The Poker Hall of Fame has announced its 10 official finalists for 2018 ahead of the induction of its newest member or members before the World Series of Poker main event final table kicks off on 13 July.
The nominees include eight previously up for nomination and yet to be inducted – Chris Bjorin, David Chiu, Mori Eskandani, Bruno Fitoussi, Mike Matusow, Chris Moneymaker, Matt Savage and Huck Seed – plus two new nominees in John Hennigan and David Oppenheim.
Hennigan’s nomination is timely given that he currently leads the WSOP’s Player of the Year race after capturing his fifth WSOP bracelet recently.
Among the more notable nominees is Chris Moneymaker, whose stunning 2003 WSOP main event victory – having qualified for the event by winning a US$39 online satellite – sparked the global poker boom. Moneymaker turned that US$39 investment into a US$2.5 million payday, becoming in an instant the poster boy for amateur poker players around the world.
Votes for induction into the Poker Hall of Fame will be supplied by 28 living Hall of Fame members and 18 media representatives. The Hall of Fame currently includes 54 individuals, all of whom are considered to have either proven themselves to be elite players at the highest level or to have contributed to the development of the game away from the felt in a meaningful way.
