List Of Poker Hall Of Fame Members

The above list of names will be submitted to the 27 living Hall of Fame members and an 18-person media panel later this month for voting. Only these 45 individuals cast votes for induction. The criteria they will consider in their vote are as follows: A player must have played poker against acknowledged top competition. The Poker Hall of Fame was created in 1979 in Las Vegas by Benny Binion, the Horseshoe Casino owner. It’s the highest recognition a professional Poker player can get in the game. Some requirements which are necessary for a player to be inducted in the Poker Hall of Fame are – Played Poker against acknowledged top competitors. Hometown Hall of Famers Program Merlin Olsen Super Bowl Luncheon From Herb Adderley to Gary Zimmerman - Check out the career summaries, detailed biographies, stats, photos, and multi-media on the 326 members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

A panel of Hall of Famers and media members have selected poker player John Hennigan and television executive Mori Eskandani as the 2018 inductees into the Poker Hall of Fame. The WSOP announced the selections as the final table of the WSOP Main Event got underway on July 12.

Hennigan is an underrated all-time great

John Hennigan enters the Hall of Fame in his first year as a finalist. Several notable professionals, including Daniel Negreanu, have called Hennigan the toughest opponent they have ever faced.

Hennigan’s nickname is “World,” purportedly because of his willingness to bet on virtually anything in the world. Prior to poker, he was a professional pool player.

Since picking up poker, he has earned over $8.1 million in tournament winnings alone. He holds five World Series of Poker bracelets and a World Poker Tour championship.

Hennigan remains a top professional today. In fact, he is likely to be the 2018 WSOP Player of the Year after making six final tables at this year’s series.

Those final tables include a win in the $10,000 HORSE event and a second-place finish in the $50,000 Poker Players Championship. Of all this year’s finalists, Johnny World was perhaps the most deserving.

Eskandani brought poker into your home

Mori Eskandani is the man largely responsible for bringing poker into your home. He is responsible for virtually every major poker program on television.

Eskandani is the creator of Poker After Dark, High Stakes Poker, The National Heads-up Championship, and several other game-based shows. He is now the producer for ESPN’s coverage of the World Series of Poker.

Eskandani began production company Poker Productions in 2003. Though he did not invent the hole-card camera, his use of it quickly became the standard in televised poker.

In fact, it is likely that his use of the hole-card camera had an equally profound effect on poker’s popularity as Chris Moneymaker‘s 2003 WSOP Main Event win. When viewers could “play” alongside the players, poker truly became a spectator sport, and it became possible to provide on-the-spot expert analysis of play, similar to other athletic events.

Eskandani’s affinity for poker stretches back decades. In fact, he was well-known as a high-stakes player in the 1980s.

However, his greatest impact has been away from the table. Nevertheless, he is clearly a deserving member of the Poker Hall of Fame.

A look ahead to the 2019 class

The 2018 Hall of Fame class arose from a ten-person list of finalists. Those eight men who were not chosen are eligible for consideration next year.

They are:

• Chris Bjorin
• David Chiu
• Bruno Fitoussi
• Mike Matusow
• Chris Moneymaker
• David Oppenheim
• Matt Savage
• Huckleberry Seed

According to the Hall of Fame criteria, inductees must be over the age of 40 and have made a lasting impact on poker, either at or away from the table. With that in mind, here are some people who might be nominated or will become eligible.

• Josh Arieh (age 43)
• Mike Caro
• John Cernuto
• Allen Cunningham (age 41)
• Antonio Esfandiari (age 39)
• Ted Forrest
• Gus Hansen
• Phil Laak
• Mason Malmuth
• Greg Raymer
• Barry Shulman
• David Sklansky
• Vince van Patten

The 2019 class will likely be a well-known group of players and poker professionals. Stay tuned.

Lead image courtesy of World Poker Tour/Flickr

Table Of Contents

Last night, Chris Moneymaker and David Oppenheim became the 57th and 58th inductees of the Poker Hall of Fame during the World Series of Poker Main Event coverage on ESPN.

