The time has arrived. It's the time of the year when the public get to say whom they think should be nominated for The Poker Hall of Fame as the first steep in determining the final inductees.
The Poker Hall of Fame traditionally elects one or two members every year. This year the enshrinement ceremony will be held in concert with the final table of the 2014 WSOP Main Event in Las Vegas (November).
The Poker Hall of Fame is not open to anyone - there are some criterias you have to attain to join Doyle Brunson, Johnny Moss, Stu Ungar and another 43 players who are already a part of this elite group of poker players.
- 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
2014 Poker Hall of Fame guidelines
- The public will be able to submit a name(s) for consideration via online submissions at www.WSOP.com through August 15.
- On or after August 15, the entire list of submitted individuals will be forwarded to the Nominating Committee, who will be tasked with reviewing all submissions and determining the final list of eligible candidates for 2014 induction. The committee will determine if any others should be added (such as non-poker players who have contributed greatly to the game, any glaring omissions, etc.) and determine the final eligible list.
- The Nominating Committee's final list will be announced in September. Anyone on this list will be forwarded to the official voters, made up of current Poker Hall of Fame members and select media, who will cast ballots to determine the induction class in 2014.
- A finalist ballot will be sent to the current Hall-of-Famers (21 living) who will each rank the nominees in order of preference - ranking only those they deem worthy of admission in 2014. Each Hall-of-Famer will also have the ability to add a write-in candidate, who won't be eligible for admission in 2014, but will automatically be added to the consideration list for 2015. In addition, a select group of media members will also be sent a ballot for ranking the finalists. All votes will be cast in private, with each PHOF and media member entitled but not obligated to keep their vote secret. After receiving back all ballots, the PHOF governing council reviews the selections and helps finalize any tiebreakers or errors.
- The two finalists receiving the most votes, as long as they are a majority, will be inducted during the enshrinement ceremony at the Final Table of Main Event in November, 2014.