The 2016 Poker Hall of Fame Finalists

This year’s list of nominees for the 2016 Poker Hall of Fame has been reduced to just 10 players, all of whom have their own unique claim for being considered worthy of one of poker’s biggest honors. It will now be left up to a 45 person panel consisting of 25 current HOF members, and 20 media people to decide on their choice of candidates, with the official induction ceremony then scheduled to take place on Wednesday, October 26th at Binion’s casino in downtown Las Vegas.
Out of the 10 nominees, 7 have found themselves on previous HOF nomination lists, including Chris Bjorin, Humberto Brenes, Bruno Fitoussi, Carlos Mortensen, Max Pescatori, Matt Savage and David ‘Devilfish’ Ulliott. This year’s first-time finalists, on the other hand, includes Todd Brunson (47), Eli Elezra (55) and Chris Moneymaker (40).
In order to meet the requirement for induction, the individual must be aged 40-years or older, with professional players having dominated high stakes games, or non-player having made important contributions to the growth of the poker industry. This year’s nominees have a distinctly international feel, with their impressive list of accomplishments including the following:
Carlos Mortensen: Spain’s all-time tournament winner with $11,976,160 in earnings, and 2 WSOP bracelets including winning the Main Event in 2001.
Chris Bjorin: Sweden’s number 2 all-time tournament winner with $5,585,087 in winnings, and 2 WSOP bracelets.
Humberto Brenes: Costa Rica’s all-time tournament winner with $6,131,268 in winnings, and 2 WSOP bracelets.
Bruno Fitoussi: France’s 8th all-time tournament winner with $2,803,282 in winnings.
Max Pescatori: Italy’s number 2 all-time tournament winner with $4,281,862 in earnings, and 4 WSOP bracelets.
David Ulliott: Sadly passed on, the “Devilfish” is number 2 on England’s all-time money list with $6,218,292 in winnings, and a WSOP bracelet.
Eli Elezra: The Israeli-born US player has $3,051,084 in tournament winnings, 3 WSOP bracelets, and is a regular at the Las Vegas’ high-stakes cash games.
US players on the list include Tournament Director Matt Savage, high-stakes pro and WSOP bracelet winner Todd Brunson, and the man who helped spark the ‘poker boom’ with his 2003 WSOP Main Event victory, Chris Moneymaker.