 |
|
| Type | subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Founded | Las Vegas, Nevada (1979) |
| Headquarters | Las Vegas, Nevada |
| Key people | Jack Binion, Creator Jeffrey Pollack, Commissioner |
| Industry | Gaming |
| Owner(s) | Harrah's Entertainment
(current) Binion's Horseshoe (former) |
| Website | Hall of Fame |
In 1979, Benny Binion, the owner of the Horseshoe Casino, created the the Poker Hall of Fame to preserve the names and legacies of the world's greatest poker players.[1] Binion was known for the creative ways in which he marketed his Casino. In 1949, he convinced Johnny Moss and Nick the Greek to play high stakes poker where the public could watch them.[2] In 1970, he invited a group of poker players to compete in what would be the first World Series of Poker (WSOP). In 1979, he created the Poker Hall of Fame to honor poker's greatest players and to serve as a tourist attraction to his casino.[3] When Harrah's Entertainment acquired the rights to the WSOP in 2004, they also assumed ownership of the Poker Hall of Fame.[4] Today, membership to the Poker Hall of Fame is handled directly by the WSOP.
Although many of the best known poker players in the world are part of the Hall of Fame, very little is known about some of the earlier members. Many of the earliest pioneers in poker were road gamblers that developed reputations at the cash game before the advent of tournaments. As of 2009, 38 people have been inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame. Fifteen of those people are still living.[5]
Although the original Hall of Fame was created by the Horseshoe Casino as a tourist attraction,[3] the Hall no longer has a physical location; it only exists on paper.[4]
Contents |
Before starting the 2009 WSOP, the WSOP Commissioner Jeffrey Pollack announced that the process for becoming a member into the Poker Hall of Fame would undergo a slight modification. Starting in 2009, the Poker Hall of Fame started accepting nominations from the public. This move is intended to increase interest in the Hall. Almost immediately after this decision was announced, Party Poker started an on-line campaign to get its representative and World Poker Tour commentator Mike Sexton elected to the Hall.[6][7][8] Other poker sites, namely PokerStars' Tom McEvoy, followed suit by pushing their own poker professionals.[9] The requirements for the Poker Hall of Fame are:
After receiving the nominations, the WSOP announced a list of ten candidates eligible for the 2009 class at the WSOP Main Event. The ten players announced were Phil Ivey, Tom McEvoy, Mike Sexton, Erik Seidel, Dan Harrington, Scotty Nguyen, Tom Dwan, Barry Greenstein, Men Nguyen, and Daniel Negreanu.[11] When Chip Reese was inducted at the age of 40, he was the youngest person to join the Hall.[1] Three of the finalists, Ivey (33), Negreanu (35), and Dwan (22), threatened that distinction. In August, the WSOP reviewed the nominations from the general public, and had the option to add any individuals it deemed necessary. Finally, the WSOP sent out ballots to each of the living Hall of Famers and a limited number of people in the media to vote for the 2009 class. Under election rules, the number of media ballots was limited to the number of voting members from the Hall of Fame. Any person who received at least 75% of the vote would be inducted into the Hall of Fame at the Main Event Final Table in November 2009.[12] The only candidate to receive the required percentage of the vote was Sexton.
Being admitted to the Poker Hall of Fame is considered one of the biggest honors in poker.[13] In his acceptance speech, T. J. Cloutier declared, "It's one of two things I've always wanted to win."[14] Barbara Enright, the only woman in the Hall, considers her induction to be a "lifetime achievement honor".[15]
Before being acquired by Harrah's Casino, R.S. Owens and Co was commissioned to design an award for Poker Hall of Famers. The award was an 8-inch-tall piece of glass with a hand of cards sandblasted at the bottom, the winner's name, and the words "Poker Hall of Fame" in a circle. The circle had a gold emblem bonded to the glass and had the Binion's Horseshoe Casino logo in it. There was a gold plated base with three gold-plated stacks of chips.[16]
| Image | Year | Name Nickname[17] |
WSOP Winnings | WSOP bracelets | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | Johnny
Moss†[18] The Grand Old Man of Poker[19] |
$824,922 | 1970 World Series of Poker
Championship 1971 $5,000 No Limit Hold'em World Championship 1971 Limit Ace to 5
Draw |
The first World Series of Poker was not a freeze-out tournament, but rather a game with a set start and stop time. Benny Binion took a secret ballot that asked the players who the best player was. According to poker lore, everybody said that they were the best player. Binion then asked who the second-best player was, and Johnny Moss won.[20] | |
| — | 1979 | Nick
Dandolos† Nick the Greek |
$0 | None | According to poker lore, in the summer of 1949, in Nevada, Nick the Greek and Johnny Moss played in a five-month-long poker marathon at Binion's Horseshoe Casino. Nick the Greek reportedly lost about $2 million to Moss and on losing the final hand stood up and said, "Mr. Moss, I have to let you go." This heads-up match, which became a tourist attraction, is often cited as the earliest inspiration behind the World Series of Poker.[2] |
| — | 1979 | Felton McCorquodale† Corky |
$0 | None | Corky McCorquodale is credited with introducing the game of Texas Hold'em to Las Vegas in 1963.[21] |
| — | 1979 | Red Winn† | $0 | None | A pioneer in poker, Red Winn is considered to be an all-around great poker player.[1] |
| — | 1979 | Sid Wyman† | $0 | None | Wyman was a noted poker player and owner of several Vegas casinos: Sands, Riviera, Royal Nevada and The Dunes.[1] |
 |
1979 | James Butler
Hickok† Wild Bill Hickok |
$0 | None | Wild Bill Hickok was one of the best known poker players in the world before the 20th century. He is one of three Poker Hall of Famers to die while playing poker.[10] Legend has it that when he was shot in the back in 1876, he was holding two aces and two eights. The hand has since been called the dead man's hand.[1] |
 |
1979 | Edmond Hoyle† | $0 | None | After writing a book on the game of whist, the phrase "according to Hoyle" become synonymous in card games with following the rules.[1] |
| — | 1980 | Blondie Forbes† | $0 | None | Forbes is credited with creating the game of Texas Hold'em.[21] |
| — | 1981 | Bill Boyd† | $80,000 | 1971 $10,000 Limit Five Card
Stud 1972 $10,000 Five Card Stud 1973 $10,000 Limit Five Card Stud 1974 $5,000 Five Card Stud |
Boyd was the Director of Operations at the Golden Nugget from 1946 to 1982. Boyd is credited with establishing Robert Turner's game Omaha hold 'em as a casino staple.[22] |
| — | 1982 | Tom Abdo† | $0 | None | Abdo is one of three Poker Hall of Famers to die while playing poker.[10] He died from a heart attack. According to legend, after suffering the heart attack, he asked another player to count his chips and to save his seat.[1] |
| — | 1983 | Joe Bernstein † | $21,000 | 1973 $10,000 Limit Ace to Five Draw | — |
| — | 1984 | Murph Harrold† | $0 | None | — |
| — | 1985 | Red Hodges† | $0 | None | — |
| — | 1986 | Henry Green† | $0 | None | — |
 |
1987 | Walter Clyde
Pearson† Puggy |
$212,100 | 1971 Limit Seven Card
Stud 1973 $10,000 No Limit Hold'em World Championship 1973 $1,000 No Limit Hold'em 1973 $4,000 Limit Seven Card Stud |
Puggy Pearson is credited with coming up with the concept of a freeze-out tournament.[23] |
