The WSOP has announced the shortlist for the 2026 Poker Hall of Fame, following a round of voting from the public.
The following eight names will now be voted on by the remaining 33 members of the Hall of Fame. Each member has four votes, and any nominee who receives 22 votes or more will be inducted. If no nominee reaches that threshold, the person with the most votes will be inducted.
- Justin Bonomo
- Shaun Deeb
- Isaac Haxton
- Jason Koon
- Mike Matusow
- Isai Scheinberg
- Chris Moorman
- Scott Seiver
The overhaul of the final voting process for the 2026 Hall of Fame means up to six of these names could be inducted.
That could ease the logjam. Some big names became eligible for the first time this year after turning 40, including Deeb, Bonomo and Koon. All three have strong cases to be first-ballot Hall of Famers. Deeb was the 2025 WSOP Player of the Year.
Is 2026 the year Scheinberg is inducted?
Bonomo's nomination is likely to spark debate. Not because of his poker résumé, which is among the strongest in the game, but because of his outspoken views, which have polarized opinion on social media. The question is whether he'll receive the 22 votes needed from existing Hall of Fame members. If he doesn’t have support now, it could be hard for that to change meaningfully in the future.
Speaking on the WSOP Countdown show, Maria Ho said: "Whatever your personal feelings might be about people, this is purely about their skills and whether they deserve to be in the Hall of Fame. For that, I definitely think [Bonomo] is a wise choice."
Matusow, Seiver and Scheinberg were all nominated last year but not inducted. Matusow has been nominated a record 12 times.
Many in the poker community believe the voting changes could finally pave the way for Scheinberg's induction after years of near misses. The previous one-person induction limit, combined with a long list of deserving candidates, made it especially difficult for industry figures to gain entry. Ho said she believed he would be a "shoo-in" this year.
In an interview with PokerOrg last year, Chris Moneymaker (inducted to the Hall of Fame in 2019) said of Scheinberg, “I think the game should recognize him. I think he should be in. It’s criminal that he’s not.” Daniel Negreanu has also been a vocal supporter of Scheinberg.
Nick Schulman and Michael Mizrachi were inducted in 2025. Matt Savage, Ted Forrest, Jeremy Ausmus and Phil Galfond were all shortlisted last year but miss out in 2026.
The Class of 2026 will be announced at the 2026 WSOP Main Event final table.
