Barry, Vanessa Selbst, Antonio Esfandiari, Matt Matros, Ali Eslami, Jennifer ‘Jennicide’ Leigh, and Isaac Haxton were representing the U.S.A. in the Nations Cup. A duplicate poker tournament arranged by the International Federation of Poker, as part of the UK Festival of Mind Sports.

The action continues tonight inside the grand County Hall, which is directly behind where I was standing when I took that photo. Sadly, the UK team are already out of the running, but at least they have a short journey home.

Pauly and I were there to bring it to you … or at least Pauly was, to tell me what I needed to know:

Nov. Nine – Poker Hall of Fame Ceremony (Ep 7) by taopokerati

Dan and Dr. Pauly chat about the 2011 Poker Hall of Fame induction ceremony honoring the new class — Lind Johnson and Barry Greenstein. They also revealed who exactly was on their ballots.

Congrats are in order for Linda Johnson and Barry Greenstein, as WSOP officials announced earlier today that they won the ballot race this year — and will be inducted into the Caesars-owned Poker Hall of Fame during the November Nine.

I still haven’t been able to find the actual “hall” anywhere on Google maps, but hey, at least there’s a list … which is included in the announcement below. Fwiw, whether right or wrong or historically consistent or not, a 2011 nomination (and subsequent induction) does seem to come with an extra stamp of approval for poker careers run on a clean path.

Barry seems incredibly deserving for his accomplishments mostly on the felt, with a little bit of important poker work off of it. He got 3 of my 10 votes.

Linda got 5 from me. Only the second women bestowed with the PHOF honor, she put up admirable numbers back in the day and still plays winning poker in medium-big mixed games during the WSOP … but really helped shape the direction of poker off the table as publisher of CardPlayer Magazine through the ’90s, a founding member of the TDA and PokerGives.org, and an instrumental force in the World Poker Tour, the PartyPoker Million, the general concept of “poker cruises”, and the Women in Poker Hall of Fame (which doesn’t have a hall either, but does have a fancy dinner with speeches, food, and booze; I do miss the grander fete for PHOF induction way-back in 2009 when Mike Sexton got in). Extra-charming to know the job she quit to pursue a career in poker was at the post office.

Scotty Nguyen got my remaining 2 votes, but did not get in.

[press release]

Poker Hall of Fame Announces Class of 2011

Barry Greenstein and Linda Johnson Join Poker’s Most Exclusive Fraternity

Official Induction Ceremony to be held Tuesday, November 8th at 4:30 pm

Inside Rio’s Penn & Teller Theater Prior to Conclusion of WSOP® Main Event Final Table

LAS VEGAS (October 27, 2011) – One is known as “The Robin Hood of Poker.” The other is “The First Lady of Poker.”  Come November 8, 2011, both can add “Poker Hall of Fame” to their illustrious resumes.

Barry Greenstein and Linda Johnson will become the 41^st and 42^nd individuals to be inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame.  The two newest members were initially nominated by the general public and then voted in by a 35-person panel made up of existing Poker Hall of Famers and members of the media.

Johnson becomes just the second female to be bestowed the honor, joining Barbara Enright who was inducted in 2007.

Both Greenstein and Johnson were among the finalists for the honor in 2010.  This year, both players successfully garnered enough votes to become the game’s newest members.

Greenstein and Johnson will be officially inducted on Tuesday, November 8 at the Rio All-Suite® Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas just prior to the start of the final playing session of the 2011 World Series of Poker Main Event Championship.

The special induction ceremony and celebration will take place at 4:30 PM inside the Penn & Teller Theater and will immediately precede the three-handed finale.

It is fitting that these two exemplary individuals will be enshrined together.  Both possess impressive tournament and cash game success, over many years.  But it is perhaps their tireless efforts away from the green felt that have more profoundly impacted the game of poker, fostered the image of the game, and contributed to its growth and good sportsmanship.

“I am extremely proud and humbled to be voted into the Poker Hall of Fame,” said Johnson.  “I feel lucky to have been involved in many facets of poker over the past 35 years.  Being recognized by the industry is a tremendous honor.”

“I’m happy to be inducted into the Hall of Fame alongside my friend Linda Johnson who has been the most fervent ambassador for poker for as long as I can remember,” Greenstein said.

The Poker Hall of Fame Governing Council would sincerely like to congratulate the other 2011 finalists — all whom remain eligible for future induction: Annie Duke, Jennifer Harman-Traniello, John Juanda, Marcel Luske, Jack McClelland, Tom McEvoy, Scotty Nguyen and Huck Seed.

Greenstein has amassed more than $7.5 million in worldwide poker tournament winnings and for nine consecutive years has won at least six figures on the tournament circuit.  Greenstein possesses three World Series of Poker bracelets, two WPT titles, and also plays in many of the highest stakes cash games in the world.

The 56-year-old Greenstein was born in Chicago, Illinois and earned his Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.  He also studied for his PhD in Mathematics, but never defended his completed dissertation.  He learned poker and other card games from his parents while growing up in the Scottsdale neighborhood of Chicago.

Barry went to work for a start-up company named Symantec in the 1980’s in Silicon Valley, California and was part of the team that developed its first product called Q&A.  The system provided both a word processer and a database and was cited as a significant step in making computers more user-friendly and less intimidating.  Greenstein is credited with developing the word processing component of Q&A. He left Symantec in 1991 at age 36 to play poker full-time.

It was 1992 when Barry entered his first poker tournament, the World Series of Poker Main Event, where he finished in 22^nd place.

Barry is also the author of the widely-acclaimed poker book Ace on the River, and as is his personal trademark, Greenstein autographs a copy of the book for players in tournaments that eliminate him.

Greenstein is a father of six, including four stepchildren, and has made a career of donating to child-focused charities.  He has donated more than $3 million to various charities through his poker winnings, earning him his nickname “The Robin Hood of Poker”.

He currently resides in Rancho Palos Verdes, California, and can be found in California and Las Vegas card rooms and the world’s largest poker tournaments.

This year’s other inductee – Linda Johnson is a 58-year-old poker player originally from Long Island, New York, now living in Las Vegas who captured her WSOP gold bracelet in 1997 in a Seven-Card Razz event.  Johnson is one of only 15 females to capture a WSOP open event championship, and she has seven WSOP final table appearances on her poker resume.

Nicknamed “The First Lady of Poker” by fellow Poker Hall of Famer Mike Sexton, Johnson has been a leading force in the poker world for much of her life. She began playing poker in the 1970s after buying some poker books and teaching herself how to play.

Linda was immediately enthralled with poker and had a special ability for the game. She entered the World Series of Poker Ladies seven-card stud tournament in 1980, deciding in advance that if she performed well, she would quit her high-level job at the United States Post Office and move to Las Vegas to become a professional poker player. As fate would have it, Linda finished fifth in the tournament and promptly gave her two-week notice. She moved to Las Vegas and played poker full time from 1980-1993, one of just a handful of women who played the game professionally during those years.

These days, Linda enjoys teaching WPT Boot Camp and regularly hosts poker seminars and tournaments at many cardrooms around the country. She is a partner in Card Player Cruises and has hosted more than 90 poker cruises to destinations around the world.

But Johnson really made her mark and blazed a trail for other poker players by parlaying her poker acumen into ventures off the felt.

