The celebration will be a big one. This year, the Women in Poker Hall of Fame chose four women for induction. The event that normally happens every two years missed 2020 because of the pandemic, so to make up for that, the 2022 WiPHoF was destined to be a grand occasion.
In addition, there were four of the seven nominees whose vote tallies were quite close. WiPHoF decided to give the top four vote-getters the honors of being inducted into the Hall of Fame this year. Those women are Angelica Hael, Terry King, Jennifer Tilly, and Vanessa Selbst.
Transparent Voting Process
The poker public had the opportunity to nominate women for the Class of 2022 Women in Poker Hall of Fame earlier this year. Through August, they could nominate anyone who identified as a woman and – as a woman – met these requirements:
-Must have been or still be active as a player or industry leader for at least 10 years.-Must be 35 years of age or older.-Must have contributed to poker in a significant way, through poker results or industry contributions.-Must be approved by the WiPHoF Organization Committee and current Hall of Fame members.
At that point, the committee did come up with seven candidates – right in the middle of the required number of six to eight names – from the 54 who were nominated. Each of them accepted the nomination.
From there, they submitted ballots to the living members of the WiPHoF and several members of the media and poker industry at large, each receiving ten votes to allocate as they chose. The public also voted, with those votes tallied to collectively represent one vote.
From Seven to Four
The seven candidates that made it to the ballot were:
And when the votes were tallied, four women rose to the top. Considering the missing 2020 year and the fact that so few votes separated the top four, WiPHoF chose to induct the following four:
Angelica Hael works for the World Poker Tour as the Vice President of Global Tour Management. Not only does she play a prominent role on the WPT management team, she has been at the forefront of organizing conversations and initiatives to include more women in poker. Prior to her 12-year job with the WPT, she worked for Crown Casino and in the broader gaming industry.
https://twitter.com/AngelicaHael/status/1593082290821025792?s=20&t=vhY-Ohz1_w0kJfpgvDzAGA
Terry King started playing poker in 1972 in Las Vegas. While she focused mostly on cash games, she was also skilled in tournaments, winning a WSOP bracelet in 1978 in the Women’s 7-Card Stud event. She since made several WSOP final tables, as well as ones in series like the L.A. Poker Classic, mostly playing stud. She also worked as a dealer, prop player in the California card rooms, shift manager, and industry executive in poker businesses through the years.
Vanessa Selbst was a poker pro for quite a few years, making a distinct mark on the game. She took over the women’s all-time money list in live tournament poker years ago, sitting with more than $11.9M in earnings, nearly twice that of Kathy Liebert in second place. Her poker career highlights include a 2008 WSOP bracelet in PLO, 2012 bracelet in the 10-Game Mix, and 2014 gold in the WSOP NLHE Mixed Max event; PokerStars North American Poker Tour titles in 2010 and 2011, PokerStars Caribbean Adventure High Roller title in 2013, and wins on the European Poker Tour and L.A. Poker Classic series. Her Partouche Poker Tour Main Event win in 2010 for $1.8M was her largest score. Today, she focuses on her family and trading options.
Jennifer Tilly is best known as an award-winning and Oscar-nominated actress, a career she started building in the 1980s. In poker, though, she fell in love with the game during a WPT Celebrity Invitational in Los Angeles in 2004. She met Phil Laak, with whom she built a relationship that still stands, and she built a poker life that took her over $1M in live tournament earnings. In 2005, she famously won the WSOP Ladies Championship, followed by the WPT Ladies Night tournament. She has won events at Bellagio and final tabled numerous events, all the while still acting and playing cash games.
https://twitter.com/AlCantHang/status/1592608364328288257?s=20&t=vhY-Ohz1_w0kJfpgvDzAGA
December 14 Ceremony
The Women in Poker Hall of Fame will hold its 2022 induction ceremony to celebrate its four new members on Wednesday, December 14. PokerGO Studio at Aria in Las Vegas will host the action and present it along with Playtika, which runs PlayWSOP.
The World Poker Tour, Poker Power, Women’s Poker Association, Aria, Venetian, and bestbet Jacksonville are among the other sponsors.
Tickets are open to the public via this link. All proceeds from ticket sales will go to Poker Gives, a nonprofit charitable initiative that has been serving people in need for nearly two decades.
