On the heels of a historic nomination in his first year of eligibility, poker professional Daniel Negreanu may not be winning many votes towards his election. In a blog post on Full Contact Poker, Negreanu is highly critical of some of the nominees for election this year, arguing that some players are being overlooked that are deserving of at the minimum nomination.
“So the WSOP recently released its ten nominees for induction into the Poker Hall of Fame,” Negreanu started his post. “The process for this appears to be a combination of a fan vote, with some additions where necessary.” With that said, Negreanu launches into his first criticism of the nomination process by reviewing one player in particular, original Texas Road Gambler Bob Hooks. “(Hooks’) name is on the list and I can’t imagine he was voted in by the fans…I’m embarrassed to say that, while I’ve heard the name before, I have no idea who he is or what his accomplishments are.”
Negreanu then goes on to deride other first time nominees (like himself) Bruno Fitoussi, Ted Forrest and Jack McClelland. “(There are) plenty of great and likely deserving players not on this list,” he writes. “Too many to mention, but a few highlights would include players like Gus Hansen, John Juanda and Carlos Mortensen. It is surprising to…not see these names on the ballot in 2014.”
It seems that Negreanu’s disagreement with some of the nominees is an age-based one. “Should someone who is 75 years old, no longer at their peak or even playing, trump the credentials of someone 45 years old who has been in the game for, say, 20 odd years?” Negreanu asks. He then compares Chris Bjorin (who has been nominated for three consecutive years) to Juanda and Negreanu gives the edge to Juanda. “(Juanda’s) tournament results are better, he’s played the highest stakes cash games in the world and has the respect of his peers…I want to be clear that (Bjorin) is a fantastic player that meets much of the criteria, but I think Juanda is even more qualified. Bjorin is 66, Juanda is just 43…should that matter? Personally, I think absolutely not,” Negreanu concludes.
First off, the nomination of Hooks was probably through one of the caveats of the Poker Hall of Fame voting procedures. Each living member of the Poker Hall of Fame (21) and a similar numbered group of industry professionals (usually poker journalists) has 10 votes to allocate. If a member of the Hall gives even one vote to someone who wasn’t on the nomination list, then that person automatically is nominated the next year. This is likely the method that Hooks was nominated.
Other Halls of Fame also have requirements for induction that set a time frame (Negreanu admits he doesn’t know these). For example, in baseball a player has to be retired for five years before he can be inducted; the same is true for basketball and pro football. That is a bit difficult to do in poker due to the longevity of careers, but the “Chip Reese Rule” that states a player has to be over 40 years old to be considered is a worthy one.
There is a problem that the Poker Hall of Fame faces in what qualifies as “high stakes.” In the past, cash games ruled the roost but, since the turn of the century, many in the poker community consider tournament poker to be the benchmark. Fans – who set the nominees for consideration with their vote – are more likely to look at those who are “hot” at the moment in tournament poker rather than the ambiguous cash game world. This might be the reason that Mortensen, who had a stirring run at the 2013 WSOP Championship Event before falling short of the final table and was nominated for the Hall following that, wasn’t on the 2014 nominations list after Forrest won a bracelet at this year’s WSOP.
While Negreanu may not be wooing voters through his criticism, the Poker Hall of Fame may need some revision to its processes. Two inductees a year is too few, perhaps four should be the limit. In addition, the living members of the Hall (and selected poker historians) could make up a “Veterans’ Committee” (something each Hall for sports has) that would pick one person from the game’s past to induct each year. This year’s actions for the Poker Hall of Fame may be almost completed, but there’s always room for improvement in the coming years.
