Poker Hall of Fame Opens Public Nominations

Last updated on December 16th, 2021

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As the World Series of Poker opened its ballroom doors at the Rio Convention Center on September 30, players and fans entered poker mode. WSOP news will dominate for the next two months, from the first of 88 live tournaments in Las Vegas to ten tournaments online, through the final hands set to take place on November 23.

We are BAAAACK ! @PokerGO #wsop2021 pic.twitter.com/McfFbDRhJf
— WSOP – World Series of Poker (@WSOP) September 28, 2021

On that first day, the WSOP also opened the nomination process for the Poker Hall of Fame. Poker fans around the world can now chime in through mid-October with their nominations for those who should take a special seat in poker history.

Nomination Process Open

On September 30, the World Series of Poker announced that the nominations began. Everyone is now free to visit the WSOP’s Poker Hall of Fame web page and submit their nominee. One submission per email address is allowed.

People are free to nominate anyone they choose. Keep in mind, however, that all nominees must meet certain criteria to be considered. (Nominating your mom might seem cute at the time, but no one will ever know because only the top vote-getters that meet the criteria will be made public.)

Nominees for the Poker Hall of Fame should meet the following criteria:

-Player must have played poker against acknowledged top competition.
-Player must have competed for high stakes.
-Player must be at least 40 years old at the time of nomination.
-Player must have played consistently well over time, gaining the respect of peers.
-Player must have stood the test of time.

Non-players can be nominated. The criteria for them is that they must have contributed to the overall growth and success of poker with indelible positive and lasting results.

The public nomination process closes at the end of the day on Thursday, October 14.

Nominations are now being accepted for the Poker Hall of Fame Class of 2021.
Let your voice be heard at https://t.co/qNKc2Pc1NE
— Kevin Mathers (@Kevmath) September 30, 2021

Next Steps

The following day, Caesars Entertainment will announce the list of finalists. That list consists of the ten people who receive the most votes. The Poker Hall of Fame Governing Council will then review the list and pass them along to all living HOF members for voting.

The WSOP will announce the ultimate nominee(s) live on the CBS Sports Network on Wednesday, November 17. It will happen at the start of Event 79 at the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas. That bracelet event is a $1,979 buy-in tournament featuring bounties on all participating Hall of Fame members.

Last year, there was no live WSOP in Las Vegas, but there was an online vote. And ultimately, Huck Seed gained entry into the Poker Hall of Fame. Seed received 76 votes, with Matt Savage in second place with 51 votes. PokerStars founder Isai Scheinberg came in a close third with 45 votes. The rest of the top ten – in order of votes – were Eli Elezra, Antonio Esfandiari, Lon McEachern and Norman Chad (as a team), Ted Forrest, Mike Matusow, Patrik Antonius, and Chris Ferguson.

Congratulations to the OG @HuckleberrySeed on his 2020 induction to the Poker Hall of Fame. It has been a long time coming for you, well deserved! pic.twitter.com/aHLWrHDQ7n
— Matt Savage (@SavagePoker) December 30, 2020

The WSOP website posts a complete list of all Hall of Fame members from 1979 through 2020.