- This weekend The Poker Hall of Fame Governing Council announced that former World Series Of Poker Main Event World Champions Tom McEvoy and Scotty Nguyen are to become the 45th and 46th individuals to be inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame as the class of 2013.
- “I consider this the highest honor a poker player can receive next to winning the Main Event of the World Series of Poker.”
- “It’s awesome, baby, thank you.”
This weekend The Poker Hall of Fame Governing Council announced that former World Series Of Poker Main Event World Champions Tom McEvoy and Scotty Nguyen are to become the 45th and 46th individuals to be inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame as the class of 2013.
In a ceremony set to take place on Sunday, November 3 at 5:00pm at the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino, as a part of the WSOP Main Event Final Table festivities, the pair of veteran players will join one of the most exclusive clubs in poker.
“I would like to thank everyone for making my election to the Poker Hall of Fame possible,” McEvoy, the 1983 Champ commented. “It was a very emotional day for me when I got the news. I consider this the highest honor a poker player can receive next to winning the Main Event of the World Series of Poker. I feel both deeply honored and humbled to be included with all the other poker greats. This is truly the frosting on the cake of my poker career.”
The pair, along with the other 2013 Poker Hall of Fame Finalists including Humberto Brenes, Chris Bjorin, David Chiu, Thor Hansen, Mike Matusow, Jennifer Harmen, Carlos Mortensen and Huck Seed, were nominated by the public and were subject to vote by a 37-person panel made up of current Poker Hall of Fame members as well as a select group of poker media personnel. With only a maximum of two of the ten eligible for induction to get in, it was McEvoy and Nguyen’s turn.
“Thank you so much, this is wonderful news,” said Nguyen. “You work so hard, you put so much time in that you want and hope it will be recognized. This is something my grandkids will talk about. It’s awesome, baby, thank you.”
The 68-year old McEvoy first came on the scene back in 1982 and became the WSOP World Champion a year later in 1983:
With over $3m in lifetime earnings, McEvoy, a 4-time bracelet winner has penned over a dozen poker strategy books. Additionally, McEvoy is credited with organizing a hard stance against smoking in poker rooms which has led to its standardization.
Scotty Nguyen, a refugee from Vietnam, came to the US when he was 11 and has grown into one of the most recognizable names and faces in the poker world. Well known for adding “baby” to just about any phrase or statement, Nguyen has endeared himself to a legion of fans for his personality as well as his results, over $11m in lifetime earnings. A 5-time WSOP bracelet winner as well as a World Poker Tour Champion, Scotty “The Prince of Poker” Nguyen is currently the only player to have won the WSOP Main Event, which he did back in 1998, and the $50k Poker Players Championship:
The Poker Hall of Fame, which was established in 1979, currently has 21 living members with the addition of McEvoy and Nguyen. For a complete list of enshrined members of the PHOF, check out WSOP.com’s dedicated page.
