The World Series of Poker and Caesars Entertainment have opened public nominations for the Poker Hall of Fame's 2024 election cycle. From now until June 16, players and fans can offer one or more nominations at the WSOP's PHOF nomination page.
Following the public-nomination period, all submissions will be vetted by the PHOF's Governing Council. That vetting assures that the top nominees are eligible. The council occasionally adds one or two other deserving finalists -- typically from underrepresented segments of the poker world -- to the final 10.
Once this year's 10 PHOF finalists are announced, voting is turned over to the 32 living members of the PHOF. That roster includes its newest member, 2023 honoree Brian Rast (pictured above).
"With the poker world losing original participants of the 1970 WSOP in the last two years, it’s more important than ever to celebrate the history of the game,” said Ty Stewart, the World Series of Poker's Executive Director. “The Poker Hall of Fame is meant to make sure legends who paved the way for today’s record-setting fields are never forgotten, and we thank poker fans for their help putting forth worthy candidates during the nomination process.”
At the start of the decade, the WSOP tweaked the voting process so that each year, only one person is inducted. The 2024 enshrinee will be announced on July 14 during the WSOP Main Event and will be honored during a special ceremony.
Eligibility rules unchanged from recent years
The criteria for players and other industry professionals to be considered have been unchanged for nearly two decades, with the primary prerequisite being that one must be aged 40 or older to be eligible. (Last year's honoree, Rast, was inducted in his first year of eligibility.) Here are the criteria:
- 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.
Last year's other nine finalists remain eligible for selection in 2024. Several of them have been finalists on multiple occasions and are among the likeliest potential nominees to again make the final ballot. Those returning finalists are as follows, in alphabetical order:
- Josh Arieh
- Jeremy Ausmus
- Ted Forrest
- Kathy Liebert
- Mike Matusow
- Lon McEachren & Norman Chad (broadcast team)
- Matt Savage
- Isai Scheinberg
- Bill Smith
Image coutesy of PokerGo
