With everything back on track this year, the World Series of Poker is underway, and it is time to start thinking of nominees for the WSOP Poker Hall of Fame.
The process is now open and will be open through June 19.
Nomination Process
This week, the World Series of Poker announced that the nomination process is now open for 2022 Poker Hall of Fame nominations. It is a public process, by which anyone around the world can submit a name for consideration to be nominated.
The process is open through Sunday, June 19. Anyone can go to the nomination page of the WSOP website and submit a name and reason for the nomination. While people can submit anyone’s name, they must meet the qualifications to be considered. Nominating your mother, while sweet, is a wasted vote.
There is a set of criteria for poker players to be considered for a Hall of Fame nomination:
-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.
People can also nominate someone not known for their play but for their broader contributions to the game of poker. That requirement is:
-Person must have contributed to the overall growth and success of the game of poker with indelible positive and lasting results.
Some examples of those in the Hall of Fame for overall accomplishments are Mori Eskandani, Jack McClelland, Eric Drache, and Henry Orenstein.
https://twitter.com/WSOP/status/1534023622729142273?s=20&t=e1m3bdkaFY8PtVHdaXbViw
Ten Nominees, One Inductee
As has been the case for years, ten nominees will be chosen from the public nomination process. The ones with the most votes and who meet the criteria will make the final list. All living members of the Poker Hall of Fame – there are 32 of them – will consider the list of ten nominees and vote for their top choices.
One person, the one with the most votes, will be inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame this year. (There have been pleas to open it to more than one inductee per year, but the WSOP has rejected them.) The ceremony will happen at the WSOP’s new location on the Las Vegas Strip on Sunday, July 10.
WSOP Executive Director Ty Stewart said, “We are excited to add a new member to poker’s most exclusive fraternity. The Poker Hall of Fame provides a chance for idols to become icons, and we appreciate the poker community’s input in nominating a worthy list to present to its voting members.”
Previous Years
Last year, the process was the same. The WSOP called for public nominations, and the living Hall of Fame members voted on one inductee. That person was Eli Elezra.
In 2020, the same process resulted in Huck Seed receiving the most votes and being inducted.
Prior to that year, there were varying process of determining the nominees. And for many years, there were two people inducted each year. For example, Chris Moneymaker and David Oppenheim received their honors in 2019, a year after John Hennigan and Mori Eskandani.
