The Poker Hall of Fame Governing Council has announced the two latest inductees into the Poker Hall of Fame as Todd Brunson and Carlos Mortensen.
The two poker pros will be the 51st and 52nd inductees to the coveted Poker Hall of Fame (PHOF). This year’s inductees will be creating records – Mortensen is the first European and non-American to make it to the PHOF and Brunson will be joining his father Doyle Brunson as an honoree.
In a statement, Brunson said,
It's a true honor to be inducted by my peers into this prestigious institution. I literally grew up attending these ceremonies and have always respected and admired its members. To join their ranks is the honor of a lifetime
Responding to the announcement, Carlos Mortensen said that he had been playing poker for over 20 years and the game had given him many precious things over the years. He stated that he had always wanted to be among the poker greats who made it to the Poker Hall of Fame and was very happy to have now been given that honor.
The two were among nine nominees for the 2016 PHOF with the others being Humberto Brenes, Chris Bjorin, Bruno Fitoussi, Max Pescatori, Chris Moneymaker, Eli Elezra, David Ulliott and Matt Savage. The other finalists would be eligible to be nominated again.
The nine finalists were chosen after a public nomination process. The final two names were picked by a team of existing Poker Hall of Fame members as well as a blue ribbon Medal panel. To be inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame, several criteria have to fulfilled, namely:
A poker player must have played consistently well against top players of their time, be a minimum of 40 years of age, played high stakes poker, have the respect of their peers and should have withstood the test of time. For non-player poker professionals, they must have contributed significantly to the growth of the game.
The induction ceremony will be held in Las Vegas on Oct. 26 at the Binion’s Gambling Hall. It will be in the inaugural event for the November Nine festivities typically held just before the World Series of Poker Main Event final table which takes place at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino.
Set up in 1979, the Poker Hall of Fame currently has 27 living members and has overall inducted 52 poker luminaries. The property was taken over by Harrah’s Entertainment (now Caesars) in 2004 along with the rights to the World Series of Poker.
