The WSOP Poker Hall of Fame changed its voting rules in June with one very clear objective: make it possible for multiple inductees to join each year
That didn’t happen.
The 2026 shortlist was packed with worthy candidates, including Jason Koon, Shaun Deeb, Scott Seiver, Isaac Haxton, and PokerStars founder and seven-time nominee Isai Scheinberg.
Many people expected at least the first three names to be inducted.
In the end, only Koon hit the voting threshold.
To find out what went wrong, we spoke with two Hall of Famers who rarely lack an opinion and rarely agree with each other: Phil Hellmuth and Daniel Negreanu.
Negreanu: The system itself was the problem
Daniel Negreanu believes the biggest problem wasn't the voters. It was the math behind the new voting system.
“It was the system itself that was the problem,” says Negreanu.
His preferred solution is straightforward to implement by next summer: Require every Hall of Fame voter to rank three candidates.
“I proposed the system that works,” says Negreanu. “The system is simply this: There are 8 nominees, you must rank-vote three of them, #1, #2, and #3. You are required to vote for three. Your first choice will receive five points, second three, and third two. The top two point getters overall are inducted into the HOF.”
Could we get a third player or industry person into the hall in any one year? Yes. Negreanu would leave the door open wide for a third inductee if that candidate clears a predetermined points threshold.
If Negreanu’s system is installed for next year, that would eliminate one of the apparent problems with this year's vote: Hall of Famers didn't have to use all of their available votes.
For example, it was revealed in an interview with PokerOrg that Phil Ivey only voted for Koon.
“If you don't do what I am proposing, what you need to do is instead of making it 22 votes, which would be 2/3 of the field, make it 2/3 of the percentage of the vote,” says Negreanu.
One point Daniel brought up in response to this year’s lone selection was that it’s very possible that some of the HOF voters are not very familiar with each player on the nominee list. Negreanu’s solution would give each candidate a chance to make their case and present their poker resume to voters.
“I think if all the Hall of Famers would have had a chance to see Scott's resume, I think Scott [Seiver] was a shoo-in. I voted for Scott.”
More importantly, Negreanu believes the Hall's revamped 2026 system failed to accomplish its stated mission.
“I think everyone's disappointed because the whole point of the system was to potentially induct more people.”
Hellmuth: Deeb and Seiver belong
Phil Hellmuth came away from this year's voting with two names he believes should have been inducted: Shaun Deeb and Scott Seiver.
“Shaun Deeb deserves to be in the Hall of Fame,” says Hellmuth. “But he gets mad when I tell my truth; Shaun hasn’t gone out and crushed the cash games over the last 10 years. But he still deserves it, in my opinion.”
Hellmuth pointed out why some Hall of Famers may see Deeb differently, including his enormous tournament volume.
“Shaun is playing 130 bullets to win those bracelets, and some voters might not respect that system as much. How good is he when he plays three times as many tournaments as everybody else?”
Still, Hellmuth returns to the same conclusion. “I also think it should be hard to get in. I think it should be hard. And Shaun definitely deserves to be in the Hall of Fame.”
When asked about Scott Seiver, Hellmuth is more direct. “Scott Seiver deserves to be in the Hall of Fame as well. He’s played in the biggest games in the world for 20 years.”
Hellmuth also shared with PokerOrg that Phil Ivey didn't vote for either player, an example of how differently Hall of Famers cast their votes and evaluate the same nominees.
“In my opinion, Scott Seiver and Shaun Deeb deserve to be in the Poker Hall of Fame. But I can understand why some people didn't vote for them. But I think we need to change the rules, right?”
Should the rules be changed once again?
Will the rules change next June again? Will the Hall finally find a formula that puts two, or perhaps even three, deserving candidates through in 2027?
Negreanu and Helmuth may not agree on much, but they agree on this.
Negreanu already has his solution. Hellmuth knows another change is needed. Both agree that there’s no shortage of deserving players and industry personnel waiting for their turn.
The Poker Hall of Fame changed the rules in 2026 to crack the door open slightly wider, but there’s still a very long line standing on the outside looking in.
The problem is finding a way everyone can agree on to get them through the door.
What changes do you think need to be made to the Poker Hall of Fame for next year? Do you agree with Daniel and Phil? Or do you have other ideas?
Let us know in the comments below.