 |
1988 | Doyle
Brunson Texas Dolly |
$2,830,302 | 1976 $10,000 No Limit
Hold'em World Championship 1977 $5,000 Deuce to Seven Draw 1977 $10,000 No Limit Hold'em World Championship 1977 $1,000 Seven Card Stud Split 1978 $5,000 Seven Card Stud 1979 $600 Mixed Doubles (with Starla Brodie) 1991 $2,500 No Limit Hold'em 1998 $1,500 Seven Card Razz 2003 $2,000 H.O.R.S.E. 2005 $5,000 No Limit Shorthanded Texas Hold'em |
Doyle Brunson wrote a book, Super/System, in 1978 that is considered to be the poker Bible.[24] It is considered to be the most influential book ever written on poker.[25] |
 |
1988 | Jack
Strauss† Treetop |
$555,000 | 1973 $3,000 Deuce to Seven
Draw 1982 $10,000 Championship Event - No Limit Hold'em |
Jack Strauss' 1982 WSOP tournament victory is considered to be one of the greatest comebacks in poker history. At one point, Strauss had one chip remaining, and came back to win. This victory is considered the origin of the poker saying, "A chip and a chair", this means that as long as you have have not been eliminated from the tournament, you have a chance. Modern lore indicates that this happened at the final table, but the 1983 book The Biggest Game in Town implies this occurred on the first day of the tournament.[26] Strauss is one of three Hall of Famers to die while playing poker.[10] |
| — | 1989 | Fred
Ferris† Sarge |
$15,000 | 1980 $10,000 Deuce to Seven Draw | Sarge gained notoriety when the IRS seized $46,000 from him on April 22, 1983 while he was playing high stakes poker at the Horseshoe.[1] |
 |
1990 | Benny Binion† | $0 | None | Founder of the Horseshoe Casino and the WSOP |
 |
1991 | David
Reese† Chip Reese |
$2,230,079 | 1978 $1,000 Seven Card Stud
Split 1982 $5,000 Limit 7 Card Stud 2006 $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. World Championship |
Despite winning three bracelets, Reese was best known for his cash-game play. At 40 years old, he was the youngest person to be enshirined in the Poker Hall of Fame.[1] |
 |
1992 | Thomas
Preston Amarillo Slim |
$436,748 | 1972 $10,000 No Limit
Hold'em World Championship 1974 $1,000 No Limit Hold'em 1985 $5,000 Pot Limit Omaha 1990 $5,000 Pot Limit Omaha |
After winning the WSOP in 1972, Preston sought to change the image of poker by appearing on national television and radio programs.[1] Slim hosted the Super Bowl of Poker, considered the second most prestigious tournament of the time.[27] |
| — | 1993 | Jack
Keller† Gentleman Jack Keller |
$1,583,845 | 1984 $5,000 Seven Card
Stud 1984 $10,000 No Limit Hold'em World Championship 1993 $1,500 Omaha Limit |
— |
| — | 1996 | Julius Oral
Popwell† Little man |
$0 | None | — |
| — | 1997 | Roger Moore | $337,628 | 1994 $5,000 Limit 7 Card Stud | — |
| 2001 | Stu Ungar† The Kid |
$2,078,838 | 1980 $10,000 No Limit
Hold'em World Championship 1981 $10,000 No Limit Hold'em World Championship 1981 $10,000 Deuce to Seven Draw 1983 $5,000 Seven Card Stud 1997 $10,000 No Limit Hold'em World Championship |
Stu won back-to-back WSOP bracelets in 1980 and 1981, and won the event again in 1997. He and Johnny Moss are the only players to have won the main event three times. | |
 |
2002 | Lyle Berman | $1,412,649 | 1989 $1,500 Limit Omaha 1992 $2,500 No Limit Hold'em 1994 $5,000 No Limit Deuce to Seven Draw |
— |
 |
2002 | Johnny
Chan Orient Express The Great Wall of China[1] |
$4,148,868 | 1985 $1,000 Limit
Hold'em 1987 $10,000 No Limit Hold'em World Championship 1988 $10,000 No Limit Hold'em World Championship 1994 $1,500 Seven Card Stud 1997 $5,000 Deuce to Seven Draw 2000 $1,500 Pot Limit Omaha 2002 $2,500 No Limit Hold'em Gold Bracelet Match Play 2003 $5,000 No Limit Hold'em 2003 $5,000 Pot Limit Omaha 2005 $2,500 Pot Limit Hold'em |
Johnny Chan (10), Doyle Brunson (10), and Phil Hellmuth (11) are the only players with 10 or more WSOP bracelets. |
 |
2003 | Bobby
Baldwin The Owl |
$604,900 | 1977 $5,000 Seven Card
Stud 1977 $10,000 Deuce to Seven Draw 1978 $10,000 No Limit Hold'em World Championship 1979 $10,000 Deuce to Seven Draw |
Casinos have employed Baldwin in various capacities due to his poker expertise.[1] |
