Diary

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

On May 26 nominations open for this year’s induction to the World Series of Poker Hall of Fame and I will be openly encouraging nominations for Mike Sexton.

PartyPoker.com recently renewed its association with Mike (see Industry News), who will act as a host, consultant, ambassador, and player. Sexton needs little introduction and is unarguably one of the most respected figures in the game. As the face and voice of the World Poker Tour and holder of a WSOP bracelet, Mike is truly one of the games pioneers. Sexton is in the top ten for the most cashes at the WSOP and is instantly recognisable to poker enthusiasts around the world. Regarded as “The Ambassador of Poker,” for many years, Mike has long advocated corporate involvement in poker to take the game he loves into the mainstream. Notably, Sexton also won the first $10,000 buy-in no-limit hold’em championship event at Foxwoods World Poker Finals in 1992, and in 2000 was the first American to win the championship event at the Euro Finals of Poker in Paris, which at the time was the biggest event in Europe. 

Through his role with the WPT Mike coined the legendary poker phrase, “It takes five minutes to learn but a lifetime to master.” In 2006 Sexton won the Tournament of Champions at the WSOP, a concept he had originally created. He donated $500,000 of his winnings to charity and has since become a co-founder of PokerGives.org, which encourages players to make charitable donations.

If this isn’t enough to make you vote for Mike then I don’t know what is! Mike is obviously deserving. The nominations are open to the public on the WSOP website from May 26 through until July 2. Those players with the most nominations then go forward to a vote by the current living “Hall of Famers”.

The WSOP Hall of Fame was established in 1979, and though it is virtual in nature, its membership includes poker’s most influential players and other important contributors to the game. There are 16 living members, and to date 37 members have been bestowed the honour of Poker Hall of Famer.

The WSOP Hall of Fame traditionally elects one or two new members annually. The enshrinement ceremony is now held in concert with the final table of the main event of the WSOP. The criteria for selection is as follows:

A player 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

Mike ticks the boxes. The Hall of Fame needs its ambassador. Amongst the most recent inductees include Henry Orenstein, Dewey Tomko, Phil Hellmuth, Barbara Enright, T.J. Cloutier, Bobby Baldwin, Johnny Chan, and Lyle Berman. Doyle Brunson was given Hall of Fame status in 1987.