In 1993, Linda purchased Card Player magazine. Over the next eight years, the magazine grew from a 68-page, black and white newsprint publication into a 132-page, full-color, glossy magazine. As publisher, Linda became an ambassador for the poker world, traveling to more than 200 cardrooms around the world, always personifying class and professionalism and consistently setting new standards of excellence.

She has co-written three poker books and was instrumental in helping to establish many influential poker projects — including the World Poker Industry Conference, the World Poker Players Conference, and the Tournament Directors Association. Her next project was helping to establish the World Poker Tour for which she had the role of studio announcer during its first six seasons. Her involvement in promoting poker led to being chosen as the original chairperson for the Poker Players Alliance (PPA), a leading lobbying group in Washington, DC.

Linda is currently on the Board of Directors for the PPA and the Ladies International Poker Series (LIPS).

Already a member of the Women’s Poker Hall of Fame (inducted in 2008), Johnson co-founded PokerGives.org as a way to assist poker players to donate to worthwhile charitable causes using the game of poker as the platform.

The Poker Hall of Fame Governing Council is delighted with these two fine choices and congratulates both Barry Greenstein and Linda Johnson on their well-deserved selection and induction.

The Poker Hall of Fame, established in 1979, was acquired by Harrah’s Entertainment (now Caesars) along with the World Series of Poker, in 2004.  Though the Hall of Fame is virtual in nature, its membership includes poker’s most influential players and other important contributors to the game.  There are now 20 living members.

The main criteria for the Poker Hall of Fame are as follows:

• A player must have played poker against acknowledged top competition
• Be a minimum of 40 years old at time of nomination [to be known as the “Chip Reese” rule, adopted in 2011, 20 years after Reese’s induction at age 40]
• 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.

The entire list of 42 Poker Hall of Fame members includes (alphabetical with year of induction in parenthesis):

o         Tom Abdo (1982)

o         Crandell Addington (2005)

o         Bobby Baldwin (2003)

o         Billy Baxter (2006)

o         Lyle Berman (2002)

o         Joe Bernstein (1983)

o         Benny Binion (1990)

o         Jack Binion (2005)

o         Bill Boyd (1981)

o         Doyle Brunson (1988)

o         Johnny Chan (2002)

o         T.J. Cloutier (2006)

o         Nick Dandolos  (1979)

o         Barbara Enright (2007)

o         Fred “Sarge” Ferris (1989)

o         T “Blondie” Forbes (1980)

o         Henry Green (1986)

o         Barry Greenstein (2011)

o         Dan Harrington (2010)

o         Murph Harrold (1984)

o         Phil Hellmuth (2007)

o         James Butler “Wild Bill” Hickok (1979)

o         Red Hodges (1985)

o         Edmond Hoyle (1979)

o         Linda Johnson (2011)

o         Berry Johnston (2004)

o         Jack Keller (1993)

o         Felton McCorquodale (1979)

o         Roger Moore (1997)

o         Johnny Moss (1979)

o         Henry Orenstein (2008)

o         Walter Clyde “Puggy” Pearson (1987)

o         Julius Oral Popwell (1996)

o         Thomas Austin “Amarillo Slim” Preston (1992)

o         David “Chip” Reese (1991)

o         Erik Seidel (2010)

o         Mike Sexton (2009)

o         Jack “Treetop” Straus (1988)

o         Duane “Dewey” Tomko (2008)

o         Stu “The Kid” Ungar (2001)

o         Red Winn (1979)

o         Sid Wyman (1979)

For more information on the Poker Hall of Fame, visit www.WSOP.com.

ABOUT THE POKER HALL OF FAME

The Poker Hall of Fame, established in 1979, was acquired by Harrah’s Entertainment along with the World Series of Poker in 2004.  Though the Hall of Fame is virtual in nature, its membership includes poker’s most influential players and other important contributors to the game. There are now 20 living members, and 42 members have been bestowed the honor of Poker Hall of Famer.  The Poker Hall of Fame traditionally elects one or two members annually.  The enshrinement ceremony is now held in concert with the final table of the Main Event of the WSOP, held each November in Las Vegas.

My dedication to poker tournaments and the game itself is two decades old. Starting with my first foray into the role of tournament director in 1997 and through my founding of the Tournament Directors Association (TDA) with Linda Johnson, Jan Fisher, and Dave Lamb in 2001, I have worked tirelessly to standardize tournament rules and to make poker a better game for everyone involved.

This is the reason that we host the website www.PokerTDA.com, open the TDA to all interested parties, and make myself available on Twitter and other social media outlets. My passion for poker only grows when I share it with others.

The rule is not new, and does not ban table talk by any means … A recreational player may not understand, nor even care to know all the rules, but professionals who make a living at the game should.

During the 2011 World Series of Poker “nearly live” telecast from the Rio, I became aware of comments from Daniel Negreanu (@RealKidPoker) through my own Twitter feed (@SavagePoker). He said that the TDA created a “new” rule that banned table talk. This certainly is not the case and in hindsight, it was learned that he had received an incorrect ruling at the table that had nothing to do with TDA rules. Since social media has limited words with which to sufficiently explain the rule and its longtime existence, this clarification seems necessary.

The TDA board, in conjunction with tournament directors and card room managers, has donated thousands of hours to standardize rules in the best interest of the game.  When well-known poker players like Negreanu and Phil Hellmuth choose to say on national television that “the TDA has it wrong” and “does not care about what the players want,” it becomes personal.

The Rule
To begin with the basics, the TDA rule at the center of the recent discussion is the “No Disclosure” rule, which states:

Players are obligated to protect the other players in the tournament at all times. Therefore, players, whether in the hand or not, may not:

The one-player-to-a-hand rule will be enforced.

Regarding Negreanu’s previous statements, the rule is not new, as it was enacted more than seven years ago. In addition, it does not ban table talk by any means.

He also stated that players should be able to “say whatever you want in a heads-up pot at any point of the tournament.” In theory, that sounds great for the television audience. But keep in mind that far less than one percent of all poker tournaments are televised! Thus, the rule that pertains to all poker players must apply to all tournaments, televised or not. Rules cannot be changed to help individual players or enhance a televised tournament.

A quote, brought to my attention by @GaryC101, from Neil Peart of Rush sums it up best: “Glittering prizes and endless compromises shatter the illusion of integrity.” OK, kind of a random quote but says a lot about the situation in my opinion and I consider integrity the most important trait of a good tournament director.

Personally, I would like to see Negreanu say anything he wants on television, as he is one of the most entertaining players to watch. His popularity and influence on the game of poker is immense. However, as a tournament director, I believe the integrity of the game is more important than the entertainment provided by a single event. I agree with his point that the rule is difficult to enforce but it needs to be there to provide a reason for TD’s to investigate possible collusion or soft play situations.

In-Depth Analysis
Let’s start with a purely hypothetical situation:

Player A is friends with Player B and backs him in a major tournament. Both have significant chips late in a tournament. They are seated at the same table and involved in a hand. Player B raises, and it folds around to Player A, who reraises and says, “I have aces.” Player B folds kings.

This obviously does not make for better poker. In fact, it could easily be considered “soft play” or collusion, and making this permissible only encourages such actions. I am not by any means suggesting that Negreanu is in favor of soft play or collusion, but this is just one of several very negative ramifications that can arise from what he says he believes players should be able to say at the table.

