Being inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame is considered to be one of the highest honours that a poker player can achieve in lifetime. The 2015 Poker Hall of Fame had a total of 10 nominees which included the likes of Matt Savage, David Ulliott, David Chiu, Chris Bjorin, Max Pescatori, Carlos Mortensen, Terry Rogers and Bruno Fitoussi.
The Poker Hall of Fame was established way back in 1979 and later acquired by the WSOP and Harrah’s Entertainment in 2004. As of now the Poker Hall of Fame inducts only two poker players each year and for 2015 the two nominees that were inducted turned out to be Jennifer Harman and John Juanda. They will be the 49th and 50th members inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame. These two members were chosen by two panels that consisted of 16 media representatives and 23 living members from the Poker Hall of Fame.
During the World Series of Poker main event final in Las Vegas, the 2015 Poker Hall of Fame class will be inducted after a special dinner. The event will take place on the 6th of November at Binion’s Gambling Hall and is expected to draw some of the leading poker players and media representatives in the industry.
The 44 year John Juanda was born in Indonesia but is now a resident of California. He has built a solid reputation for himself over the years winning over 30 titles and over $16.5 million in prize money. Five of his titles were at the World Series of Poker and one of them was a WSOPE main event win in 2008.
Jennifer Harman has been nominated for the Poker Hall of Fame award on a number of different occasions but 2015 turned out to be her year for being part of the final two. The 50 year old Harman has won close to $2.5 million in career prize money, won 2 career bracelets, made it to 2 WPT final tables and is considered a cash game legend.
Both players were delighted to be nominated into the Poker Hall of Fame. In a statement, Juanda said
I appreciate the recognition. It’s an honour to see my name among so many players I have admired and respected throughout my career: Chip Reese, Erik Seidel, Dan Harrington, Daniel Negreanu. Thank you to all the fans who nominated me and to the HOF and media members who voted me in.
