After nearly two weeks of open nominations for the Poker Hall of Fame (PHoF), the list of the ten finalists have been released. There are four new names on the list, with two of them being the World Series of Poker (WSOP) commentators in Lon McEachern and Norman Chad . The “duo” has been nominated due to their outstanding contributions to poker via the WSOP broadcasts on ESPN.
Poker fans and players must be happy to see PokerStars founder Isai Scheinberg on the list. He is credited as playing a pivotal role in the growth of the online poker. Another first-time nominee is high-stakes player Patrik Antonius who is among the favourites to gain induction into the PHoF.
Joining these big names are the repeat nominees from 2019, namely Chris Bjorin, David Chiu, Eli Elezra, Antonio Esfandiari, Chris Ferguson, Ted Forrest, Mike Matusow, and Huckleberry Seed.
Full List Of Finalists:
Patrik Antonius
Lon McEachern and Norman Chad
Eli Elezra
Antonio Esfandiari
Chris Ferguson
Ted Forrest
Mike Matusow
Matt Savage
Isai Scheinberg
Huckleberry Seed
This list of nominees will be sent to the 31 living Hall of Fame members, who will then cast their votes. Unlike the past years, there will be only one winner in 2020 and he will be announced and honored on December 30 during the WSOP Main Event heads-up finale at Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. Whoever is selected will become the 59th inductee into the Poker Hall of Fame and follow in the footsteps of Chris Moneymaker and David Oppenheim inducted in 2019.
The criteria for Poker Hall of Fame (PHoF) remains the same as previous years,
• A player must have played poker against acknowledged top competition
• Be a minimum of 40-years-old at time of nomination
• Played for high stakes
• Played consistently well, gaining the respect of peers
• Stood the test of time
• Or, for non-players, contributed to the overall growth and success of the game of poker, with indelible positive and lasting results.