Moreover, tournament directors around the world cannot be expected to be aware of all friendships, relationships, and backing arrangements between players in a tournament. Therefore, the rules are established to enable enforcement for all players, regardless of their associations. And all are protected from any collusion or appearances of collusion.An interesting idea was proposed by Barry Greenstein, who believes the current TDA rule is not enforced. He suggested that a player should be able to discuss his/her hand when action is on that player and they are facing a bet.

I discussed this idea with Dave Lamb, and we recognized the flaws in that idea.

First, it is not acceptable to disclose the contents of your hand in a multi-way action pot.

Second, it is not acceptable to disclose the contents of your hand preflop when facing a bet.

Barry responded that it would be okay when facing a bet on the river if you were only going to call, not raise. However, that does not seem enforceable and only creates more confusion for tournament staff, dealers, and players.

The bottom line is that the TDA is never going to agree to a rule that not only allows, but legalizes soft play and collusion.

The most common question I’ve received of late is this: “If table talk is legal but players cannot disclose the contents of their hands, what can they say”? The answer is simply anything except information relating to the content of their own hand with action pending. Whether lying or telling the truth about the contents or the strength of a hand, it breaks the rule and may be penalized. There is not a blanket rule for when it is a penalty or not but with the “non disclosure” rule in place it gives the players the right to investigate possible situations.

Friends
The most difficult part of this situation has been responding to television sound bites with which friends like Negreanu have addressed this issue. Also the sudden urgency is perplexing considering the rule has been in place for more than seven years.

Greenstein and Negreanu were asked to attend the June 2011 TDA summit in Las Vegas, in the same Convention Center as the WSOP. There were more than 120 tournament directors and card room managers at the summit, and anyone was allowed to discuss any rule issues or concerns. However, at that conference, Greenstein asked about procedures for raising blinds when time expires in a current blind structure, and Negreanu brought up shorting limit bets. Neither chose to discuss the “no disclosure” rule.

Suddenly, however, Negreanu’s airing of his grievance on ESPN, as well as Hellmuth’s declaration on the same broadcast that he intends to change the rule, brought it to the forefront and forced me to address the issue.

The recreational poker tournament player may not understand every rule, or even care to know all of the rules, but professionals who make a living at the game should learn and study the entirety of the TDA rules.

Moreover, these rules are in place and enforced in order to create uniformity, as they are used by nearly every major tournament venue around the world. More than 1,500 tournament directors, card room managers, and their staffs are members of the TDA, and the rules are accepted and enforced globally.

That doesn’t mean the TDA isn’t open for discussions. However, the “no disclosure” rule has been in place for many years, and there has never been an issue with it until this incident. Airing grievances may make for good television, but it does not permit the detailed analysis necessary for drafting the most functional and fair poker tournament rules that protect the integrity of the game. There will be more opportunities in the future to revisit the “no disclosure” rule and it will most definitely come up at our next TDA Summit not yet planned.

I have received a ton of feedback on this issue some positive and some negative. I have also taken personal attacks for defending a rule hundreds have put in place, which I feel is really unfair. I have worked diligently in my career to further the great game of poker with the TDA and its members and despite accusations to the contrary we care deeply about the players, as the majority are players as well.

In the end, I choose the integrity of poker, which is good for the game, over good television every time.

download

Have a listen:
download

The stuff we hadn’t heard before begins about 50:40.

After declaring that he “helped [Ivey] probably more than anyone” as he was coming up, Greenstein addresses his closeness to the situation and how much has yet to be told: “I’ve got friends on both sides at the moment … There’s more stuff behind the scenes that isn’t coming to light.”

In the interview, Barry talks of a phone call where Ivey — generally emotionless on TV and in public — is screaming for nearly 5 minutes. “I couldn’t get a word in edgewise.”

He also reveals the key to Ivey’s game being his “adapting to what his opponents are doing, and in real time figuring out a way to beat it.” I think Greenstein’s talking about poker here, but it could probably just as well apply to any off-table actions where millions of Ivey dollars are at stake.

He also says Ivey’s decision to skip the 2011 WSOP was independent of the lawsuit … that not only does Ivey want to be breaking records, but also he has several million dollars worth of bracelet bets he’s potentially surrendering.

Though a bit more cynical than Howard Lederer’s take on the political game, Barry Greenstein offers his interesting take on how Washington DC works here … bits from an episode of Live at the Bike recorded on November 29, 2006 — shortly after George Bush signed the UIGEA into law:

Gotta wonder how Greenstein’s perspective may have changed in the past four years, as he has been at least peripherally involved in poker policy ever since he made a declaration in 2007 that we were six months away from legally mainstreamed online poker.

NAPT :: Day 1a is in the books of the NAPT Los Angeles Main Event, taking place at the Bicycle Club in Bell Gardens, CA, which is a stones throw from Compton beautiful place to put a Casino. 330 players entered the first of two day 1s, and 162 players emerged after 10 levels of play with a day off and, in most cases, more chips. Nick Grippo leads the way so far with 235k, but there are plenty of notables still in the field:

• Scott Fischman – 224, 600
• John Phan – 101,400
• Jason Mercier – 95,000
• William Reynolds (or, that blond guy that was on The Big Game recently) – 93,000
• Issac Haxton – 75,000
• Justin Bonomo – 65,000

For every big stacked pro, there seemed to be a busted pro, and a lot of them were from the LA area: Adam Levy, Antonio Esfandiari, Soi Nguyen (yea he’s an amateur but he was in the November Nine so he’s a familiar name), and even Barry Greenstein found themselves felted by the end of the day. There is another day 1 to play though, so we’ll see who shows up and either scores big or goes home early.

The Hall of Fame’s criteria are:

• Player must have played against known top competition
• Played for high stakes
• Played consistently well, gaining respect of peers
• Stood the test of time
• Contributed to the overall growth and success of the game (this normally applies to non-players, but I think players should help in this aspect as well)

Some additional criteria to consider include:

• Tournament Success
• Cash Game Success
• Depth of Poker Knowledge (NLHE specialist vs. mixed game master)
• And..finally…public perception (because this is really important these days)

But, of course, there is a little battle to settle. While Dan Harrington and Erik Seidel cleared the hurdle, Barry Greenstein and Scotty Nguyen are neck-and-neck, so before we can do anything we have to settle a simple question, who (in my mind) is worthy of a vote?

Scotty Nguyen vs. Barry Greenstein

I thought this would be a little easier than doing the rest of this article, because I just have to boil things down to the facts. While Scotty Nguyen has a more impressive tournament record and holds some pretty prestigious accolades, he is only a tournament player. Barry Greenstein plays both cash and tournaments, but he hasn’t even cashed in the Main Event yet. I won’t count media perception, because again I maintain Scotty’s actions in the 2008 HORSE event is not enough for me to punish him for this. In fact, his interaction with his fans on twitter (or at least someone that works for Scotty is) eclipses that of almost any pro out there. Barry does have a feather in his cap though, being the Robin Hood of Poker and donating vast sums of money to charity. So this boils down to does the ability to play both cash and tournaments beat the ability to win big tournaments consistently?

In the end, I’ve surprised even myself, and I’m giving the edge and the tiebreaker to Scotty Nguyen for his impressive tournament record beating Greenstein’s cash chops. It really just comes down to feel and a coin flip, and I would want to take both, but if I have to choose one I’ve gotta take Scotty, he’s just too damn entertaining.