They were voted into the 2019 Poker Hall of Fame Class by the thirty living Poker Hall of Fame members and a 21-person media panel. They were the two from an elite list of poker players which also included Chris Bjorin, David Chiu, Eli Elezra, Antonio Esfandiari, Chris Ferguson, Ted Forrest, Mike Matusow, and Huckleberry Seed to make it into the Poker Hall of Fame.

The Hall of Fame was established in 1979 to honor the most influential players and other key contributors to the game of poker. Harrah's Entertainment acquired the elite poker club in 2004, and it is now under Caesars Entertainment after the company changed its name in 2010.

Voters took into consideration the following criteria when casting their ballots.

• A player must have played poker against acknowledged top competition.
• Be a minimum of 40 years old at the time of nomination.
• Played for high stakes.
• Played consistently well, gaining the respect of peers.
• Stood the test of time.
• Or, for non-players, contributed to the overall growth and success of the game of poker, with indelible positive and lasting results.

Chris Moneymaker

Chris Moneymaker might not satisfy all of the voting requirements, specifically in playing in high stakes games. However, one can't deny the contribution Moneymaker made to the poker boom after winning the 2003 WSOP Main Event for $2,500,000.

Moneymaker: 'It's great for my kids — it'll be a cool thing for them to see when they grow up.'

At the time, it was unheard of for online poker players to win big money on the live poker stage. Moneymaker proved to the world that online poker players could be taken seriously and provided a considerable growth to online poker after parlaying a win in a satellite at PokerStars into the WSOP Main Event title. Moneymaker was an instant sensation and signed on to become a PokerStars Ambassador, a title he still holds to this day.

Moneymaker has yet to find WSOP gold a second time but has won titles in WPT and EPT side events as part of his nearly $3.9 million in live tournament cashes.

'I'm very honored... very happy,' says Moneymaker upon receiving the news. 'It's great for my kids — it'll be a cool thing for them to see when they grow up.'

David Oppenheim

It is usually tournament players that get all the notice, and David Oppenheim has certainly had some success there with nearly $2 million in live tournament earnings. However, unlike the other nominees for the 2019 Poker Hall of Fame Class, Oppenheim has yet to win a WSOP bracelet or any major poker title.

What separates Oppenheim from the other nominees, is that he has been consistently crushing the high stakes cash games. The 46-year-old American has been playing poker for the better part of this century, having started out playing his second year in college when he was 19 years old.

'Being recognized as one of the all-time greats by my peers is truly humbling, and I am honored to have been selected to the Poker Hall of Fame.'

List Of Poker Hall Of Fame Membership

Until now, Oppenheim has been one of poker's unsung heroes as he wasn't on tv as often as some of his peers. He is a regular winner in the high stakes games in Bobby's Room.

List Of Poker Hall Of Fame Members Through The Years

'Being recognized as one of the all-time greats by my peers is truly humbling, and I am honored to have been selected to the Poker Hall of Fame,' said Oppenheim about his induction. 'I have been so fortunate to be able to do what I love for a living. I never planned to be a professional poker player; rather, it was a passion that became my job. People often ask me, how does one become a professional poker player? The answer is hard work, and that goes for everyone that plays at the highest level. From the time I began playing, I was incredibly passionate about poker, and it led to me being able to travel this road that has been traveled by very few. Again, I am extremely grateful to be receiving this honor. Thank you.'

Poker Hall of Fame Members

Moneymaker and Oppenheim join an elite group of poker players and contributors to the game as part of the Poker Hall of Fame. Here is a look at all 58 members in alphabetical order.

_{*Lead image courtesy of the Poker Hall of Fame. More information about the Poker Hall of Fame via WSOP.com/pokerhalloffame/ and Wikipedia.}

• Tags

  Amarillo SlimAntonio EsfandiariBarry GreensteinBilly BaxterBobby BaldwinCarlos MortensenChris FergusonChris MoneymakerDan HarringtonDaniel NegreanuDoyle BrunsonEli ElezraErik SeidelJohn JuandaJohnny ChanLinda JohnsonLyle BermanMike Matuso

• Related Players

  Daniel NegreanuJohn JuandaBarry GreensteinErik SeidelChris FergusonJohnny Chan