Chris Moneymaker (left) and David Oppenheim (right) have been inducted into the prestigious Poker Hall of Fame.
The owner of the Hall of Fame, The World Series of Poker, announced on Monday during the Main Event final table celebration that two people shall become the 57th and 58th members for their exclusive club. The 10 finalists were announced earlier last month right after an online nomination procedure.
The two men were the lucky ones chosen out of ten nominees. The other eight were: Antonio Esfandiari, Chris Bjorin, Chris Ferguson, David Chiu, Eli Elezra, Huck Seed, Mike Matusow and Ted Forrest.
The two inductees were chosen by the 30 living members and a 21-individual media panel.
On Monday, Moneymaker and Oppenheim were officially inducted as part of the live Main Event final table coverage on ESPN.
Moneymaker said, "I'm very honored... very happy. It's great for my kids - it'll be a cool thing for them to see when they grow up."
Oppenheim said, "Being recognized as one of the all-time greats by my peers is truly humbling and I am honored to have been selected to the Poker Hall of Fame. I have been so fortunate to be able to do what I love for a living. I never planned to be a professional poker player, rather it was a passion that became my job."
Chris Moneymaker
A former accountant from Nashville, Tennessee, Chris Moneymaker became instantly a household name thanks to his 2003 WSOP Main Event $2.5 million victory that sparked the poker boom. He got into the 2003 WSOP Main Event through a $39 online satellite. The poker boom is a period between 2003 and 2006, during which the game of poker, mainly No-Limit Texas Hold'em, became very popular all over the world. It became known as the "Moneymaker Effect".
At 43 years old, he's still pretty much active in the game. His two most recent big cashes are: finishing 9th place at the partypoker MILLIONS Vegas $10,300 NLHE at the Aria for $80,000, and 687th place at the 2019 WSOP $10,000 Main Event for $20,200.
(picture below taken from the 2019 WSOP Event #73: $10,000 Main Event)
His current total live earnings are worth $3,865,156, according to The Hendon Mob.
David Oppenheim
David Oppenheim, age 46, is mainly known as a regular in the highest-stake cash games in the world. He is known for cashing in 3rd place at the 2010 $50,000 Poker Players Championship for $603,348. He finished 7th in the same event a few weeks ago for $124,410 (picture below taken from 2019 WSOP Event 58: $50,000 Poker Players Championship).
His current total live earnings are worth $1,991,545.
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.
With Moneymaker and Oppenheim added to the club, there are now 32 living members in total.
Source:
http://www.wsop.com/pokerhalloffame/
