This year, through a public declaration on the official World Series of Poker site and numerous votes from the Hall of Fame Governing board, there’s a collection of 10 veteran players eligible for induction into the Poker Hall of Fame.
The players that have been nominated in 2011 are: Barry Greenstein, Annie Duke, John Juanda, Huckleberry Seed, Scotty Nguyen, Jennifer Harman-Traniello, Linda Johnson, Marcel Luske, Tom McEvoy and Jack McClelland.
All but a few are household names, and although it will be difficult to distinctly separate any of these players considering their vast accomplishments, due to some recent events, a few noteworthy players have stepped forward to express their feelings on who should or shouldn’t lead this cast in 2011.
Few have become more publicized than Daniel Negreanu.
With a blog of his own on Full Contact Poker, and being one of the most widely-photoed and distinctive faces in the sport, it’s no surprise that Negreanu was able to voice his opinion with little resistance.
These were a few of Daniel’s comments in regards to his known rival Annie Duke’s nomination into the 2011 Poker Hall of Fame:
“For what? Robbing people at UB? Owing Russ Hamilton money and never paying him back? For stealing money from people at the poker table? For representing poker in the worst light imaginable while she was on Celebrity Apprentice? For all those things then yes,” Negreanu stated.
Furthermore, Negreanu followed up by saying “If you took the “F” and added a “Sh” in the word fame then yes, I think she should be inducted.”
Negreanu and Duke’s feud has been widely publicized, and goes back for several years. Meeting in the 90s, the bad blood stemming between the two poker ambassadors could be considered the Duke vs. North Carolina rivalry of the poker community.
Nonetheless, there are other names included on this list that have saved face throughout their extensive careers, and seem to be first-round ballotees despite being nominated in previous years. A few players should have a better chance than ever of being inducted in 2011, and Greenstein, Juanda and Harman-Traniello are the marquee names which fit this profile.
New to this year’s ballot, HOF nominees will now need to follow an updated set of criteria in order to be considered. These criterium are:
- At least 40 years of age
- You’re a regular in the high-stakes ring games or tournament games
- Consistently shows impressive results and has gained the respect of the poker community
- Longevity
- You’ve played against world-class competition
Every year, two new players are selected from this list to join the other players who are members of the Poker Hall of Fame. Daniel Harrington and Erik Seidel were the two players who earned the noble honor of being inducted last year.
In order to select who will be included in 2011, there will be 35 votes cast between now and November 8th. Amongst these, thirty-five collective votes will be dispersed between two groups. Seventeen votes from poker experts and close followers, and the remaining eighteen votes will be distributed amongst living members of the inducted HOF members.
The ceremony will be conducted at this year’s WSOP Main Event, just prior to the beginning of the final table.