2026 Poker Hall of Fame Finalists Announced
Multiple people can potentially be inducated into the HOF. Every inductee who receives at least a two-thirds vote from
Arieh is certainly more deserving of a nomination than Mikey. The guy's won 7 bracelets and was WSOP player of the year once. But because so many great players are just hitting 40 and until now they've limited the number of inductees per year, there's a big backlog.
Arieh is certainly more deserving of a nomination than Mikey. The guy's won 7 bracelets and was WSOP player of the year once. But because so many great players are just hitting 40 and until now they've limited the number of inductees per year, there's a big backlog.
Arieh also was 3rd in the ME in 2004 when Raymer won it. There are so many poker boom players turning 40 now though.
I hope they don't induct Ike. His behavior is worse than cheating or scamming.
There is an exhibit in the Horseshoe in Las Vegas, but not a Hall of Fame like in Cooperstown.
Probably some of those in it were/are degenerate gamblers or criminals, but most were/are legitimately good poker players.
I nominate David Peters, He has like 60 million in career "earnings".
I would have liked as part of these changes to up the minimum age to 50, or even to 65. At 40, so many players are still basically in their prime, it would be like setting the age for the NBA Hall of Fame to 30, and allowing them to induct active players.
There are some in the hof who appeared really good, but are now not playing or grinding low to mid stakes, so a higher age might have helped.
There are also several in who were never very good. All 8 nominees this year are reasonable choices, and theoretically they could all be voted in.
there is no "poker hall of fame" lol. zero people would visit it or care. maybe there's some dusty pics of degenerates and criminals on the wall of the horseshoe that are completely ignored.
Lol yeah for as much as it’s talked about, it is simply just a few pics on the wall near entrance of Horsehoe poker room. I’ve told people in the room that they are playing in Canton or Cooperstown, but they weren’t impressed. Matusow begging to get in for years is embarrassing. A fish got in just for being shot while overplaying two pair.
Apparently, Wild Bill Hickok was a professional player shot by a losing player angry to Hickok took his money. He supposedly was holding aces up when he was shot. That is a decent hand in NL 5-card-draw. Hard to make 2 pair with 5 cards.
As far as criminals, the founder of the HOF was twice charged with murder in the 1930s in Texas for killing fellow bootleggers or numbers runners. The first time he pled guilty and got a 2-year suspended sentence. The second time a jury found him not guilty by reason of self defense.
Apparently, Wild Bill Hickok was a professional player shot by a losing player angry to Hickok took his money. He supposedly was holding aces up when he was shot. That is a decent hand in NL 5-card-draw. Hard to make 2 pair with 5 cards.As far as criminals, the founder of the HOF was twice charged with murder in the
By the time Hickok got to Deadwood I think he was the world’s first rakeback pro. He got paid by Saloon #10 to play there. But yes, I was joking and know he had aces and eights. Not unbeatable hand and I’ve never heard about what others held. If I was there and had three deuces I’d just let the poor guy have the final pot.
Isai obviously.
The idea of Matasow getting in ahead of Ted Forrest would’ve had the entire poker world in hysterics pissing themselves all over the Wynn & Bellagio twenty years ago. He owes his entire rep to Norman Chad. I don’t know if Hellmuth backs him or not.
But limon is correct. It’s the most meaningless irrelevant ephemeral “honor” imaginable. DNegs acting all Medici Court about it is even sadder than Brandon Cantu begging for an ambassadorship.
Isai never increased rake and Daniel is positive more rake is better
He is not going to vote someone in who actually had a backbone and makes him look bad
Well today's vlog cleared that up - he added Isai as one of his locks and had multiple very complimentary things to say about him.
If it wasnt a joke, everyone should enter without Bonomo and Matusow. However it is a joke, i dont understand how people care about it. If you enter hall of fame in about any sport you are surrounded by the greats and its an honor. Not so much here, here you are surrounded by scammers and other controversial people.. The lack of non americans is also kinda pathetic.
They should Pete Rose Bonomo.
Isai gets in and then we can start talking about some of these other bums, not before.
Lol yeah for as much as it's talked about, it is simply just a few pics on the wall near entrance of Horsehoe poker room. I've told people in the room that they are playing in Canton or Cooperstown, but they weren't impressed. Matusow begging to get in for years is embarrassing. A fish got in just for being shot while overplaying two pair.
If you really knew the results of a lot of these people you would see they are glorified rake back pros so this "honor" is important to continue their REAL job which is getting people to pay rake and click on their content. the ruse that poker is some sort of "sport" played by "mental athletes" fits the self image these marketers want to promote and the poker industrial complex churns on.
One thing for sure is that Sklansky was 100% correct in instinctively wanting no part of it, even though it likely cost him marketing opportunities.
One thing for sure is that Sklansky was 100% correct in instinctively wanting no part of it, even though it likely cost him marketing opportunities.
I highly doubt he wanted no part of it, I get that he wrote Theory of Poker but when were people talking about putting him in? Must have been some lean years
Its an absolute circle jerk and completely worthless without "statistics ". Bums and losing players in the hall, murderers, thieves, what else? Just a way for those in to promote the importance to make their self esteem higher.
If taken seriously, it should be 50 at minimum. Mizrachi absolutely deserves it, but putting him before the actual process shows what a joke it was.
Mizrachi would have unquestionably made it into the Hall of Fame at some point, but him having won the PPC and Main Event in the same year was so monumental that the rules were bent a bit, rightfully so. Mizrachi being enshrined brought about or at least helped bring about a change to the rules for how many people can enter per year, this was a welcome change.
If you enter hall of fame in about any sport you are surrounded by the greats and its an honor.
You mean like the Baseball Hall of Fame, where the guy with more home runs than anyone in MLB history and the guy with more hits than anyone in MLB history are both on the outside looking in because....reasons?
Apparently, Wild Bill Hickok was a professional player shot by a losing player angry to Hickok took his money. He supposedly was holding aces up when he was shot.
That may be true that Jack McCall returned to the saloon and murdered Hickok for taking his money. But I had always read that what pushed McCall over the edge was Hickok offering McCall money so he could afford to buy himself breakfast. McCall supposedly considered that an insult.
I would not vote for Matusow, because he is not qualified. Would not vote for Haxton and Bonomo because of their actions.
There are scammers, criminals, and degenerate gamblers in the HOF. However, some did not get in because of bad reputations. Sklansky could say that he didn't want to be there with shady characters, but was his bad reputation in his personal life, etc. that kept him from even being nominated. That has been discussed in other threads in this forum.
Not sure what was meant about making money on clicks. Koon did videos for RIO, but he didn't make most of his money from videos. McEvoy was/is not a good player, but wrote a zillion awful books and won the ME, and is in the HOF.
All 8 choices this time are reasonably qualified, unlike many in the HOF. As implied ITT, Galfond and Arieh are not nominated, but seem well qualified. Hopefully, they will get in next year with the new rules.