Edge: Nguyen

So there you have it, Scotty, Dan, and Erik would be the people I would vote for based on this year’s ballot. Now we’ll go through each part of the criteria to determine who has an edge, then based on the edges people have, assign a number of votes. I won’t go into whether I value one category higher than another, but hopefully my final rankings won’t be too “WTF?!”

Played Against Known Top Competition, Played for High Stakes, Stood the Test of Time, and Played Consistently Well

I lumped these together because honestly, there really isn’t a distinction between the three. They all have done these aspects equally well in their own ways.

Edge: Draw

Contributed to the Growth of the Game

• Seidel was on the design team for Full Tilt Poker, and as such helped contribute to the growth of online poker with the US’s #2 trafficked cardroom.
• Harrington has written many books about tournament and cash poker, elevating the knowledge base of thousands of poker players since he has written the book.
• Nguyen’s entertaining personality helps TV poker continue to be a draw for the casual fan.

Edge: Harrington (and a big one at that)

Tournament Success

• Harrington has reached the final table of the main event 4 times, winning it once. He also has another bracelet and a WPT title.
• Nguyen has 5 bracelets, one in the 1999 WSOP ME and another in the 2008 $50k HORSE. Also has a WPT title.
• Seidel has 8 WSOP bracelets and 1 WPT title.

Edge: Nguyen (for his big wins) and Seidel (for sheer volume)

Cash Game Success

None of the players are big on their cash game play, only Dan Harrington has much evidence of this given his books on the subject. Seidel played in the Mayfair Club, but that was over 20 years ago.

Edge: None, with a slight tilt to Harrington for at least having evidence of still being a cash game player.

Depth of Poker Knowledge

• Based on accomplishments alone, Harrington is strictly a NLHE specialist, while he may dabble in other games, he doesn’t have much hardware to show for it.
• Seidel has bracelets in 2-7, Omaha, and Hold’em
• Nguyen has bracelets in NLHE, HORSE, and Omaha

Edge: Nguyen

Public (read: My) Perception of the Player

• Scotty’s double edged sword is that he has a lively personality, but it can get him in trouble.
• Erik is definitely a poker player, he was against hole card cams and doesn’t have a personality that people can latch onto.
• Dan is a teacher, and is given mostly positive coverage. While he also doesn’t have as much of a personality as Scotty, he’s definitely known for his green Red Sox cap and his demeanor at the table.

Edge: Harrington

Final Verdict

I have ten votes to give. I tend to weight contributions and public perception slightly higher than raw accomplishments, because poker is still growing and we need people to help grow the sport. Those people that have done so should be given their just rewards. Likewise, I then look at tournament accolades next, followed by how deep a player’s knowledge of the game is.

And the results are:

• Dan Harrington: 5 (for his contributions to the game, his public perception, and to a lesser extent his tournament play)
• Scotty Nguyen: 3 (for his tournament accomplishments and depth of knowledge)
• Erik Seidel: 2 (for his tournament accomplishments alone)

I will confess, when I started this, I had a heavy bias toward Dan Harrington and Erik Seidel. But over the course of this process, Scotty came in as a dark horse and ended up with more votes than Seidel at the end of the day. I feel confident in this vote, and while I don’t have a say this year, I hope that this analysis helps others draw their own conclusions. And they’ll have to do it fast, voting ends on Friday.

• Age (because I am a proponent of the Chip Resse Rule)
• Time active in poker as a professional
• Recognized Tournament/Cash Stakes played at both peak of performance and now
• Tournament Accolades (WSOP/WPT/EPT Titles/Cashes, relevant important other tournament wins)
• Contributions off the felt

At the end of each candidate I will add my own personal thoughts as well as how many points I would give a particular person (out of 10) if I felt like I just had to vote for the candidate on the ballot. Just for reference, I think I need to at least explain the “final score” a little bit. If a 1 is “Not Deserving” and a 10 is “Should have already been inducted”, and the other numbers are varying degrees between the two extremes. A 5 would be that they are deserving of entry in the hall, but not necessarily this year. So you can do the math to figure out where things far. At the end of this series, I will take the three highest point totals and use that to determine who I would vote for on my ballot for this year’s HoF class. I may not have a vote, but I might be able to help persuade others that may.

Because of the obvious length this would inevitably be if I did all 10 players in one go; I’ll be going in alphabetical order in a four part series. The first three, which you can see by clicking below, are Chris Ferguson, Barry Greenstein, and Jennifer Harman(-Traniello).

Chris Ferguson

Age: 47
Time Played: Over 20 years, as a professional for 11
Tournament/Cash Stakes: Consistently high buy-in WSOP tournaments, not a heavy cash game player
Accolades:

• 5 WSOP Bracelets
• 63 WSOP Cashes
• 2008 NBC Heads-up Champion
• Tournament winnings: $8,056,000
• Member of Team Full Tilt

Off the Felt:

• Helped launch Full Tilt Poker and was a developer of its software

Thoughts: Chris has only been in professional poker for 11 years, which puts him in the same category as other, younger players in Phil Ivey and Daniel Negreanu. Still, he has amassed an impressive resume in a short amount of time, with 5 bracelets and the third most cashes in WSOP history. His tournament skills alone should be enough to get him in the hall. However, his cash game prowess is lacking, and is not found very much at the biggest games in Vegas or online, so that has to be a point against him. Also, while he has a lot of bracelets, they were all pre-Moneymaker boom, so it remains to be seen just how well Chris can compete in the new internet age.

Final Points: 4

Barry Greenstein

Age: 55
Time Played: Professionally for over 20 years
Tournament/Cash Stakes: Consistently high buy-in WSOP tournaments, frequent member of the biggest cash games in Las Vegas
Accolades:

• 3 WSOP Bracelets
• 46 WSOP cashes
• 2 WPT Titles
• Tournament winnings: $7,144,000
• Member of Team Pokerstars Pro

Off the Felt:

• Wrote Ace on the River, a highly influential poker book.
• Dubbed “The Robin Hood of Poker”, has notably pledged tournament winnings to charities in the past
• Co-founded Pokerroad Radio, and continues to produce content and promote the site.

Thoughts: Barry is a staple in “The Big Game” and he has done exceptionally well in tournaments as well. His tournament stats actually show that he was not a big tournament player until after the Moneymaker Boom, and as a matter of fact all his WPT and WSOP titles come after 2003. His continued success in the game over a long period of time, as well as starting in a time when being a professional poker player was not exactly a well-thought-of profession, certainly gives him longevity in the sport. The only blemishes are that he “only” has 3 bracelets despite his long career, and that he actually hasn’t cashed in the main event (at least according to Hendon Mob). Still, he certainly has only played against the best for years, and is still here, so Barry must be doing something right.

