Few topics spark more intense debate among poker players and rabid fans than the WSOP Poker Hall of Fame choice of inductees and nominee process each year.
Who will join last year's inductee Nick Schulman (above) in 2026? Who deserves a seat among the legends? Who has been overlooked?
You can submit your choice to the WSOP as the public nominations for the 2026 shortlist are open now until June 20.
With the WSOP introducing changes to the Hall of Fame induction process, PokerOrg’s Craig Tapscott and Mike Patrick asked some of the game's most accomplished players to cast their unofficial ballots: one favorite for induction and one dark horse sleeper worthy of consideration.
The players pulled zero punches; just the way we like it. This is what they had to say.
Esther 'ETay' Taylor picks: Shaun Deeb & JJ Liu
Esther ‘Etay’ Taylor chimed in with what we expect could be the most likely choice for many players across the board.
“Shaun Deeb, for obvious reasons, is not only one of the best tournament players in the world, but he’s also stood the test of time and does a lot behind the scenes to improve and grow the game.
“My sleeper pick is JJ Liu, who has proved through decades to be an absolute crusher. She is my hero, and her hat game alone should put her in the HOF!”
Bryn Kenney picks: Jason Koon & Shaun Deeb
Bryn Kenney, poker’s leading career money winner, kept his responses short and chose two players he’s battled with many times over the last 20 years.
“Jason Koon is my prediction to be inducted this year, and right behind him would be my sleeper pic – Shaun Deeb."
Brian Rast doesn't want to say, yet
Brian Rast was inducted into the Poker HOF in 2023. Two years ago, Brian pushed for Patrik Antonius to get the nod, and it worked. Brian was non-committal this year, much to our disappointment. We'll let it slide, for now.
"First I want to just give my thoughts on the changes. I think that it's good that they changed the voting method. This new method is better in that there is definitely going to be less like politicking. This method would also let multiple people get in, which is, in my view, kind of necessary moving forward. That's good.
"I think there are people that have already been on the list such as Seiver, Ausmus and Galfond. And then the new people, Deeb, Koon, Haxton, and Bonomo. I bet two of those seven guys don't make the nominations.
"I don't want to say who my pick is yet. I like too many guys on this list."
Andrew Lichtenberger picks: Jason Koon & Scott Seiver
Andrew ‘Lucky Chewy’ Lichtenberger followed suit and chose a possible lock for this year, and his sleeper pick was on our radar and should eventually be inducted, if not this year.
“Jason Koon is a good pick. He started from the bottom and is a great ambassador for the game. A sleeper pick for me would be Scott Seiver.”
Norman Chad doesn't know
Did we make a mistake by reaching out to Norman Chad? We got a mouthful about the process, yet no real answers. He believes the whole process needs a reshuffle.
“Great. They may now induct more than one per year. But I would not have Poker HOFers do the voting – or be the only ones voting - and, as I have proposed for a while, I would change eligibility to 50 and over.
“Many Poker HOFers pay no attention to the game anymore. And then there are cliques within the HOF community who vote in friends in ‘group think’ mode. And with almost the entire HOF being American, it reinforces a bias toward US nominees going forward.
“But I didn’t answer your question. I do not know yet.”
Mario Mosböck picks: Phil Galfond & Jason Koon
Moving on to someone who does have answers different than most, Triton wizard Mario Mosböck chose a sleeper you'll never guess, but a great choice after all.
“Phil Galfond deserves to be in there. He’s had incredible longevity and has had a huge impact on the poker industry. He is a true leader and someone whose heart is in the right place. Jason Koon is another player who just turned 40. He’s an obvious choice also.
A true long shot for me is Jean-Norel Thorel for obvious reasons. What a f**king legend. But the HOF is so US-focused that I don’t think that it is likely he will be chosen.”
David Lappin picks: Shaun Deeb & Jason Koon
Journalist extraordinaire, The Chip Race co-host, and PokerStars ambassador David Lappin kept it short.
“If they are putting two people in, I think it will be Shaun Deeb and Jason Koon. Deeb is a fait accompli.”
We had to Google those last two words, but we agree.
Terrance 'TJ' Reid picks: Shaun Deeb
Former PokerOrg live events manager TJ Reid knows exactly who he wants to see.
“Shaun Deeb is my #1 choice. No one meets all the qualifications more than he does. Respected by peers, standing the test of time, consistently played well, shapes the game, and loves the game. Consistency for POY, plays all the games, dominates cash and tournaments, and is active in the poker community.”
Eli Elezra picks: Gus Hansen
Eli Elezra, who was inducted into the HOF in 2021, was a little shy about committing to a sure thing, but he eventually share his HOF choice with a little bit of nudging on our part.
“If I understand the way the new system works, I think we're going to see maybe four or five inducted this year, which would be really good. Last year, what we did with Michael Mizrachi was amazing, so he deserved it. But I don’t know. I'll keep my pick to myself. Hmmm...