 |
2004 | Berry Johnston | $2,057,168 | 1983 $2,500 Match Play 1986 $10,000 No Limit Hold'em World Championship 1990 $2,500 Limit Hold'em 1995 $1,500 Limit Omaha 2001 $1,500 Razz |
At the time of his induction into the Hall of Fame, he had the most WSOP cashes of any poker player. He has cashed in at least one event at every WSOP since 1982.[1] |
| — | 2005 | Jack Binion | $0 | None | Jack was the first host of the WSOP in 1970 and successor to the Horseshoe legacy after the death of his father, Benny Binion.[1] |
 |
2005 | Crandell
Addington Dandy |
$122,650 | None | — |
 |
2006 | T. J. Cloutier | $4,349,316 | 1987 $1,000 Limit Omaha Hi 1994 $1,500 Limit Omaha 8 or Better 1994 $2,500 Pot Limit Hold'em 1998 $2,500 Pot Limit Omaha Hi 2004 $1,500 Seven Card Razz 2005 $5,000 No Limit Hold'em |
Cloutier is the only person to have won bracelets in all three types (Pot Limit High, Limit High, and Limit 8-or-Better High-low split) of Omaha Hold'em.[1] |
 |
2006 | Billy Baxter | $1,162,517 | 1975 $1,000 Deuce to Seven 1978 $10,000 Deuce to Seven Draw 1982 $10,000 Deuce to Seven Draw 1982 $2,500 Ace to Five Draw 1987 $5,000 Deuce to Seven Draw 1993 $5,000 Deuce to Seven Draw 2002 $1,500 Razz |
While Baxter is best known for playing poker, it was Baxter v. United States where he made his greatest contribution to poker. Baxter fought the Internal Revenue Service and won the right to count poker winnings as earned income.[28] This means that poker winnings would be taxed at a lower rate than other forms of gambling. |
| — | 2007 | Barbara Enright | $413,385 | 1986 $500 Women's Seven Card Stud 1994 $1,000 Women's Seven Card Stud 1996 $2,500 Pot Limit Hold'em |
Enright is the only woman to have advanced to the final table of the WSOP Main Event. She was the first woman to win 3 WSOP bracelets and the first to win an open event.[1] |
 |
2007 | Phil
Hellmuth The Poker Brat |
$6,032,391 | 1989 $10,000 No Limit
Hold'em World Championship 1992 $5,000 Limit Hold'em 1993 $1,500 No Limit Hold'em 1993 $2,500 No Limit Hold'em 1993 $5,000 Limit Hold'em 1997 $3,000 Pot Limit Hold'em 2001 $2,000 No Limit Hold'em 2003 $2,500 Limit Hold'em 2003 $3,000 No Limit Hold'em 2006 $1,000 No Limit Hold'em with rebuys 2007 $1,500 No Limit Hold'em |
In 1989, at age 24, Hellmuth became the youngest person to win the WSOP main event. It was not until 2008 that this distinction was broken by 22-year-old Peter Eastgate.[29] Hellmuth won his record-breaking 11th bracelet in the 2007 $1,500 No Limit Hold'em Event. Hellmuth holds the records for most WSOP cashes (70) and most WSOP final tables (41).[30][31] |
 |
2008 | Dewey Tomko | $2,687,900 | 1979 $1,000 No Limit
Hold'em 1984 $5,000 Pot Limit Omaha 1984 $10,000 Deuce to Seven Draw |
Dewey Tomko has won over $4.9 million in tournament poker.[32] Tomko has played in every WSOP since 1974, the longest streak ever.[1] |
| — | 2008 | Henry Orenstein | $202,100 | 1996 $5,000 Seven Card Stud | Orenstein is the patent holder of the hole cam, which allows audiences to see player's hole cards,[33] and is a producer of Poker Superstars Invitational Tournament and High Stakes Poker. |
 |
2009 | Mike Sexton | $910,792 | 1989 $1,500 Seven Card Stud 8/0B | Sexton has live tournament winnings in excess of $3 million. He has made 21 final tables at the WSOP, including a bracelet in Seven Card Stud 8/OB in 1989. Sexton is perhaps better known for being a commentator on the World Poker Tour since season one. |
| † | Denotes player who is deceased. |
  | Poker Hall of Fame Custom Award - R.S. Owens & Company - Custom Awards Gallery - Poker Hall of Fame |
| | The Press Conference Part 1: This Year's Poker Hall of Famers - 2006 WSOP - A word with the newest Poker Hall of Fame members - PokerListings.com |
| | Doyle Room Poker Hall of Fame Legends Jack Binion & Crandell Addington - Doyle Room Poker Hall of Fame Legends Jack Binion & Crandell Addington - AOL Video |
| | Barbara and the Poker Hall of Fame - Barbara and the Poker Hall of Fame - CardPlayer.com |
|
|
Wikis
Quiz
Facts
Map
Search