Final Points: 7

Jennifer Harman-Traniello

Age: 45
Time Played: Professionally for over 15 years
Tournament/Cash Stakes: Consistently high buy-in WSOP tournaments, frequent member of the biggest cash games in Las Vegas
Accolades:

• 2 WSOP Bracelets
• 24 WSOP cashes
• Tournament winnings: $2,609,000
• Member of Team Full Tilt

Off the Felt:

• Contributed to Super System II’s chapter on Limit Hold’em

Thoughts: Now, I don’t really understand the bile for Jen Harman. I’ve seen a lot of “NEVER HAPPENING” and lumping together her with Tom McEvoy in the category of “useless” (more on that when I get to him in part 3). And a lot of this is unwarranted. Yes, she gets the bump for being a female in some people’s eyes, but lets be fair, she was playing poker long before the boom, and is just happy to be playing the game, gender didn’t really play a role here. So, while she’s not the first, but she is one of the best and has been for a while. That said, you can tell right off the bat that her resume languishes behind the previous two players. Only two bracelets (both before 2003), and a significantly lower number of cashes and winnings than either Chris or Barry. So even if I could give her credit for helping pioneer women in poker (something, again, I recognize she would not be the first in), I can’t really justify giving a higher score to her than the other two. She is still here and still playing, but we can’t “keep score” as easily in cash games as we can with tournaments. She might get to the hall eventually (and probably should), but its not happening with this list of candidates to go up against. (Note: I did feel like I had more to say about Jennifer Harman because she has been getting quite a bit of negative press regarding her nomination. I wrote this before reading Gary Wise’s article on the subject, and admittedly I think his thoughts mirror my own.)

Final Points: 2

So that will do it for the first three candidates. Be sure to discuss these and point out anything that I might have missed, it may influence the final tally, and I’d note who or what swayed me one way or another if it came to that. Just take note that my evaluations do not necessarily represent Pokerati’s decision toward the WSOP Hall of Fame, I am just providing an additional perspective.

Sunday: Dan Harrington, Phil Ivey, and Linda Johnson.

Kassela razzes Troy for 2nd bracelet

Continuing a streak that dates back to 2000, Frank Kassela won his second bracelet of this year’s WSOP, defeating Maxwell Troy heads-up in the $2,500 Razz, earning $214,085 and moving into a tie with John Juanda in the WSOP Player of the Year race. For his second runner-up finish at this year’s WSOP, Troy has to be consoled with $132,229. Full results available at wsop.com.

Montgomery makes most of opportunity, wins 1k NL

Scott Montgomery, an original November Nine participant, defeated Michael Carlson in heads-up play to win his first WSOP bracelet along with $481,760. Montgomery’s win also moves Canada into a tie for 2nd again with the United Kingdon in the world standings. Carlson earned $297,996 for the second-place finish. Full results and Nolan Dalla’s tournament report at wsop.com.

Kelly last man standing, wins shootout

The $1,500 No-Limit Holdem Shootout winner was Steven Kelly, defeating Jeffrey King heads-up, pocketing $381,927 and a coveted WSOP bracelet. Full results available at wsop.com.

Hellmuth and Greenstein feature PLO 8 final day

Only one bracelet to be awarded today, but the $1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha 8 or Better event could be one for the ages. Ryan Karp will lead the remaining 15 players with 564,000 chips, but the presence of Phil Hellmuth looms large as he’ll start 4th in chips with 331,000 in his ongoing quest for bracelet #12. Barry Greenstein (204,000) will be looking for another bracelet to add to his resume as well when play resumes at 2:30pm. The full chip counts are available at PokerNews.

Zheng zooms to day 1 lead in 1500 NL

Jackson Zheng (151,000) leads the 277 day 1 survivors in the $1,500 No-Limit Holdem when play resumes at 2:30pm, the money being reached when 270 remain. Notables in contention include: Humberto Brenes (146,400), Carter Phillips (122,100) Arnaud Mattern (107,500) and Dean Hamrick (86,000). Full chip counts online at PokerNews.

10k HORSE Day 2

Day 2 of the $10,000 HORSE resumes at 3pm with 164 players remaining. Sergey Altbregin leads with 143,000, to see the full list of chip counts, they’re available at PokerNews.

Thursday’s Tournament

Just one tournament today, starting at 12pm is the $2,500 Mixed Holdem, consisting of 30 minutes of no-limit holdem, followed by 30 minutes of limit-holdem. Last year’s tournament was won by Bahador Ahmadi defeating a field of 527, good for $278,804.

Matros Wins Limit Holdem Bracelet

Matt Matros won the $1,500 Limit Holdem for $189,870, defeating Ahmad Abghari in heads-up play. The full results and Nolan Dalla’s tournament report is available at wsop.com.

Binger Highest at Lowball Final Table

The final table of the $1,500 No-Limit 2-7 Lowball, Single Draw final table resumes at 3pm with this lineup, you can follow all the tournament action over at PokerNews:

Seat 1: James Bord – 83,800
Seat 2: Alexander Kravchenko – 144,500
Seat 3: Mike Wattel – 146,000
Seat 4: Yan Chen – 182,500
Seat 5: Derric Haynie – 189,000
Seat 6: Nick Binger – 309,500
Seat 7: Todd Bui – 68,500

1k NL field combines for Day 2

Day 2 of the $1,000 No-Limit Holdem event drew a total field of 3,042 players, with 445 players remaining for a 2:30pm start. Andy Black is the current chip leader with 90,275 in chips. 324 players will make the money, with the winner pocketing $472,479. A full list of chip counts can be found at wsop.com.

Stud 8 World Championship

Marco Johnson will start day 2 of the $10,000 Seven Card Stud Hi/Lo World Championship as the chip leader (121,500) when play resumes at 3pm. Phil Ivey is currently in third place (109,800) with Jennifer Harman (93,500) and Barry Greenstein (88,700) towards the top of the leaderboard. The tournament drew a field of 170 entrants, with 112 remaining. 16 players make the money with a first place prize of $447,446. A full list of the remaining field is up at wsop.com.

First 6-max at this year’s WSOP

Monday’s only tournament is the $1,500 NL Holdem 6-Max event starting at noon. Last year’s winner was Ken “Teach” Aldridge, who defeated a field of 1,459 good for $428,259.

Grinder chews up competition in 50k

Michael “The Grinder” Mizrachi overcame a 3-1 chip deficit during heads-up to defeat Vladimir Schemelev and win his first WSOP bracelet along with $1,500,000 in the $50,000 Players’ Championship . Schemelev collects over $960,000 with his runner-up finish. David Oppenheim, who was chip leader when the remaining five players took their dinner break, finished third for $603,348. John Juanda ($436,865) and Robert Mizrachi ($341,429) finished fourth and fifth respectively. You can read Nolan Dalla’s tournament report here.

Chow Main Man in Omaha 8

The other bracelet awarded this morning was the $1,500 Omaha 8 or Better event, won by Michael Chow, defeating long-time pro Dan Heimiller in heads-up action. Chow picks up $237,140 for the win, while Heimiller adds $146,505 to his long list of cashes. Full results for this event along with Nolan’s tournament report can be found over at wsop.com.

