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Last night, Chris Moneymaker and David Oppenheim became the 57th and 58th inductees of the Poker Hall of Fame during the World Series of Poker Main Event coverage on ESPN.

They were voted into the 2019 Poker Hall of Fame Class by the thirty living Poker Hall of Fame members and a 21-person media panel. They were the two from an elite list of poker players which also included Chris Bjorin, David Chiu, Eli Elezra, Antonio Esfandiari, Chris Ferguson, Ted Forrest, Mike Matusow, and Huckleberry Seed to make it into the Poker Hall of Fame.

The Hall of Fame was established in 1979 to honor the most influential players and other key contributors to the game of poker. Harrah's Entertainment acquired the elite poker club in 2004, and it is now under Caesars Entertainment after the company changed its name in 2010.

A panel of Hall of Famers and media members have selected poker player John Hennigan and television executive Mori Eskandani as the 2018 inductees into the Poker Hall of Fame. The WSOP announced the selections as the final table of the WSOP Main Event got underway on July 12. Hennigan is an underrated all-time great. I thought it was the 'Hall of Fame' and not 'Hall of Profitability in Poker Tournaments'? There aren't that many players who had a bigger impact on making poker big in Europe. He's getting into the hall of fame because he is way more poker famous than anybody else on the list, maybe with the exception of Mike Matusow. The Hall of Fame is comprised of 333 elected members. Included are 235 former major league players, 31 executives, 35 Negro Leaguers, 22 managers and 10 umpires.

The Professional Poker Hall of Fame is officially taking nominations for its 2020 class. On Tuesday, the World Series of Poker announced that the nomination process for the Poker Hall of Fame is underway. Fans have until December 11th to make their nominations. Poker Hall of Fame Nomination Process Underway. At 40 years old, he was the youngest inductee to the Poker Hall of fame. In 2009, the “Chip Reese Rule” established the minimum age of 40 to be inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame. Thomas “Amarillo Slim” Preston Jr. (December 31, 1928 – April 29, 2012) – Amarillo Slim became synonymous with poker from the 1970s on.

Voters took into consideration the following criteria when casting their ballots.

• A player must have played poker against acknowledged top competition.
• Be a minimum of 40 years old at the time of nomination.
• 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.

Chris Moneymaker

Chris Moneymaker might not satisfy all of the voting requirements, specifically in playing in high stakes games. However, one can't deny the contribution Moneymaker made to the poker boom after winning the 2003 WSOP Main Event for $2,500,000.

Moneymaker: 'It's great for my kids — it'll be a cool thing for them to see when they grow up.'

List Of Poker Hall Of Fame Members Past And Present

At the time, it was unheard of for online poker players to win big money on the live poker stage. Moneymaker proved to the world that online poker players could be taken seriously and provided a considerable growth to online poker after parlaying a win in a satellite at PokerStars into the WSOP Main Event title. Moneymaker was an instant sensation and signed on to become a PokerStars Ambassador, a title he still holds to this day.

Moneymaker has yet to find WSOP gold a second time but has won titles in WPT and EPT side events as part of his nearly $3.9 million in live tournament cashes.

'I'm very honored... very happy,' says Moneymaker upon receiving the news. 'It's great for my kids — it'll be a cool thing for them to see when they grow up.'

David Oppenheim

It is usually tournament players that get all the notice, and David Oppenheim has certainly had some success there with nearly $2 million in live tournament earnings. However, unlike the other nominees for the 2019 Poker Hall of Fame Class, Oppenheim has yet to win a WSOP bracelet or any major poker title.

What separates Oppenheim from the other nominees, is that he has been consistently crushing the high stakes cash games. The 46-year-old American has been playing poker for the better part of this century, having started out playing his second year in college when he was 19 years old.

'Being recognized as one of the all-time greats by my peers is truly humbling, and I am honored to have been selected to the Poker Hall of Fame.'

Until now, Oppenheim has been one of poker's unsung heroes as he wasn't on tv as often as some of his peers. He is a regular winner in the high stakes games in Bobby's Room.

'Being recognized as one of the all-time greats by my peers is truly humbling, and I am honored to have been selected to the Poker Hall of Fame,' said Oppenheim about his induction. 'I have been so fortunate to be able to do what I love for a living. I never planned to be a professional poker player; rather, it was a passion that became my job. People often ask me, how does one become a professional poker player? The answer is hard work, and that goes for everyone that plays at the highest level. From the time I began playing, I was incredibly passionate about poker, and it led to me being able to travel this road that has been traveled by very few. Again, I am extremely grateful to be receiving this honor. Thank you.'

Poker Hall of Fame Members

Moneymaker and Oppenheim join an elite group of poker players and contributors to the game as part of the Poker Hall of Fame. Here is a look at all 58 members in alphabetical order.

_{*Lead image courtesy of the Poker Hall of Fame. More information about the Poker Hall of Fame via WSOP.com/pokerhalloffame/ and Wikipedia.}

• Tags

  Amarillo SlimAntonio EsfandiariBarry GreensteinBilly BaxterBobby BaldwinCarlos MortensenChris FergusonChris MoneymakerDan HarringtonDaniel NegreanuDoyle BrunsonEli ElezraErik SeidelJohn JuandaJohnny ChanLinda JohnsonLyle BermanMike Matuso

• Related Players

  Daniel NegreanuJohn JuandaBarry GreensteinErik SeidelChris FergusonJohnny Chan

The World Series of Poker’s modified 2020 existence will have one more twist, according to WSOP Executive Director Ty Stewart, who recently acknowledged that this year the WSOP-owned Poker Hall of Fame will be inducting just a single honoree.

Stewart released the update on the PHOF’s plans amid a larger interview with another outlet regarding the hybrid online/live “$10,000 World Championship” No-Limit Hold’em Main Event set to begin later this month and conclude in late December with a heads-up bracelet showdown between domestic (United States) and international “bracket” tourney winners. However, the fate of the PHOF’s short-term plans had never been addressed by the WSOP or parent company Caesars Interactive Entertainment throughout months of other pandemic-related adjustments.

Stewart framed the change to a single honoree as a change already in the works.

“There will be a 2020 Poker Hall of Fame class, or said more accurately, a 2020 inductee,” he said. “We are going to return to the tradition of one inductee per year, voted in by their peers, but I’d like to present the full details on that in the near future.”

The last time the Poker Hall of Fame announced only a single inductee was over a decade ago. In 2009, the Ambassador of Poker, Mike Sexton, received that honor. Prior to that, Berry Johnston (in 2004) was the last solo inductee.

Though Stewart and the WSOP haven’t released many details, the likeliest scenario involves an induction between December 28-30, when the $10,000 World Championship concludes at the Rio in Las Vegas. This year’s inductee will be selected by a vote by all living members of the PHOF.

List Of Poker Hall Of Fame Membership

However, the late-changing plans likely mean that the Hall’s public-nomination process is no more, at least for 2020. WSOP.com’s online-nomination page appears in a disused or under-construction state at the present time. This infers that a list of finalists will be prepared by the Hall’s Executive Committee without any public input.

List Of Poker Hall Of Fame Members List

As for who is likely to be the 2020 inductee, the short-term format changes shift the balance in favor of Vegas-area pros who have received support in previous years. Ted Forrest, David Chiu, and Mike Matusow are among previous finalists likely to gain from the changes.

List Of Poker Hall Of Fame Members Through The Years

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