Poker Hall of Fame Announces 10 Finalists For Induction

The nominations are in for the Poker Hall of Fame after the World Series of Poker announced 10 finalists for induction on Tuesday. The list offers quite a mixed bag of returning names as well some new nominations and even a WSOP main event winner from the game’s early days.

Poker players and fans began nominating potential inductees in early June, which was then narrowed down by a panel. The hall’s members will now decide on just one single inductee. Each member allocates a ballot of 10 total points to determine this year’s inductee.

Here’s a look at the nominees.

• Patrik Antonius (Finland) – One of the winningest high-stakes players ever, both live and online.
• Josh Arieh (U.S.) – Six-time bracelet winner who has been nominated for the last three years.
• Barny Boatman (England) – Hendon Mob founding member with two bracelets and an EPT title.
• “Miami” John Cernuto (U.S.) – Poker’s Iron Man, record holder (almost 600) for most cashes.
• Ted Forrest (U.S) – Six-time bracelet and WPT winner who has been a finalist since 2019.
• Kathy Liebert (U.S.) – Women in poker trailblazer with bracelet who has been nominated since 2022.
• Mike Matusow (U.S.) – ‘The Mouth’ four-time bracelet winner nominated the last three years.
• Matt Savage (U.S)– WPT Executive Tour Director and TDA founder nominated nine times.
• Isai Scheinberg – PokerStars online poker founder who has been a finalist since 2019.
• Bill Smith (U.S.) – High-stakes poker pioneer and 1985 WSOP main event champ.

Some of the players nominated over the last few years who didn’t make it on the list this year include Jeremy Ausmus, Norman Chad and Lon McEachern, Antonio Esfandiari, Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier, David Chiu, Bruno Fitoussi, and Michael Mizrachi.

Brian Rast was inducted in 2023, shortly after winning the $50,000 Poker Players Championship for his sixth bracelet.

All Poker Hall of Fame members are invited to freeroll into this year’s $1,959 Poker Hall of Fame Bounty tournament, which begins on July 14. All HOF members will have a bounty put on them corresponding to their induction year.

This year’s inductee will be announced during the event, followed by an unveiling of the inductee’s Hall of Fame picture at the WSOP Hall of Fame Poker Room, which opened inside Horseshoe in 2023.

The Poker Hall of Fame has faced major criticism in recent years for continuing to induct just one player per year, despite the game’s tremendous growth over the last two decades, as well as for a flawed voting system that allows existing members to collude.

To be considered for the Hall of Fame, the following criteria must be met:

• The player must have played against acknowledged top competition.
• Must be a minimum of 40 years old at the time of nomination.
• Must have played for high stakes, consistently well, and stood the test of time.
• For non-players, the person must have contributed to the overall growth and success of the game, with indelible positive and lasting results.

Here’s a look at the complete Hall of Fame.

The Poker Hall of Fame

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