Final table set in $1,000 NL

The $1,000 No-Limit Holdem is down to a final table, resuming at 2:30pm after plans to play to a finish this morning were scuttled. The final table almost had the first father and son to play the same final table, but Irving Rice’s elimination in 10th place meant his son Richard would take up the charge to win a bracelet. Here’s how the final table will be seated, you can follow the live updates this afternoon at PokerNews.com:

Seat 1: Dash Dudley — 1,355,000
Seat 2: Bart Davis — 1,355,000
Seat 3: Nicholas Mitchell — 1,280,000
Seat 4: Deepak Bhatti — 400,000
Seat 5: Gabe Costner — 1,830,000
Seat 6: Richard Rice — 700,000
Seat 7: Aadam Daya — 2,855,000
Seat 8: Isaac Settle — 970,000
Seat 9: Cory Brown — 2,315,000

$1,500 NL down to 23 for Day 3

The $1,500 No-Limit Holdem event has 23 players remaining when play resumes at 2:30pm this afternoon, playing down to a winner. The chip leader is Vincent Jacques with 1,498,000. Notables remaining include Praz Bansi (616,000), online stars David Sands (628,000) and Yuval Bronshtein (498,000), along with three-time WSOP Circuit ring winner Dwyte Pilgrim (209,000). The full list of remaining players is available at wsop.com.

Shootout Day 2

36 players, each guaranteed $16,607, remain in the $5,000 No-Limit Holdem Shootout when play resumes at 2:30 today. The remaining players will be seated at six six-handed tables. Those winners return Thursday for the final table, with the winner earning $441,692. Among the notables who won their table yesterday: Chris Ferguson, John Duthie, Chad Brown, Tom Dwan, Christian Harder, Blair Hinkle and Justin “Boosted J” Smith. The list of survivors can be found here.

Hanna Leads Lowball Enthusiasts

The $2,500 2-7 Triple Draw drew a field of 291 entrants for a 5pm start. After ten levels thet field was reduced to 87, with Salim Hanna the chip leader with 65,400 when play resumes Wednesday at 3pm. Plenty of big names remain including Hoyt Corkins, Allen Kessler, Jeff Lisandro, Scott Seiver, Ted Forrest, Barry Greenstein, and Archie Karas. For Team Pokerati followers, Tom Schneider finished 12th with 43,200 in chips, Pat Poels was 46th with 21,000, while Julie Schneider was eliminated on day 1. A full list of chip counts will be available soon at wsop.com.

More No-Limit On Tap

Wednesday has just one event starting today, the second $1,500 No-Limit Holdem event of the WSOP, with a 12pm start. The second $1,500 of the 2009 WSOP was won by Pete “The Greek” Vilandos, winning over $600,000 in a field of 2,506. PokerNews will have constant updates available throughout the day as the field plays ten one-hour levels.

Check it out … they’re all good reads:

INVESTOR PSYCHOLOGY
How Poker Can Make You a Better Investor
Learn to avoid emotional traps by playing a little Texas hold ’em.

STOCKS & BONDS
How Texas Hold ‘Em Simulates Investing
Both are based on incomplete and unfolding information.

STOCKS & BONDS
How Deepak Chopra Helped Me Play Poker Better
A device featuring the wellness guru taught me to keep my emotions under control.

And then, to top it all off, in yet another article in the January issue, they quote Barry Greenstein about investment risk:

Barry Greenstein, for instance, is a poker player by profession, so you might think he’d be prone to gambling with his portfolio. Instead, Greenstein buys utility stocks and municipal bonds, and says he follows his father’s advice: “You can play poker, but don’t trade commodities.”

So in conclusion, if I am surmising this right, the key to personal financial success in 2010 is play more poker. OK, got it.

(This, btw, is probably a good-for-poker message to go out to Kiplinger’s subscribers.)

GSN’S “HIGH STAKES POKER™” ANNOUNCES LAUNCH OF
SIXTH SEASON, WITH A REFRESHED PLAYER LINE-UP AND A
BRAND-NEW LOOK THAT PUTS VIEWERS ON THE SCENE

Professional Poker Player and Journalist Kara Scott Joins Gabe Kaplan as Co-Host
When the Series Goes Into Production in November;

Season Six of HIGH STAKES POKER Premieres February 14, 2010, Only on GSN

(SANTA MONICA, Calif.) November 5, 2009 – GSN announced today the launch of the highly anticipated sixth season of HIGH STAKES POKER™, featuring a line-up of renowned poker champions, cash game specialists and promising up-and-comers, along with a brand-new look and feel for the show that puts viewers in the thick of the poker action. Acclaimed poker player, TV personality and journalist Kara Scott joins Gabe Kaplan as co-host of HIGH STAKES POKER when the series shoots its sixth season this November at the Golden Nugget Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, NV. Scott will report from the High Stakes Poker suite, interviewing poker players about poker strategy, big hands and the table dynamics. Season 6 of HIGH STAKES POKER will premiere on February 14, 2010, airing Sunday nights at 8:00 PM (ET), with encore airings Sundays at 11:00 PM and 2:00 AM (ET), only on GSN.

Featuring a minimum cash buy-in of $200,000, HIGH STAKES POKER is the premier cash game in the history of television. The new season showcases some of the world’s top professional and amateur players; a partial list of the competitors expected to play follows. (Individual player bios can be found at the end of this release. Final player line-up is subject to change):

* Patrik Antonius
* David Benyamine
* Doyle Brunson
* Tom Dwan
* Eli Elezra
* Antonio Esfandiari
* Sammy George
* Barry Greenstein
* Phil Hellmuth
* Andreas Hoivold
* Phil Ivey
* Mike Matusow
* Allan Meltzer
* Daniel Negreanu
* Dennis Phillips
* Lex Veldhuis
* Yevgeniy Timoshenko

New co-host Kara Scott is well-known to European audiences as a poker player and journalist, having been the TV host of the European Poker Tour in 2007 and 2008. As a player, Scott was the only woman to finish in the money in both the 2008 and 2009 World Series of Poker Main Events, and only the second woman in history to do so in back-to-back years. She also finished second in the 2009 Irish Open in Dublin.

Gabe Kaplan, whose knowledge of poker and ability to explain the nuances of the cash game have made him a viewer favorite, returns for his sixth season as the analyst on HIGH STAKES POKER. As a world class poker player, Kaplan has made the final table in six World Series of Poker events, won the Super Bowl of Poker twice and finished third in the WPT 2004 Mirage Poker Showdown. Kaplan is best known for his starring role as the teacher and reformed “Sweathog” on the hit television series “Welcome Back Kotter.” He has also appeared in theater productions, originating the role of “Groucho, A Life In Review,” and starring in the national touring company of the successful Broadway comedy, “Doubles.”

High Stakes Poker (Season Six), Player Bios:

* Patrik Antonius (previous appearances: HSP3, 4 and 5)—The Helsinki, Finland native and former model and tennis player is considered one of the best short-handed high-stakes cash game players in the world. Antonius is known for his cool, calm, calculating style of play at the tables, which has earned him in excess of $2.84 million in lifetime live tournament winnings.

· David Benyamine (HSP2, 3, 4, 5)—The French native and former pro tennis player now lives in Las Vegas and is considered one of the best high-stakes cash game players in the world, especially in pot-limit Omaha. He owns one WPT open title and one WPT invitational title, and won his first WSOP bracelet in the $10,000 Omaha Hi/Lo World Championship in 2008. With lifetime live tournament winnings in excess of $3.47 million, he ranks #2 on France’s all-time money list.

* Doyle Brunson (HSP1, 2, 3, 4, 5)—At the age of 76, Brunson is perhaps the greatest player of all time, and is the author of several books, including Super System and Super System II. Impressively, he won the World Series of Poker Main Event in 1976 and 1977. Ranked 33rd on the all-time money list, he has lifetime live tournament winnings in excess of $5.87 million. He’s the owner of 10 WSOP bracelets, and has left his mark on the game: the WPT Five Diamond World Poker Classic was renamed the Doyle Brunson Five Diamond World Poker Classic in 2007.

