As anyone would expect of humanity, readings from a 2017 World Economic Forum reveal that when it comes to parity if pay between the sexes, both the United States and the United Kingdom have moved backwards and in a significant way.
Thanks to poker, the playing field can be said to have been levelled so that women and men can enjoy equal pay so long as they are good enough. However, this is still rather doubtable, isn’t it? Unfortunately, the sad reality is that women still face a lot of different hurdles in their endeavours to become the best in poker. This is why the fifteen women listed below are worthy of recognition and appreciations since they have been strong enough to brave the harsh realities of the gambling world and have managed to thrive amidst all that.
They are; Barbara Enright, Linda Johnson, Marsha Waggoner, Susie Isaacs, Cyndy Violette, Jan Fisher, June Field, Billie Brown, Jennifer Harman, Kathy Liebert, Kristy Gazes, Margie Heintz, Phyllis Caro, JJ Liu, Kathy Raymond, Allyn Shulman, Deborah Giardina, Debbie Burkhead and Victoria Coren-Mitchell.
History of the Women in Poker Hall of Fame (WiPHoF)
The WiPHoF began was started in 2008 as a way of recognizing the achievements of women in poker. Initially, it was just for the induction of only four outstanding female poker pros. Subsequently, there were three more additions to the awards for the next three years before the format was eventually changed.
The Women in Poker Hall of Fame then began honouring outstanding female poker players biennially with two of them getting a high heel through the door in each of the occasions. Now, the nomination process for the class of 2018 has begun and if you are interested you can vote and get three selections. The deadline for the voting and selection will be the 15th of March 2018 and it will be based on the following criteria:
- The candidate you choose must have been an active player or industry leader for not less than 10 years before the elections and also be above 35 years of age.
- The player or industry leader must have contributed to the world of poker in a significant way. The person can either qualify by either winning major poker tournaments, or by making equally significant conditions to the poker industry.
- The player or industry leader must be a proponent of women in poker.
- All the nominees must be approved by a joint committee consisting of the Women in Poker Hall of Fame Committee and the Inductees.
- Finally, the nominees have to agree to the terms and conditions of the Women in Poker Hall of Fame.
The process is pretty simple – the world will have their say in regards to which women deserve to be on the list. The WiPHoF Committee and the Inductees will then make sure that the women who make the short list meet all the criteria after which the next two members will be selected by a panel of media professionals, the industry’s professionals and the WiPHoF members.
