As of Wednesday, 181 different individuals have received nominations for the Poker Hall of Fame Class of 2010. According to Harrah’s officials, the voting trend is similar to last year.
On the Poker Hall of Fame nominating process, World Series of Poker (WSOP) Communications Director Seth Palansky told Poker News Daily, “It’s going well and we’ll have a good batch of candidates to mull over and see who gets in.” In order to submit a vote, poker fans need only enter their first name, last name, address, country, date of birth, e-mail, the name of the nominee, and any comments to support their choice. The latter entry can be up to 250 words in length.
Nominations will be accepted through August 31st on the official website of the WSOP. On September 1st, Harrah’s will release the names of the top 10 nominees. Then, the list will then be sent to a Hall of Fame nominating committee to review. Last year, the committee weeded out Tom “durrrr” Dwan on the grounds that he had not stood the test of time, one of five criteria required for entry.
In mid-September, the 16 living Poker Hall of Fame members and a small media panel will determine who will be enshrined in 2010. The group will rank only those on the final nominating list that they deem worthy of being included in the Poker Hall of Fame. In addition, every Hall of Fame member can write in one candidate that will automatically be added for consideration next year.
The votes will be sent to the Hall of Fame nominating committee, who will resolve any ties or errors that may creep up. In a change from 2009, the top two vote getters will become part of the Poker Hall of Fame this year as long as they garner at least 50% of the vote. Last year, a 75% threshold was required and, as a result, only World Poker Tour (WPT) host and WSOP bracelet winner Mike Sexton was enshrined.
The induction ceremony will take place during the November Nine weekend at the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. The event promises to be a grander affair this time around. Last year, more than 100 attendees turned out to an induction dinner to listen to speeches from Jack Binion, former Main Event champ Tom McEvoy, T.J. Cloutier, and Tom Sexton. Players in attendance included Howard Lederer, Phil Hellmuth, and Phil Ivey, the latter of which was in the midst of competing for the 2009 WSOP Main Event title.
What are the requirements for entry, you ask? Text found on the WSOP’s website explains that in order to be considered for a Poker Hall of Fame nod, “A player must have played poker against acknowledged top competition; 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.”
A ballot of nine names was sent to Hall of Fame members and the media panel last year: Sexton, Ivey, McEvoy, Daniel Negreanu, Erik Seidel, Dan Harrington, Scotty Nguyen, Men “The Master” Nguyen, and Barry Greenstein. Dwan turned 23 years-old when he received a nomination for the Poker Hall of Fame. The high-stakes staple may be beginning the second installment of the Durrrr Challenge this week.
The list of media members to be part of the panel in 2010 has not been made public, but this author is among the group for the second year running. I am looking forward to being part of the process again and determining the Poker Hall of Fame Class of 2010. Submit your nominee now.
