This year’s World Series of Poker kicked off last week and amid all the buzz that came with the poker enthusiasts’ quest for fame, fortune and a good time, the Poker Hall of Fame announced that it had begun the process for the 2018 inductions.
This marked the official launch of the voting process where the public would nominate their preferred candidates for a possible induction into the next two slots in the Hall of Fame – of all the nominees, only the names of the top ten minimum vote-getters would be submitted to the Voting Committee which currently consists of the living Poker Hall of Fame inductees as well as a decent number of prominent poker industry figures.
Of the ten names that will reach the Voting Committee, only the first two will be inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame during the play of the $10,000 Championship Event Final Table on condition that they receive more than half of the votes.
Since it debuted in 1979, the Poker Hal of Fame has been all about recognizing the most feared and respected poker players in the industry, as well as the movers and shakers of the poker industry. To qualify, the nominees not only have to be over 40 years old but also must have competed “against acknowledged top competition” and “for high stakes,” while playing “consistently well” and “gaining the respect of peers.” In addition to this, the nominees must have participated long enough in various events in the poker world.
For the nominees who are not professional poker players, they must have “contributed to the overall growth and success of the game of poker, with indelible positive and lasting results.” As it stands, there are 54 people who have met these requirements and have thus been successfully inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame, the most recent inductees being Phil Ivey and the late David Ulliott, both of whom were inducted last year.
Who to Watch This Year
This year, all eyes seem to be on Matt Savage who has been around poker for over 25 years as a tournament director, a poker dealer, and on occasion, a poker player. Savage whose key talents behind-the-scenes are unquestionable, hopes to be inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame this year.
He has made this ambition quite clear through his social media pages and there has been a tremendous amount of support for the industry figure. Chances are, he might actually end up getting inducted.
“Hello, Facebook friends, the 2018 Poker Hall of Fame nominations are up again. I have been nominated 4 times and the last 3 years in a row as a contributor not as a player obviously. I would appreciate your nomination vote this year more than any other for a couple reasons, one because I’m turning the big 5-0 and one being personal,” Savage wrote on a Facebook post.