This year, the Women in Poker Hall of Fame is once again set to recognize and award the most prominent female poker players and those women who made substantial contributions to the poker world. This is pretty special since it only comes around every two years. The panel has announced that it has started to accept nominations and will do so until March 15. Poker fans are encouraged to submit their nominations before the cut-off date and vote for their favorite female poker players and personalities.
Poker Fans Encouraged To Send In Nominations
Poker has always been a male dominated industry but there are quite a few women who have managed to accomplish something outstanding over the years. The Women in Poker Hall of Fame focuses on these women, whether they achieved prominence by being players or by just contributing something to the female poker based community. The website is currently open for submissions and poker fans are allowed to nominate the names of any individual who they think should be considered.
However, there are some requirements that need to be met. To be eligible to receive an award from the Women in Poker Hall of Fame, nominees need to be 35 years old or older. They also need to have been active as a poker player or poker personality for at least ten years. Finally, they need to be respected members of the community and need to have made significant contributions to the poker industry. These contributions can be as players or even just as a representative or industry leader.
Nomination Process Explained
Once the nominees are submitted, the names will be placed on a ballot. There will then be a vote by a panel composed of members of the Women in Poker Hall of Fame, the media and industry professionals. The voting bloc consists of more than 20 individuals. Representatives of the Global Poker Index, PokerStars, the World Poker Tour, and the World Series of Poker are among those included. When the votes have been tallied, the winners will be awarded at the 2018 Women in Poker Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony which is scheduled to take place on June 26 at The Orleans Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.
The Women in Poker Hall of Fame was founded by Lupe Soto and has been around since 2008. Soto is a poker enthusiast and also the founder of several women-focused poker associations and events. This includes the Ladies International Poker Series and Women’s Poker Association. Currently, there are 19 women who have been inducted into the Women in Poker Hall of Fame.
Women Who Have Made It To The WiPHoF
Some of the names inducted are quite recognizable. These include Barbara Enright: who was the first woman to win a World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet in an open event. This was at the 1996 Pot Limit Hold’em tournament where she won $180,000 along with her WSOP bracelet. Linda Johnson who is fondly referred to as the First Lady of Poker is also a member of the Women in Poker Hall of Fame. She has contributed a lot to the poker industry as a player, publisher and is also one of the founders of the World Poker Tour.
One of the recent inductees into the WiPHoF is Victoria Coren Mitchell, who was awarded at the 2016 WiPHoF with Debbie Burkhead. Mitchell is an English writer, presenter, and professional poker player, known for making history by becoming the first woman to win in the European Poker Tour (EPT) in 2006 and the first two-time Main Event EPT winner during London 2006 and Sanremo 2016. Other women honored by the Women in Poker Hall of Fame include Jennifer Harman, Susie Isaacs, Kathy Liebert, Jan Fisher, and JJ Liu.
Poker Operators Focus On Women
One of the reasons why women have become more active on the poker circuit is because a number of leading poker operators have decided to focus on the female poker market. They have signed top female poker pros to their roster of poker ambassadors and have also started introducing Ladies Events at popular tournaments to give female poker players due recognition.
Female poker players across the world have also drawn a lot of inspiration over the years from the likes of Annie Duke, Vanessa Selbst and Victoria Coren Mitchell who have shown them that it is possible to make a good living playing full-time poker as a woman.