"But Gus Hansen is supposed to be in the HOF 100%. He won the first three WPT’s. He's over 40. He is loved by all of us. Gus, it is.”
Jeremey Ausmus picks: Lots of people
Jeremy Ausmus, apparently the poker heartthrob of mixed games (according to Matt Salsberg on X), had a lot of names on his mind.
“It's tough this year because we have some new people like Ike Haxton, Jason Koon, and Shaun Deeb. I think the Poker Hall of Fame leans towards more of the mixed game players, so those guys are always going to have a little bit of the edge.
"You also have to include Scott Seiver, Jason Mercier, and Josh Arieh in that group. I don't know if it's the fairest system we have for the Hall of Fame, but that's how it is. But yeah, it kind of leans toward people who have dominated the WSOP and played a lot of mixed games. Those are the players who kind of stand out to me.
"My sleeper pick is Matt Savage. It's hard to find where the industry people fit into this. But he's had a big impact on poker tournaments and on making poker tournaments better for many, many years.”
Patrik Antonius picks: Jason Koon
Poker HOF Patrik Antonius is a man of few words and was quick to cut to the chase.
“Jason Koon. Just purely for his poker skills and his dedication to the game. The only thing missing from Jason is to play the high-stakes mixed games.”
Mike Matusow picks: himself
Mike Matusow was hard to track down as he’s on hot wheels most of the time and pretty damn fast. But he did eventually stop and gave PokerOrg his take on the current HOF situation.
“I think me, of course. There are players like Jason Mercier and Ted Forrest. I mean, it wouldn't be poker without Ted Forrest. Ted played the highest of the highest for the longest time. And Matt Savage should be on the list.
“There are three guys in the HOF that can’t hold my dick. But I like the new format. I've been on the ballot for 14 years in a row. I'm almost sure I'll be on the ballot again.
"Some people tell me you need to win another bracelet. Hey. I’m at the World Series every single freaking year. I play cash games every year. I've never had any income besides poker, and I've gone broke 9 times.
"How many players can compete and play in all the games as I do? Jeremy Ausmus does. But still, I have to say it would be amazing to get in this year as my mom is 89. She might not be here next year. That's all I care about more than me, you know?"
Daniel Negreanu picks: Ted Forrest & Jason Koon
We stopped Daniel Negreanu on his way to grab his seat in the $250K Super High Roller Event. He didn’t waste a word.
“This is a really easy one. Well, one sleeper is Ted Forrest, whom I look at historically, and sometimes people slip through the cracks. The younger generation doesn't know Ted. He was the best player in the world across all high-stakes games for a good close to 10 years. That, to me, is special.
“There's a lot of really good candidates, but obviously a guy like Jason Koon sticks out. He's got bracelets, played the high-stakes cash games, and plays all the games. That’s my take.”
Alex Foxen picks: Scott Seiver & Jason Koon
Alex Foxen was kind enough to share his thoughts before he took a seat at the final table of the $10K Super Turbo Bounty, which he closed out for his fourth bracelet.
“I'm a little bit biased as a player, probably, so I'd always be a little bit more inclined to pick the players over the industry choices, such as Lon and Norm, who have done a lot for poker as commentators.
"Jason Koon, Scott Seiver, and Ike Haxton are three players who should end up in the HOF at some point. I would probably go to Seiver and Koon before Ike.
"Koon has had a great career over the last 5-10 years. Represents poker well and carries himself well as a genuinely good person."
Jason Koon picks: Isaac Haxton
The man who seems to be the perennial choice on everyone’s list is the phenomenal Jason Koon. Who else has won so many high rollers and is able to walk from his table out the casino door on his hands?
“There are some killers this year, and it’s really flooded with legends because this is the age of all the Moneymaker boom guys turning 40. Ike Haxton is obviously a legend. He is a really under-appreciated legend for several reasons.
“I think mechanically, Haxton is one of the best poker players of all time. He can play every game well. People forget he was the best heads-up cash game player online at one time. And he’s one of those guys who's never going to stand up and tell the world how good he is.
"It’s tough as a poker purist. I'm in there; I'm in the streets with these guys. So, I know the players who have really brought it, the quiet killers. Seiver is also a legend. And another underrated guy because he's humble is Jeremy Ausmus. He's a great NLH and PLO player and can play every game well. He’s stood the test of time.”
Stephen Chidwick picks: ?
Perhaps our favorite answer belongs to Stephen Chidwick, the #2 career money earner, and a player we can expect to hear the fewest words from.
“I have no idea. I don’t follow this stuff."
Catch the latest from the WSOP at the WSOP YouTube channel.
With thanks to Mike Patrick for additional reporting.
Additional image courtesy of Onyx Club/Merit Poker.
