After taking a break from inducting members in 2013, the Women in Poker Hall of Fame has released a list of nominees for 2014 that arguably is an impressive array of women who have contributed to the game. Each of this year’s nominations has an extensive background in the game of poker, whether as a player, an industry professional or both, and any of the nominees would be outstanding picks for the Class of 2014.
“We have an amazing group of qualified women for this year’s ballot and the voting process is critical to the success of the Women in Poker Hall of Fame,” the WiPHoF Chairman, Lupe Soto, commented during the announcement of the list of candidates. Much like its counterpart in the Poker Hall of Fame, the current members of the Women’s Hall, selected media members and the Board of Directors has ten votes they can cast. They can spread them among several candidates or give their 10 votes to one candidate in particular. In the past, the WiPHoF has inducted 2-4 new members in each year of its existence and it is figured that the top of the slate will earn induction this year.
Leading the list of nominees for the WiPHoF is 2012 World Series of Poker Seniors’ Event champion Allyn Jaffrey Shulman. Playing a variety of disciplines of poker, Shulman has been able to amass over $1.25 million in career earnings. She has also been a key advocate for promoting women in the world of poker, one of the criteria that the WiPHoF has for induction.
Another person nominated that many in the poker community may recognize is 2005 WSOP Ladies’ Event champion Jennifer Tilly. Likewise a tireless promoter of women in the game of poker, Tilly’s bracelet victory drew the attention of the otherwise mainstream media to poker due to her celebrity status as a former Oscar nominee. Garnering over $850,000 in her poker career, Tilly has been a constant on the tournament circuit since her victory in 2005.
Two names on the ballot might not be known to the general public but they have been able to make their mark through both their play and their promotion of the game. Esther Rossi has been able to cash at the WSOP in three consecutive decades (the 1980s, 90s and 2000s) and is considered, like WiPHoF member Cyndy Violette, to be one of the top stud players in that genre. Ruth Hall has been a constant presence at women’s events and actively promotes the game, earning the respect of many segments of the poker community.
Industry professionals are also represented on the list, with a couple of them solid players in their own right. Donna Blevins is the “Jane of all trades” among those nominated as she has a successful playing career, has written extensively about the game and also coaches players on how to improve their abilities on the felt. Debbie Burkhead is a veteran of the poker journalism world who can hold her own on the felt, having earned over $170,000 in her career. Finally, Deborah Giardina has a resume of successful poker room management that ranges from Minnesota to Las Vegas to her current position in Florida at bestbet Jacksonville, one of the premier poker operations on the East Coast.
If there is one criticism to make on the list of 2014 nominees, it is the same one that can be made of the Poker Hall of Fame: being too United States-centric. Such international women as Collette Doherty (the first champion of the Irish Poker Open), Lucy Rokach (honored in 2003 with a Lifetime Achievement Award in Europe after winning the Dublin Winter Festival in 2001 and 2003) and Vicky Coren-Mitchell (the first female champion on the European Poker Tour and, most recently, its first-ever two time champion) would have been excellent nominees. If you also wanted to look at the past for U. S. players, such names as Starla Brodie, Betty Carey and Wendeen Eolis (not to mention current player Vanessa Selbst, the all-time money leader among female players and 25th overall) should have been considered.
The inductees for the 2014 Women in Poker Hall of Fame will be honored in a day-long celebration on June 25th at the Golden Nugget Casino in Las Vegas. At 11AM, there will be a luncheon where the inductees will be announced and, at 5PM, a celebratory No Limit Hold’em Bounty Tournament will be held. The tickets for the luncheon are $40 per person and the buy-in for the tournament is $100+$25 and both events are open to the public.
