Jennifer Harman and John Juanda were announced as the newest members of the Poker Hall of Fame today after nomination, vetting, and voting phases dating back to this summer. They will be inducted on Friday, November 6th at Binion’s Gambling Hall, the former long-time home of the World Series of Poker.
Harman and Juanda are two of the most recognizable faces to casual poker fans who watched poker television during the poker boom of around a decade ago. They were members of the Team Full Tilt core, appearing on many Full Tilt-sponsored programs. It helped, of course, that they were also successful poker players.
The two become the 49th and 50th enshrines into the Poker Hall of Fame. Eight other poker players and contributors were amongst the finalists for this year’s class, but will have to wait until next year for another shot. They include David “Devilfish” Ulliott, David Chiu, Chris Bjorin, Bruno Fitoussi, Terry Rogers, Max Pescatori, Carlos Mortensen, and Matt Savage. Harman and Juanda were selected by a panel consisting of the 23 living Hall of Fame members and 16 members of the media.
In press release, Harman let loose her excitement for the honor, saying, “It’s truly an honor to be selected into the PHOF. Poker has been an unbelievable journey for me and to have the respect of my peers is truly amazing. I want to thank everyone for the amazing support. I’m so happy!!!!”
Juanda was a bit calmer (at least seemingly, as we only have his comments in text form), saying, “I appreciate the recognition. It’s an honor to see my name among so many players I have admired and respected throughout my career: Chip Reese, Erik Seidel, Dan Harrington, Daniel Negreanu. Thank you to all the fans who nominated me and to the HOF and media members who voted me in.”
Below are the official write-ups on each inductee from Caesars Entertainment and WSOP.com:
Jennifer Harman
Jen Harman has a long list of tournament accomplishments, including more than $2.7 million in earnings, two WPT final tables, 12 WSOP final tables, and the honor of being the first woman to win multiple WSOP bracelets in open events. However, what might be even more impressive than her tournament results is her skills in the cash games. The Reno, Nevada native has been a staple in the biggest cash games in Vegas for more than a decade and is one of the only women to play cash at such high stakes. The mother of two also dedicates much of her time to using poker to raise money for charitable causes, including the National Kidney Foundation and the Nevada Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
John Juanda
Johnson “John” Juanda is a 44-year-old Indonesian-born poker pro who doesn’t do much talking, but his poker resume speaks for itself. He has amassed more than $17 million in tournament winnings, including five WSOP gold bracelets, an EPT title, plus WPT, APT, PPT, and many other tournament victories. He’s also won wherever he has went, with victories in Europe, Australia, Asia and North America. A long-time U.S. resident, Juanda came to the United States in 1990 to attend college at Oklahoma State University and then went on to receive his Master’s Degree from Seattle University. But since 1997 John has made his income on the felt and in so doing has cemented himself as one of the most consistent and successful players of the last two decades.
