A few days back, the World Series of Poker revealed a new set of rules governing the process of nominating players for and inducting them into the Poker Hall of Fame. The decision came as a result of a widespread opinion that the rules that were in place previously were too restrictive, not allowing for enough deserving players to receive this ultimate honor.

So, after some deliberation, the WSOP came up with a new system, which maintains many of the old stipulations but allows for up to six players to be inducted in any given year.

The way it works is:

  • General public submits their suggestions
  • Top eight nominees go to the final round
  • Currently living Hall of Famers cast their votes (each of 33 members gets up to four votes)
  • Any player who gets a two-thirds majority is inducted
  • If no candidate gets a majority, the one with the highest number of votes is inducted

The new system came as a response to a popular opinion that having just one or two players inducted every year is not enough, as there are so many great players, and more of them are turning 40 every year, making them eligible for the Poker Hall of Fame.

Moving forward, there will likely be more players inducted every year, which addresses the main concern but opens some new questions that have been a hot topic in the poker community over the past few days.

Popularity vs. Merits

One of the concerns regarding the new Hall of Fame nomination procedure has to do with public involvement. The eight names that enter the final round will be determined by public voting, which means that players who are more popular and have more public exposure will be in a favorable position.

There are some very successful players out there who meet all the different HoF criteria who don’t necessarily have a big public profile, and might not get enough votes in the first round to get their names through to the final round.

This concern certainly has some weight, but it’s a balancing act, as having poker fans involved in the process is important.
Looking to overcome this potential disadvantage, many players took it to X to create posts summarizing their careers and explaining the reasons why they are deserving of a nomination.

This is the first time we are seeing players running a campaign of sorts ahead of the Poker Hall of Fame election, and, while not everyone agrees this is the right thing to do, it’s been quite interesting, as we are being reminded of some quite successful names that haven’t necessarily been in the public eye all that much in recent years.

Between Too Few and Too Many

Another major concern regarding the new process is whether it opens the door of the Hall of Fame a bit too much. While one or two candidates a year is probably not enough, up to six seems a bit too much, at least to some, including Phil Hellmuth.

As for the general public, it’s been divided as well. Some see the change as a positive shift that will finally allow for many deserving players who have been waiting for this honor for years to be inducted. To others, it feels like it waters down the value of the whole thing.

It’s important to note that, although it is theoretically possible for up to six players to be inducted with this new system, we probably won’t see that number on a regular basis. It may happen for the first couple of years, as we are getting through the proverbial backlog, but after that, it will likely normalize around three or four inductees.

While the new Hall of Fame rules aren’t perfect, given the fact that the poker world has produced so many great players in recent years, and with all the big names who have been waiting for their bite at the apple for a while now, it feels like the right move.

And if you’re yet to cast your vote, go ahead and do it right now!