Women in Poker Hall of Fame Debuts at Binion'sMike Sexton and Jan Fisher Spoke at the Event |
|
The Women in Poker Hall of Fame (WiPHOF) is the brainchild of the Ladies International Poker Series (LIPS), and it can be found in the legendary Binion’s Gambling Hall and Hotel in Downtown Las Vegas. The four inaugural inductees were honored this past weekend during a ceremony held in Benny’s Bullpen. The goal of the WiPHOF is to celebrate and enhance the awareness of contributions and achievements of women in poker as recognized by respected representatives of women in poker. The WiPHOF is sponsored by Card Player.
The initial members are Barbara Enright, Linda Johnson, Marsha Waggoner, and Susie Isaacs. The master of ceremonies for the induction was World Poker Tour commentator Mike Sexton, with Jan Fisher acting as the keynote speaker.
To be considered for induction into the WiPHOF, women must meet certain criterion. Firstly, they must have been a poker player or industry leader for fifteen years prior to their election. They also must have made significant contributions to the poker industry. The last element that all women in the WiPHOF must share is that they have to support women in poker. Even if they do not play women’s tournaments, they must support their existence.
The WiPHOF board is made up of quite a group of women, and they made the final decisions in regards to the inductees. The founder of LIPS, Lupe Soto, is one of those women and during the ceremony she pointed out that, “It’s definitely time for the women in poker to have their own hall of fame to recognize their amazing contributions to the poker world.”
Card Player’s own Allyn Jaffrey Shulman is also on the board. The other members are professional poker player Karina Jett, professional poker player and industry leader Maureen Feduniak, and the director of marketing for Ocean’s Eleven Casino Suzanne Carter.
The induction ceremony this past Saturday was followed by a $500 buy-in tournament at Binion’s. The open event (meaning both men and women played) was appropriately won by Enright.
The following are the bios of the four inaugural inductees, as provided by the CardPlayer.com player database:
Barbara Enright
Barbara Enright has more than $1 million in lifetime tournament earnings. She is the only woman to have ever made the $10,000 buy-in World Series of Poker main event final table, and she finished in fifth place. Enright also was the first woman to win an open WSOP bracelet; she won the pot-limit hold’em event in 1996. In addition to that, she holds two bracelets from the WSOP ladies championship.
Linda Johnson
Linda Johnson is known as the “First Lady of Poker.” She is the announcer for the World Poker Tour, and she spends much of her time traveling to tournaments. Johnson owns a WSOP bracelet; she won it in a $1,500 buy-in seven-card razz event in 1997. She has been very involved in the poker industry and has contributed to the development of both the Tournament Directors Association and the Poker Players Alliance.
Marsha Waggoner
Marsha Waggoner has won more than $769,000 playing tournament poker. The Australian native moved to the United States more than 20 years ago and supported her family by playing poker. Waggoner not only plays poker, but she is the executive host for Hollywood Park Casino.
Susie Isaacs
Susie Isaacs has the distinction of having won back-to-back bracelets in the WSOP ladies championship. She won the tournament in 1996 and returned the next year to take it down again. In 1998, she finished 10th in the $10,000 buy-in WSOP main event. The Las Vegas resident has authored many poker books and also lectures on the topic.
To view a feature video about the event, and to hear the what Sexton, Fisher, and everybody else had to say, please visit www.cardplayer.com/tv later on today. If you are interested in learning more about the WiPHOF, please visit its website, www.WomensPokerHallofFame.com.
Copyright © 2001-2024
CardPlayer.com. All rights reserved.
