After receiving nominations from the poker community for the 2012 class of the Poker Hall of Fame, World Series of Poker officials have unveiled the top ten finalists from that nomination process, with the ten nominees now facing a select committee for induction into the Hall.
The ten players selected for potential enshrinement span the gamut of the history of the game. Four nominees return from last year’s pool – WSOP bracelet winners Jennifer Harman and John Juanda and former World Champions Tom McEvoy and Scotty Nguyen – meaning that six new names are up for potential election. Joining those four qualified pros are three international pros that have long been atop the poker world and a “blast from the past” who earned nomination in a unique manner.
On the international front, Norway’s Thor Hansen leads the nominees, an honor well-deserved for someone many consider to be the Scandinavian “Godfather of Poker.” Joining Hansen in representing the “rest of the world” is Sweden’s Chris Bjorin, who has amassed an enviable record of success in events around the world, and Chinese-born David Chiu, a longtime cash game terror who has also been at the forefront of tournament poker for several years.
Two of the men who have the potential for election into the Hall are there on their merits in service to the game of poker.
Eric Drache has the reputation as one of the best Seven Card Stud players in the world, but it his work outside of actual play on the tables that has earned him his nomination in the 2012 class. A former tournament director for the WSOP, Drache is responsible for the creation of the “satellite” tournament – a tournament with a lower buy in that allows players to win their way into bigger events for a fraction of the price – which became a part of the WSOP in the 1970s. Since that creation, the satellite tournament has become a staple of events around the world and online.
Many may not recognize the name of George Hardie, but he has been one of the driving forces behind poker in the state of California. Through his work at the Bicycle Casino in the 1980s, Hardie brought that Golden State poker room to prominence and implemented several rules that have become a fixture in the poker industry.
The final new nominee in the 2012 field earned their way in through the usage of a special clause in the election process. Poker legend and 1975 World Champion Brian “Sailor” Roberts has a long history in the game of poker through making a living at the game for over four decades up until his death in 1995. Joining up with Doyle Brunson and “Amarillo Slim” Preston, the triumvirate became known as the “Texas Rounders” for their lucrative partnership on the felt. Roberts earned his nomination by being named on the ballot of one of the 18 living members of the Poker Hall of Fame in last year’s election; that mention automatically ensured Roberts’ name would be on this year’s ballot, the first time that method of nomination has been used.
There is considerable difficulty in handicapping the field for who may actually earn the honor of induction into the Poker Hall of Fame. McEvoy was a sentimental favorite on the ballot in 2011, befitting a man who has earned four WSOP bracelets and written seminal books on the game, but this year he lacks the promotional push of his former sponsor, PokerStars, to finish off the drive to the Hall. It also seems that Roberts would be a “no brainer” choice considering his history in the game, but people may not remember the “old guard” that much nowadays. Hansen, who has been battling ill health over the past year, would recognize the contributions to poker from the international community but, once again, he may not get the recognition due him by being a veteran pro.
Drache and Hardie would be excellent choices but, of those 42 people enshrined in the Poker Hall of Fame, only a handful have earned their place from their accomplishments off the felt. Nguyen, Juanda, Harman, Chiu and Bjorin are all extremely qualified to be in the Hall, but they are facing a difficult field and may have to wait another year.
With the new names on the ballot, that means that some were bypassed that earned their nomination last year. Barry Greenstein and Linda Johnson were the two inducted into the Hall in 2011, but Annie Duke and Marcel Luske did not garner enough support to reach the ballot again this year. Also overlooked as potential nominees were former World Champions Carlos Mortensen and Chris Ferguson and French poker professional David Benyamine.
Over the next few weeks, the eighteen living members of the Poker Hall of Fame and a like number of select members of the media will cast their ballots for the 2012 class. With ten votes each, the electors can divvy up their points between several players or cast all ten for one person. Once the voting process has concluded, at least one person and perhaps two will earn the greatest honor the game has.
The 2012 electees will be announced in early October and, during the festivities surrounding the final table of the 2012 WSOP Championship Event at the end of the month, be enshrined alongside the legends of the game of poker.