Finalists Selected For Poker Hall Of FameNegreanu Makes List During First Year Of Eligibility |
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The finalists for induction into the Poker Hall of Fame this fall have been announced.
They are, in no particular order: Daniel Negreanu, Jennifer Harman, Humberto Brenes, Mike Matusow, Chris Bjorin, Huck Seed, Bruno Fitoussi, Bob Hooks, Ted Forrest and Jack McClelland.
Five new candidates have been nominated, and five candidates were also finalists last year (Bjorin, Brenes, Harman, Matusow and Seed). Bjorin and Harman have now been finalists for three consecutive years, while Seed has appeared on the ballet three of the last four years.
Negreanu finds himself on the finalist list in his first year of eligibility. France’s Fitoussi is a first-time nominee, and so are 1975 WSOP main event runner-up, and an original member of the Texas Rounders, Hooks, Forrest and noted tournament director McClelland.
The above list of names will be submitted to the 21 living Hall of Fame members and a 20-person media panel later this month for voting. Only these 41 individuals cast votes for induction.
Here’s a brief look at the poker accomplishments of the players:
Daniel Negreanu: He has nearly $30 million in career tournament earnings to go along with six bracelets, two World Poker Tour titles and five final tables on the European Poker Tour.
Jennifer Harman: She is a cash game legend who has nearly $2.5 in tournament earnings. She has two career braclets and two WPT final tables on her resume.
Humberto Brenes: He has 82 cashes at the WSOP (third all-time) to go along with more than $6 million in tournament earnings. He has two bracelets and a main event final table.
Mike Matusow: “The Mouth” has four WSOP bracelets, to go along with two main event final tables. He has five WPT final tables and a win in the NBC Heads-Up Championship.
Chris Bjorin: Sweden’s all-time money and cash leader has two WSOP bracelets. He has more than $5.5 million in career earnings. He is sixth all-time in WSOP cashes with 68.
Huck Seed: The four-time bracelet winner won the main event in 1996. He is also a NBC Heads-Up champion. He has $7.6 million in tournament earnings and is a consistent high-stakes cash player.
Bruno Fitoussi: The Frenchman is credited with introducing hold’em in France. He has more than $2.7 million in career earnings, winning the World Heads Up Poker Championship in 2001.
Bob Hooks: He was one of the original Texas Rounders travelling the Texas and Arkansas circuit with the likes of Johnny Moss, Doyle Brunson, Amarillo Slim and Sailor Roberts. He was the 1975 main event runner-up and has worked in the poker industry for decades.
Ted Forrest: The six-time bracelet winner has won more than $6 million playing poker tournaments over his career. He also has WPT and NBC Heads-Up titles.
Jack McClelland: The 62-year-old, a one-time semi-professional bowler who moved out to Las Vegas to help his ailing mother, worked with three existing Poker Hall of Famers, Eric Drache, Jack Binion and Bobby Baldwin and was involved at the Bellagio when Mike Sexton and the WPT brought their first tournament there. From tournament directing the WSOP in the 80’s to running the Bellagio poker room from 2002 to 2013, McClelland has been part of a lot of poker history.
The Poker Hall of Fame, established in 1979, was acquired by Harrah’s Entertainment along with the World Series of Poker in 2004. Though the Hall of Fame is virtual in nature, its membership includes poker’s most influential players and other important contributors to the game. There are 21 living members, and 46 members have been bestowed the honor of Poker Hall of Famer.
The Poker Hall of Fame traditionally elects one or two members annually.
The enshrinement ceremony is now held in concert with the final table of the main event of the WSOP, held each fall in Las Vegas in the Penn and Teller Theater.
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