Layne Flack is on the shortlist for the Poker Hall of Fame for the second year running. His appearance on the list last year, came a few months after his tragic death at the age of 52.
Flack passed away on July 19, 2021, just two months before the first full-scale WSOP since 2019. The coroner's report listed the cause of death as a potent mix of cocaine, methamphetamine, and fentanyl.
After Flack's death, Mike Matusow held a tribute to Flack on his podcast, The Mouthpeice. The list of contributors would have made a good start for the pavement of a poker-Hollywood-Boulevard. Scotty Nguyen, Doyle Brunson, Phil Hellmuth, Erik Seidel, Chip Jett, Ted Forrest, Mori Eskandani, and Matt Savage were just some of the players who turned out to reminisce, lament, and dole out their respects.
Over the course of his career in poker, Flack collected six WSOP bracelets and another 52 WSOP cashes. He also managed to earn the nickname "Back-To-Back Flack" after winning two Legends of Poker events in a row in August 1999.
Flack wasn't just a great player, he was also well-liked by the poker community. Especially among the kind of established pros that make up the 32 living Hall of Fame members.
Getting into the PHOF requires you to be nominated, make it to the shortlist, and then accumulate the largest number of votes from the 32 living members of the PHOF. Each of the electors gets ten votes to to distribute among the ten names on the shortlist however they like. Only one member makes the cut each year (or two if its the team of Norm and Lon).
Voting Flack in would be a fitting tribute to a player struck down by illness before his time. However, we will have to wait until July 10, to find out who has won a spot in the PHOF.
Featured image source: WPT, used under a CC license.
