Hall of Fame Voting

Today marks the official beginning of the 40th Annual World Series of Poker and to kick things off, WSOP are starting their nomination process for the 2009 Poker Hall of Fame class.

For the first time ever, the public has the opportunity to nominate this year’s inductees. From today through July 2, the public can log on to: http://www.worldseriesofpoker.com/pokerhalloffame/halloffamevoting.asp and nominate those they feel are deserving of this accolade.

POKER HALL OF FAME VOTING GUIDELINES…

In 2009, the Poker Hall of Fame marks its 30th Anniversary. Last year, in the first step of Harrah’s plan to elevate the Poker Hall of Fame, the enshrinement ceremony was moved to poker’s biggest night as part of the Main Event of the World Series of Poker in November.
This year, the nomination, selection and voting process will be revamped as well, culminating in the enshrinement of a worthy inductee(s), again in November as part of the Main Event Final Table.

The new process will work as follows:

– From May 26 through July 2, 2009 the public will be able to cast their nominations via online submission at www.worldseriesofpoker.com

– During the Main Event of the WSOP, Harrah’s will announce the Top Ten list of nominees by the public. These ten names become the players among consideration for induction in 2009.

– In August, the Hall of Fame committee will then spend the month reviewing the public’s nominations and determine the final list.

– In September, a finalist ballot will be sent to the current Hall of Famers (16 living) who will each rank the nominees in order of preference. Prominent media members will also receive a say.
– Any finalist receiving 75% or more of the votes will be inducted during the enshrinement ceremony at the Final Table of Main Event in November, 2009.

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 and 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.