Nominations for the 2015 Poker Hall of Fame (established in 1979, currently 48 members) closed on Tuesday... and here are the 10 finalists: John Juanda, Carlos Mortensen, Chris Bjorin, David Chiu, Terry Rogers, Matt Savage, Bruno Fitoussi, Jennifer Harman, Max Pescatori, and David "Devilfish" Ulliott.
Ulliott, who sadly passed away earlier this year, is one of four candidates to be nominated for the first time (the other three are Pescatori, Rogers, and Savage), while the other six have been nominated in the past - including Harman, Fitoussi, and Bjorin who all were among the 10 finalists last year.
The 23 living Hall of Fame members a 16-person media panel will now cast their votes of the final list of nominees to decide who will be inducted this year (one or two candidates will be picked). The official ceremony is to be held in conjuntion with the 2015 WSOP Main Event final table in November.
The main criteria for the Poker Hall of Fame are as follows:
♠ A player must have played poker against acknowledged top competition
♠ 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.