John Hennigan (left) and Mori Eskandani (right) have been inducted into the prestigious Poker Hall of Fame.
The owner of the Hall of Fame, The World Series of Poker, announced last Thursday that the two people shall become their 55th and 56th members for their exclusive club. The 10 finalists were announced earlier this month right after an online nomination procedure.
The two men were the lucky ones chosen out of ten nominees. The other eight were: Bruno Fitoussi, Chris Bjorin, Chris Moneymaker, David Chiu, David Oppenheim, Huck Seed, Matt Savage and Mike Matusow.
The two inductees were chosen by the 28 living members and an 18-individual media panel.
On Thursday, Hennigan and Eskandani were officially inducted as part of the live Main Event final table coverage on ESPN.
Hennigan said, "I'm very excited by this news and grateful that it came at a point in my career when I was mature enough to be honored by it, because I am. Thanks to everyone who voted for me!"
Hennigan was actually voted for the very first time this year, whereas Eskandani was nominated in the finalists list twice in the past before finally being honored this year.
John Hennigan
John "Johnny World" Hennigan, age 48, is capping off an incredible summer at the annual poker festival. Aside from winning his bracelet no. 5, he's already cashed 10 times at various WSOP events, including a 2nd and three 7th place finishes.
Mori Eskandani
Mori Eskandani, age 62, does play some poker, but he is much better known for his production of the leading poker programming on TV in the past 20 years. He and his company, Poker PROductions, has been the one behind WSOP broadcasts, Poker After Dark, the NBC Heads-up Championship, and High Stakes Poker.
The WSOP said in a statement, "Eskandani has helped bring the game of poker to the masses and ensure the game is always front and center with the public from a television medium standpoint."
WSOP's Poker Hall of Fame
Established in 1979, the Poker Hall of Fame was acquired by Harrah's Entertainment (now known as Caesars) along with the World Series of Poker in 2004. Even if it is virtual in nature, the Hall of Fame's membership includes the poker world's most iconic and influential players as well as other important contributors to the game. Right now there are 30 living members.
Source:
http://www.wsop.com/pokerhalloffame/