* Tom Dwan (HSP5)—Known to his huge online fan base as “durrrr,” Dwan is considered one of poker’s premier cash game players despite his young age. He made two final tables in the 2008 World Series of Poker (the first he was old enough to play in), and has live career tournament winnings in excess of $1.12 million.

* Eli Elezra (HSP1, 2, 3, 4, 5)—A former member of an Israeli army commando unit, Elezra is a highly successful Las Vegas businessman and entrepreneur who considers poker just a hobby—but boasts lifetime live tournament winnings in excess of $1.91 million. He won his first World Series bracelet in 2007 in 7-card stud hi/lo, and also owns one WPT title.

* Antonio Esfandiari (HSP1, 2, 3, 4, 5)—“The Magician” is indeed a former professional magician and has been a regular in this game since the show’s inception. Esfandiari finished 24th in the 2009 WSOP Main Event, and has career live tournament winnings in excess of $3.49 million. He is also the winner of one WSOP bracelet and one WPT title.

* Sammy George (first appearance on HSP)— Born in Baghdad, Iraq, George moved to England when he was eight years old, and is now an extremely successful London businessman who plays in the highest-stakes cash games available. George says he will play deuce/seven like aces if he thinks the psychological make-up of his opponent warrants it. His nickname is “Any Two.”

* Barry Greenstein (HSP1, 2, 3, 4, 5)—Ranked 23rd on the all-time money list, with career live tournament winnings of almost $7 million, Greenstein has been dubbed the “Robin Hood of Poker” for being one of the first players to donate winnings to charity, his favorite being Children, Incorporated. He’s the winner of two WPT titles and three WSOP bracelets, the latest in the 2008 $1500 Razz event. He is the author of Ace on the River, which he signs and gives to any player who knocks him out of the tournament.

* Phil Hellmuth (HSP1, 4)—Known as the “Poker Brat,” Hellmuth was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame in July 2007. He won his 11th World Series bracelet in 2007, making him the first and only person in history to do so. With 6 cashes in the 2009 WSOP, he now has more World Series cashes (75) and has made more WSOP final tables (41) than any player in history. His career live tournament winnings are in excess of $10.92 million, and he ranks 4th on the all-time money list.

* Andreas Hoivold (first appearance on HSP)—The 37-year-old English native now lives in Kristiansand, Norway, and says if he could change one thing about poker, it would be to legalize live poker in Norway. Nicknamed the “Cartoon Collector,” his card protector is a Mickey Mouse. He won the 2007 EPT Dortmund, good for $880,000, and has lifetime live tournament winnings in excess of $1.51 million.

· Phil Ivey (HSP3)— Highly regarded by many as the best player in the game today, Ivey ranks 3rd on the all-time money list, with career live tournament winnings in excess of $12.09 million. He’s the winner of seven WSOP bracelets, and one of only five players to win three in one year (2002). He capped off a terrific 2009 WSOP (during which he won two WSOP bracelets) by becoming a member of the November Nine.

* Mike Matusow (HSP2, 3, 4)—Known as “The Mouth” for his trash-talking, Matusow is one of poker’s most recognizable players. He’s the winner of three WSOP bracelets, his latest in the prestigious 2008 $5000 no-limit 2-7 draw event w/rebuys, and has lifetime live tournament winnings in excess of $7.29 million. His recently released autobiography, Check-Raising the Devil, is a candid look at his life and the many battles he has faced in his rise to stardom.

* Allan Meltzer (HSP5)—The man who once sold pretzels in the street in Brooklyn is now the president of Wind-up Records, the largest independent recording label in the U.S. A successful high-stakes amateur poker player, Meltzer plays with hedge fund managers in New York, the high-stakes crowd in Hollywood, and in Bobby’s Room at the Bellagio.

* Daniel Negreanu (HSP1, 2, 3, 4, 5)—One of poker’s most likeable personalities, “Kid Poker” owns four WSOP bracelets, the latest in a 2008 WSOP $2000 limit hold ’em event, as well as two WPT titles. With his 2nd place showing in the 2009 WSOPE Main Event in October 2009, he now has lifetime live tournament winnings in excess of $12.42 million and ranks #1 on the all-time money list.

· Dennis Phillips (first appearance on HSP)—The 54-year-old is a former account manager for a commercial trucking company—a company he is now in the process of buying. He was a member of the 2008 WSOP November Nine, and finished 3rd in the Championship Event, good for $4.51 million; he has lifetime live tournament winnings in excess of $4.76 million. Phillips works with 22 different charities, most notably Multiple Sclerosis, The Pujols Family Foundation, CancerPrevention.org and Juvenile Diabetes. He lives in St. Louis, Missouri.

* Lex Veldhuis (first appearance on HSP)—Born in Vlissingen, Netherlands, Velhuis now splits his time between Rotterdam and Las Vegas as a jet-setting pro. A former gamer, he currently multitables high-stakes cash games online, where he’s known by his screen name “RaSZi,” and has topped the PokerStars Tournament Leader Board twice. He finished 7th in the 2009 WSOP $40,000 NLHE 40th Anniversary Event, good for $277,000.

* Yevgeniy Timoshenko (first appearance on HSP)—Born in Ukraine in 1988, Timoshenko lives in Seattle, Washington, and is also known by screennames “Jovial Gent” and “Bballer88.” He won the 2009 WPT Championship, good for $2.15 million, as well as the World Championship of Online Poker Main Event in 2009, good for $1.71 million. He has lifetime live tournament winnings in excess of $3.22 million and is ranked 4th on the 2009 money list.

The WSOPE’s made-for-TV special event:

Team Europe is comprised of – Annette Obrestad, Peter Eastgate, Dario Minieri, Bertrand “Elky” Grospellier, Ilari Sahamies, Patrik Antonius, Gus Hansen, and John Harvey – Betfair Qualifier.

Team Americas in comprised of – Daniel Negreanu, Doyle Brunson, Phil Hellmuth, Phil Ivey, Huck Seed, John Juanda, Jennifer Harman, and Barry Greenstein.

Caesars Cup began at 1 pm on Friday, 25 September at the Empire Casino in London. Play is expected to last until Friday evening, when one team wins four match victories and wins poker’s ultimate bragging rights.

You can follow American coverage here. And for a European perspective, our friends at Betfair have it here.

Aww, sad for Annette_15: The European captain is the only player without a sponsorship patch, and it’s her site’s event!

Click below for a closer look at the trophy that Fake Phil Ivey is just dying to win. Says Fake Phil: “Winning this will be the pinnacle of my career. My patriotism is on the line. I’m doing it for America. I’m doing it for Barack Obama … oh and Jesus, of course, but I’m always doing it for Jesus. Big ups!”

Cup check: The most coveted trophy in poker since the Binion's Cup at the 2009 WSOP-LV.

BARRY GREENSTEIN
DAN HARRINGTON
PHIL IVEY
TOM McEVOY
MEN NGUYEN
SCOTTY NGUYEN
DANIEL NEGREANU
ERIK SEIDEL
MIKE SEXTON

I see two who definitely won’t get my vote. As for the rest, will have to give them some thought. It’s gonna be a tough call. I’ll probably do a bracket.

