Eight Finalists Vie For WSOP Poker Hall Of Fame In 2026

The World Series of Poker announced eight finalists for the Poker Hall of Fame on Wednesday. The record focuses on gamers who got here of age within the recreation through the Moneymaker poker increase, a key on-line poker entrepreneur and founder, and a member of poker’s outdated guard period.

After a number of years of inducting just one particular person yearly, sequence officers modified the method this 12 months. There is now no official cap on the quantity that could possibly be inducted, though the mathematics behind voting factors to a most of six. The eight hopefuls embody:

The record of eight nominees is given to the 33 residing members of the Hall of Fame. Each member will get as much as 4 votes. If two-thirds of the members solid a vote for the nominee, he will get inducted. If nobody receives the required 22 votes, then the nominee with the very best vote complete will get in.

The new voting mannequin mimics the Baseball Hall of Fame the place writers can vote for as much as 10 gamers.

“One of, if not the highest honor in the poker industry, the eight finalists have earned a chance at poker immortality for their achievements on the felt, presence in the poker world, and their overwhelming impact on the game,” the WSOP mentioned in asserting the finalists.

Young Guns From Moneymaker-Era Well-Represented

Poker gamers who obtained into the sport through the Moneymaker increase of the 2000s are well-represented among the many nominees.

This group contains Deeb, Koon, Haxton, Bonomo, Seiver, and Moorman. Most are on-line and stay crushers from the preliminary increase.

Five of the six are Americans, with Moorman the one participant from outdoors the U.S. This marks Sevier’s second nomination after additionally being included in 2025. Deeb, Koon, Haxton, Bonomo, and Moorman are all receiving first-time nominations after turning 40, part of the nomination standards.

Two different gamers on this class got the nod for the Hall of Fame in 2025. Nick Schulman earned the respect by the common course of, whereas Michael Mizrachi was added following his epic run within the WSOP major occasion and the Poker Players Championship by a particular exemption.

Additional gamers from this class must be nominated within the coming years as extra of them flip 40 years outdated.

Scheinberg Stays Alive Despite Controversial Bid

After being nominated six earlier instances, Isai Scheinberg is as soon as once more on the record this 12 months. He’s the lone non-player up for induction.

The PokerStars founder made a significant affect on the web recreation however comes with some controversy.

In 2011, Scheinberg was indicted on 5 felony fees after PokerStars continued operations within the U.S. following the passage of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006. On April 15 that 12 months, the federal authorities cracked down on on-line poker operators and seized website domains of a number of operators, together with PokerStars.

In September 2020, the feds fined Scheinberg $30,000 and didn’t sentence him to any jail time. Earlier that 12 months, Scheinberg pled not responsible to violating the Illegal Gambling Business Act, the UIGEA legislation, and conspiracy to commit financial institution fraud and cash laundering.

Along along with his work in rising on-line poker, supporters level to Scheinberg’s function in paying again Full Tilt Poker gamers. That website imploded after Black Friday when funds went lacking in what the federal authorities known as a ponzi scheme.

Former PokerStars ambassador and present Hall of Fame member Daniel Negreanu has lengthy been a supporter of Scheinberg’s inclusion. Here’s a have a look at feedback he made in 2020.

It’s been a very long time coming for Isai Schienberg to be on the nomination record and he obtained all 10 of my votes this 12 months.

A builder class with out Isai is not any builder class in any respect.

His improvements modified poker without end. https://t.co/VQgE7BYNYv

— Daniel Negreanu (@ActualKidPoker) December 18, 2020

Matusow Last Remaining Old Guard On The Ballot

Mike Matusow rounds out the record of nominees. This is his twelfth time up for induction. Matusow has probably the most nominations with out an induction. The four-time WSOP bracelet winner made quite a few televised poker appearances, performed high-stakes money video games, and closing tabled the WSOP major occasion twice.

True to his “The Mouth” nickname, Matusow is adamant he ought to’ve been inducted years in the past.

“What really bothers me is I’ve made like $3.5 million playing poker the last three years, and I sit there and am still able to compete against the best in the world,” he advised Card Player in 2024, referencing a again harm he has handled for a number of years. “And I’m enjoying in debilitating ache every single day. The incontrovertible fact that they haven’t put me within the Hall of Fame actually bothers me as a result of I ought to have been in 10 years in the past.

“They put people in the Hall of Fame in front of me that are an absolute embarrassment, people who could never beat me in any game ever.”

That level is perhaps debated, however poker followers proceed to offer Matusow the nod at the least within the nomination course of. He continues to return up quick, nevertheless, within the member voting course of.

Matusow could possibly be one of many final potential inductees from the period of gamers like Negreanu, Phil Hellmuth, Jennifer Harman, and Phil Ivey. The expanded variety of  inductees may assist his possibilities this 12 months. He could also be a favourite to get in as a result of current members can keep in mind his success on the felt and his contributions to the sport.

Criteria For Hall Of Fame

Poker Hall of Fame inclusion is predicated on a set of standards spelled out by the WSOP and embody the next:

• Must be at the least 40 years outdated on the time of nomination
• Must have performed for prime stakes
• Played towards acknowledged prime competitors
• Must have performed constantly properly and gained the respect of friends
• Must have stood the take a look at of time
• For non-players, they should have contributed to the general development and success of the sport of poker, with indelible optimistic and lasting outcomes

Poker Hall of Fame Members

Here’s a have a look at the entire Poker Hall of Fame membership, with 12 months of induction: