Ten Poker Hall of Fame Finalists Announced

The World Series of Poker (WSOP) announced the ten nominees for the Poker Hall of Fame Class of 2011 Tuesday after a public nomination process on WSOP.com, followed by a vetting of all nominations by the Poker Hall of Fame Governing Council.

The criteria for Poker Hall of Fame induction, according to the World Series of Poker website, are as follows:

•    A player must have played poker against acknowledged top competition
•    Played for high stakes
•    Played consistently well, gaining the respect of peers
•    Stood the test of time
•    Or, for non-players, contributed to the overall growth and success of the game of poker, with indelible positive and lasting results.

Additionally, nominees must be at least 40 years of age, though the criteria on WSOP.com have not been updated to reflect this.  This rule is new in 2011, affectionately known as the “Chip Reese” rule, as it was instituted 20 years after the poker legend was inducted into the Hall of Fame at the age of 40.

Here are the nominees, in alphabetical order:

Annie Duke – Duke has been one of the highest profile female poker players for the better part of a decade, winning both a WSOP bracelet and the WSOP Tournament of Champions in 2004.  Her $4.2 million in live tournament earnings also includes her $500,000 win in the 2010 National Heads-Up Poker Championship.  Duke has also been an outspoken proponent for online poker and was the runner-up on the 2009 season of NBC’s “Celebrity Apprentice.”

Barry Greenstein – the “Robin Hood of Poker,” aside from being a great player, has made his mark by donating all of his tournament winnings to charity, while playing cash games to support himself.  Greenstein has won over $7.5 million in his tournament career and countless more money at the cash tables.  He has won three WSOP bracelets and two World Poker Tour (WPT) championships.

Jennifer Harman-Traniello – known in high stakes circles as arguably the best female cash game player of all time, she has also won two WSOP bracelets and has approximately $2.6 million in career live tournament earnings.

Linda Johnson – one of the favorites to be elected, Johnson has not done a whole lot in tournaments since winning a WSOP bracelet in 1997, but she has been one of the biggest contributors to the game over the last few decades.  Johnson was the publisher of CardPlayer magazine before selling it to Barry Shulman and the co-founder of the Tournament Directors Association.  She has been a prolific poker writer, is an organizer for CardPlayer Cruises, and helped found the charitable organization PokerGives.org in 2009.  Mike Sexton dubbed her the “First Lady of Poker.”

John Juanda – one of the most accomplished tournament players of all time, Juanda is the owner of five WSOP bracelets, including one this year.  He is 6th on the all-time money list with almost $12 million in lifetime earnings, which doesn’t even include what he’s won at the cash tables, where he is one of the most respected players in the world.

Marcel Luske – “The Flying Dutchman” has been relatively quiet in terms of tournament results in recent years, but with just about $4 million career earnings, he has definitely made his mark.  He is perhaps best known for his upbeat antics at the table, which include singing and wearing his sunglasses upside down, as well as his 10th place finish in the 2004 WSOP Main Event, a final table which saw David Williams, Luske’s protégé, finish second.

Jack McClelland – Tournament Director extraordinaire, has run the show for both the WSOP and WPT.

Tom McEvoy – won the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event in 1983, defeating Rod Peate heads-up in what was the longest heads-up match in WSOP history until 2006.  McEvoy was the first Main Event winner to earn his seat via a satellite.  He has won a total of four WSOP bracelets in his career, but might be more highly thought of in poker circles for his writing some of the most highly respected poker books ever published.

Scotty Nguyen – one of the most colorful characters to ever grace the poker table, he won the 1998 WSOP Main Event, the 2008 $50,000 WSOP HORSE event, and a WPT title in 2006.  All told, Nguyen has over $11.4 million in career tournament earnings.

Huck Seed – if you like the tall, silent type, Huck Seed is the man for you.  Many forget that he won the WSOP Main Event in 1996, one of his four WSOP bracelets.  He won the 2009 National Heads-Up Championship and 2010 WSOP Tournament of Champions.  Seed is also known for the litany of crazy prop bets that he has both won and lost.

A panel of 17 media members and the 18 living Poker Hall of Fame members will now decide which, if any, of the nominees will be members of the Class of 2011.  The announcement will be made later this month, with the induction taking place during the November Nine festivities.