Meanwhile, if you haven't caught the HBO series Deadwood, in which Hickock and poker play a prominent role, it's worth seeing. It's the dark side of the Old West.

Lists of the greatest, the best, and Hall of Famers provide great fuel for conversation and debate. No two people would make the same list. Does Pete Rose belong in the Hall of Fame, and should Roger Maris' 61 home runs have an asterisk beside it? Who was the best, Montana or Marino, the Lakers or the Bulls? It's all great fun. And while some names are irrefutable, nobody's list is going to garner universal agreement.

Thank you all for taking the time to write to me with your thoughts on"My Hall of Fame."

Roy Cooke played winning professional poker for more than 16 years. He is a successful real estate broker/salesperson in Las Vegas. If you would like to ask Roy poker-related questions, you may do so online at www.UnitedPokerForum.com.