Women In Poker Hall Of Fame Inducts Newest MembersDeborah Giardina And Allyn Shulman Honored At Gala Luncheon |
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Around 150 people attended the 2014 Women in Poker Hall of Fame Gala Luncheon on Wednesday, June 25 at the Golden Nugget Convention Center in Las Vegas. The event celebrated the inductions of Allyn Shulman and Deborah Giardina into the Hall of Fame.
Guests enjoyed a silent auction and lunch before keynote speaker and Poker Hall of Fame member Mike Sexton gave a speech honoring Shulman, Giardina and Women in Poker.
“They were around before poker was chic, before poker was cool,” Sexton said.
Hall of Fame member Linda Johnson introduced Deborah Giardina, praising Giardina for her impressive performance as card room director in poker rooms across the country, and being one of the first card room directors to enforce strict no-abuse and no-smoking policies in her card rooms.
“We took cutting edge ideas—non-smoking, no abuse, zero tolerance, I was right there,” Giardina said. “It was easy for me. I’m only here because of the people I’ve surrounded myself with, and because of all of you.”
Giardina was the poker director of Wynn Las Vegas before taking the position of director of poker operations at the bestbet Jacksonville in Florida.
World Series of Poker Media Director Nolan Dalla introduced Shulman, noting her accomplishments as a criminal defense attorney for nearly 30 years before her long-running poker career, winning her first WSOP bracelet in the Seniors Event in 2012.
Shulman has $1,284,666 in total winnings, with 63 cashes—14 of which were at the WSOP.
In addition, Shulman was praised for writing a column supporting a WSOP floor man who was openly criticized recently after penalizing Mike Matusow in a tournament, which Dalla commended for “taking a stand, even when it’s not the most popular thing to do.”
Shulman reflected on her law career as she emphasized the difference in numbers between men and women in poker, and affirmed that organizations such as the Ladies in Poker Series and the Women in Poker Hall of Fame are “crucial to women’s success.”
“But when you think about it, ladies, we actually have the edge,” Shulman said. “Guys are scared to death of our power. They can’t read us, [and] they think we don’t know how to bluff.”
The Women in Poker Hall of Fame is hosted by the LIPS Tour, which benefits the charity organizations When Charity Works and Poker Gives.
In order to be nominated for the Women in Poker Hall of Fame, the inductees must be at least 35 years old, active as a player or industry leader for at least 10 years, have contributed to the poker world in a significant way, be a proponent of women in poker, and must be approved by the committee of the board of directors and prior inductees.
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