Click below for the official press release on it all, giving the criteria, PHOF schedule, etc.:

POKER HALL OF FAME ANNOUNCES FINALISTS LIST FOR 2009 CLASS
LIST NOW GOES TO HOF MEMBERS & MEDIA PANEL FOR FINAL VOTE

LAS VEGAS (September 8, 2009) – The Poker Hall of Fame has narrowed the list of nominees for the 2009 Class and all that remains is for the 15 living Hall of Fame members and the 15-member Media Panel to cast their votes before we know the inductees.

A total of nine people remain eligible for induction in 2009.

The Induction Ceremony will be part of a special Hall of Fame dinner ceremony on Saturday, November 7 at the Rio Hotel in Las Vegas during the dinner break of the Main Event Final Table.

The eligible candidates, in alphabetical order, are as follows:

BARRY GREENSTEIN
DAN HARRINGTON
PHIL IVEY
TOM McEVOY
MEN NGUYEN
SCOTTY NGUYEN
DANIEL NEGREANU
ERIK SEIDEL
MIKE SEXTON

The voters must determine who among the above list most deserves to be inducted this year. The additional criteria they will consider in their vote 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.

The Poker Hall of Fame Governing Council commented on Tom Dwan, an initial nominee in 2009: “With all due respect to Mr. Dwan, one of the games most exciting young players, he does not currently meet the criteria for Hall of Fame selection. We wish him well and expect he will again be considered once he has ‘stood the test of time.’”

Names on the finalist list but not receiving more than 75% of the votes this year will still be eligible for induction in the future.

The voting members will receive their ballots this week and have until October 2, 2009 to submit their completed forms.

Current Hall of Fame members also have the ability to add a write-in candidate – someone they feel deserves consideration for the PHOF – but were not among the list of finalists this year. This write-in candidate will be added to the 2010 nomination list automatically.

For the first time, the inductees will be invited to a special dinner held and hosted in their honor where they will give their induction speech and be awarded their commemorative trophy. All nine of the above finalists will be invited to the dinner, and room will be reserved for additional family, friends, the current Hall of Famers and the media voting panel.

A select handful of seats will be made available to the public via the dinner’s presenting sponsor, JAQK Cellars. For more information on how to be part of this special evening, visit: http://jaqkcellars.com/wine-poker-hall-of-fame-dinner/high-roller-and-world-series-of-poker-vip-ticket

ABOUT THE POKER HALL OF FAME
The Poker Hall of Fame, established in 1979, was acquired by Harrah’s Entertainment along with the World Series of Poker in 2004. Though the Hall of Fame is virtual in nature, its membership includes poker’s most influential players and other important contributors to the game. There are 15 living members, and 37 members have been bestowed the honor of Poker Hall of Famer. The Poker Hall of Fame traditionally elects one or two members annually. The enshrinement ceremony is now held in concert with the final table of the Main Event of the WSOP, held each November in Las Vegas.

ABOUT JAQK CELLARS
For its three founders, acclaimed winemaker Craig MacLean with Katie Jain and Joel Templin, JAQK Cellars is a passion born out of a love for wine and poker. JAQK, named after the Jack, Ace, Queen and King from a deck of playing cards, was launched in October 2008 in San Francisco, CA. JAQK’s collection of eight limited-production wines are hand-crafted from the Napa Valley and are packaged with an edgy, playful design bringing pleasure to wine lovers before the first sip is even taken. To learn more about JAQK Cellars, visit www.jaqkcellars.com.

POKER HALL OF FAME – 2009 BALLOT PROCESS/TIMELINE

Eligible Voters:
• 15 Living Members of the Poker Hall of Fame
• 15-member Media Panel

Process:
• All eligible voters to receive the ballot with the 9 names eligible for induction in 2009
• Eligible voters to return ballot with up to 3 names they consider worthy of induction in 2009. (Can vote for less, but no more than 3 names)
• Simple “yes” or “no” next to each candidate will determine inductees. Those receiving at least 75% “yes” votes will be the 2009 Class of the Poker Hall of Fame.

Timeline:
• September 10 – Ballots sent to eligible voters from Poker Hall of Fame Governing Council
• October 2 – Deadline to return final ballots
• November 7 – Induction Ceremony/Dinner – Rio Hotel, Las Vegas

Criteria:
• Among finalists, who is most deserving to be elected this year
• 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.

Other:
• Current Hall of Fame members also have the ability to add a write-in candidate – someone they feel deserves consideration for the PHOF – but were not among the list of finalists this year. This write-in candidate will be added to the 2010 nomination list automatically.
• Any voter who fails to return ballot by deadline will not be counted, and vote-percentage will be based on all voters who returned ballots.

The list of the 37 Poker Hall of Fame members is as follows:

1979: Nick “The Greek” Dandolos; “Wild Bill Hickok”; Edmond Hoyle; Felton “Corky” McCorquodale; Johnny Moss; Red Winn; Sid Wyman
1980: T “Blondie” Forbes
1981: Bill Boyd
1982: Tom Abdo
1983: Joe Bernstein
1984: Murph Harrold
1985: Red Hodges
1986: Henry Green
1987: Walter Clyde “Puggy” Pearson
1988: Doyle Brunson; Jack “Treetop” Strauss
1989: Fed “Sarge” Ferris
1990: Benny Binion
1991: David “Chip” Reese
1992: Thomas Austin “Amarillo Slim” Preston
1993: Jack Keller
1996: Julius Oral “Little Man” Popwell
1997: Roger Moore
2001: Stu “The Kid” Ungar
2002: Lyle Berman; Johnny Chan
2003: Bobby Baldwin
2004: Berry Johnston
2005: Crandall Addington; Jack Binion
2006: Billy Baxter; T.J. Cloutier
2007: Barbara Enright; Phil Hellmuth
2008: Henry Orenstein; Duane “Dewey” Tomko
2009: ???

First, the EPT Kyiv (that’s how they insist it’s spelled) reached its final table today and will see it play out tomorrow. One of the most interesting aspects of the European Poker Tour is its EPT Live broadcast, with whole cards and great commentators to break down the action. PokerNews reporter Gloria Balding takes us behind the scenes in this video, with a cameo appearance from Benjo. (BTW, big congrats to Short-Stacked Shamus for taking down the media tourney last night/this morning!)

Second, ESPN’s Inside Deal show has kept me interested for three weeks and looking forward to each new show. It’s turning out to be an informative/funny/fresh idea that is pretty dang well done. Check out last Tuesday’s episode with Barry Greenstein as the special guest:

And finally, a few lot of words from Daniel Negreanu in his latest Raw Vegas video diary. He discusses many of the issues he addressed in his blog recently, such as Phil Ivey reaching the WSOP main event final table and his feelings about the Poker Hall of Fame (his nomination, etc.), but he also touches on a recent trip to Toronto to visit his still-hospitalized mother. Thoughts go out to Daniel as his decisions get tougher in the months/years to come.

Watch Daniel Negreanu: Phil Ivey is the Best Poker Player in the World on RawVegas.tv

I guess you could say the “art” of poker is going a little more surreal.

(via PokerNews)

CORRECTION: Greenstein technically just boasts about his nipples, but doesn’t rub. Chau Giang does the actual rubbing.