The World Series of Poker released its list of 10 finalists for the Poker Hall of Fame on Tuesday, from which one individual will be inducted on July 14.
All living Poker Hall of Fame members will now vote on who will get that honor, with only the top finisher joining the hall.
Meet the Finalists
This year’s nominees include a mix of players and contributors to the game of poker. Here is a quick look at each finalist, with a brief overview of their accomplishments:
- Patrik Antonius: A Finnish professional poker player, Antonius has career live tournament winnings of nearly $23 million, and won a Super High Roller event on the European Poker Tour earlier this year.
- Josh Arieh: An American professional poker player, Arieh has won six World Series of Poker bracelets and has over $12.5 million in lifetime live tournament earnings.
- Barny Boatman: One of the founders of The Hendon Mob, Boatman has two World Series of Poker bracelets and once reached three consecutive WSOP final tables.
- “Miami” John Cernuto: A three-time World Series of Poker bracelet winner, Cernuto also won the 2003 World Heads-Up Poker Championship and has won nearly $6.4 million in live tournaments for his career.
- Ted Forrest: The winner of three bracelets at the 1993 World Series of Poker, Forrest has six WSOP bracelets in total, a World Poker Tour title, and the 2006 National Heads-Up Poker Championship.
- Kathy Liebert: Inducted into the Women in Poker Hall of Fame in 2010, Liebert won a WSOP bracelet in 2004 and has nearly $7 million in live tournament earnings.
- Mike Matusow: Mike “The Mouth” Matusow is a four-time World Series of Poker bracelet winner and won the 2013 NBC National Heads-Up Championship. He has over $10.4 million in live tournament earnings.
- Matt Savage: Perhaps the most famous tournament director in poker history, Savage is the Executive Tour Director of the World Poker Tour, was a founder of the Tournament Directors Association, and served as a tournament director for the World Series of Poker from 2002 through 2004.
- Isai Scheinberg: The founder of PokerStars, Scheinberg was the primary owner of the world’s top online poker site until 2014, when he sold his stake to Amaya Gaming for $4.9 billion.
- Bill Smith: An American professional poker player, Smith won the 1985 World Series of Poker Main Event and had two other fifth place finishes in the tournament during the 1980s.
Living Hall of Famers to Compete in WSOP Event
Each voter will have 10 points to distribute amongst the candidates as they choose – giving all 10 points to one candidate, or splitting between multiple candidates as they see fit.
The living Poker Hall of Fame members will be able to play for free in World Series of Poker Event No. 95 on July 14, the Poker Hall of Fame Bounty No-Limit Hold’em tournament. Each Hall of Famer who participates will carry a bounty based on the year of their induction. The inductee will also be announced during the event, after which the inductee’s Hall of Fame picture will be unveiled at the WSOP Hall of Fame Poker Room at Horseshoe Las Vegas.
The Poker Hall of Fame has set criteria for how nominees are to be considered for membership into the select group. A player must have competed against top competition, be at least 40 years old, played for high stakes, have gained the respect of their peers by consistently playing well, and have stood the test of time. Non-players are also eligible if they’ve contributed to the growth and success of poker in a lasting, positive manner.
The Poker Hall of Fame was founded in 1979 with a founding class of seven members. While the procedure for induction has changed over the years, traditionally either one or two names have been added to the Poker Hall of Fame each year. A total of 62 individuals have been inducted into the hall.