Voting Opens for Women in Poker Hall of Fame Nominees
It is voting season! Sure, there are consequential elections happening across America, with voting open in some places now, all leading up to a November 5 finale. But there is also another voting process open now – online only – through October 30. That is the vote for the women who will be inducted into the Women in Poker Hall of Fame this year.
And the Nominees Are…
The Women in Poker Hall of Fame (WiPHoF) hosts a nomination and voting process every two years to honor women who have excelled in poker and played integral roles in elevating women in the game. This is one of those years, and the process began with last month’s open nominations. The public had several weeks to nominate women for consideration, and they did.
After all submissions were considered and vetted, the Women in Poker Hall of Fame announced the eight finalists. The eight women are all accomplished in poker and have made significant contributions to the game. In alphabetical order, they are:
- Kristen Bicknell Foxen
- Liv Boeree
- Jeanne David
- Jamie Kerstetter
- Kara Scott
- Rebecca McAdam Willetts
- Annette Obrestad
- Jennifer Shahade
The next step is voting. The public will cast their votes via an open voting process through October 30. During that same time period, members of an industry-focused voting panel will vote, as will current living members of the WiPHoF, each person in those groups assigned 10 votes to allocate as they choose.
Requirements Adjust Over Time
The Women in Poker Hall of Fame has morphed ever so slightly over time. When it started in 2008, the goal was to honor women in poker by starting with some of the pioneers of the game. New members then earned their way into WiPHoF in the years that followed:
- 2008: Barbara Enright, Linda Johnson, Jan Fisher, Marsha Waggoner, Susie Isaacs, June Field, Cyndy Violette
- 2010: Kathy Liebert, Billie Brown
- 2011: Kristy Gazes, Phyllis Caro, Margie Heintz
- 2012: JJ Liu, Kathy Raymond
- 2014: Deb Giardina, Allyn Jaffrey Shulman
- 2016: Vicky Cohen, Debbie Burkhead
- 2018: Maria Ho, Lupe Soto
- 2022: Vanessa Selbst, Terry King, Angelica Hael, Jen Tilly
At one point, WiPHoF decided that every other year would be ideal for nominations to induct two women, though the pandemic in 2020 threw a wrench into that. Thus, the organization honored four women in 2022.
The criteria for eligible women were unchanged through the years, mimicking the requirements of the WSOP Poker Hall of Fame but with a focus on women. However, there seems to be some flexibility to it this year. The 35-year-old baseline appears to remain in place, as does the requirement of having contributed to poker in a significant way through winning or industry accomplishments. However, the requirements of 10 years of activity in poker and championing of women’s poker are no longer set in stone. Founder and Chairwoman Lupe Soto, as well as the rest of the organization, understands that the standards for WiPHoF must be flexible to appropriately honor women in poker based on the significance of their accomplishments and contributions.
Public Voting Open
As mentioned, everyone is welcome to vote for the woman they feel is most deserving of WiPHoF honors this year. This page on the WiPHoF website presents informative bios of each of the eight nominated women.
The inductees will be announced in November when all votes are tallied and verified.
At 11am on December 11, 2024, the Women in Poker Hall of Fame Celebration will take place in Las Vegas, though the exact location has yet to be announced. Tickets to the ceremony and lunch will be open to the public when the location is announced.
Later that afternoon, there will be a WiPHoF tournament at Resorts World on the Las Vegas Strip. The $185 buy-in tournament will offer $50 bounties and special bounties on Hall of Fame members.
