The Poker Hall of Fame this week announced their 2011 nominees. The following ten players have been selected as candidates to be inducted into this year’s Poker Hall of Fame:
- Annie Duke
- Barry Greenstein
- Jennifer Harman-Traniello
- Linda Johnson
- John Juanda
- Marcel Luske
- Jack McClelland
- Tom McEvoy
- Scotty Nguyen
- Huckleberry Seed
The Poker Hall of Fame, established in 1979, was purchased by Harrah’s, along with the World Series of Poker, in 2004. There are 18 living members of the Poker Hall of Fame, including poker legends Erik Seidel, Mike Sexton, Phil Helmuth, and Johnny Chan. There are forty members of the Poker Hall of Fame total.
Typically one or two members are inducted each year. The criteria for being selected is that a poker player must have played against top competition at the highest stakes with good result, stood the test of time, and contributed to the overall success and growth of the game of poker.
Jennifer Harman is one of the front runners to be inducted this year. Harman has two World Series of Poker bracelets. She is the only woman to hold two WSOP bracelets in open events. Harman has regularly played in some of the biggest cash games in Las Vegas for years, including appearances on High Stakes Poker and Poker After Dark.
John Juanda has five World Series of Poker bracelets to his name, to put his application to the top of the list as well. Juanda’s over $11 Million in live tournament winnings makes him one of the all time winningest tournament players.
Barry Greenstein is another top contender to get the Poker Hall of Fame nod, due to his longevity in the game, ability to compete at high stakes cash games, as well as tournaments, and his contributions to the game of poker over the years.
A seventeen member media panel and the eighteen living members of the Poker Hall of Fame will now vote to determine the next poker player to be deemed a hall of famer. An official announcement from the Poker Hall of Fame is expected in the coming weeks.