Major Reform in Poker Hall of Fame Voting Rules: Up to Six Inductees Annually

Since its founding in 1979, the Poker Hall of Fame has been dedicated to honoring the most outstanding figures in the poker world. To date, 63 members have been inducted, including 33 living members. However, in recent years, controversy over the voting process has persisted, prompting the Poker Hall of Fame's leadership to push for major changes to the voting rules in order to quell criticism.

Up to Six Inductees Per Year

First, the nomination process remains unchanged: the public still has the opportunity to nominate candidates. But unlike before, when the public selected ten candidates, under the new rules the public will choose eight. The real change lies in the voting stage.

The 33 living Hall of Fame members now each have four votes, down from ten previously. Members can cast all their votes for the same person, or distribute them among different candidates. Unlike the past, a clear threshold for induction has now been set: if a candidate receives support from at least 22 voting members (i.e., two-thirds of the living members), they are automatically inducted. If no one reaches the 22-vote threshold, the candidate with the highest number of votes earns induction. Additionally, for the first time in Hall of Fame history, voting results will be made public — an unprecedented level of transparency.

After the voting concludes, the new inductees will be announced during the final table of the 2026 WSOP Main Event.

Too Many Potential Inductees?

Although the induction criteria have never been made public, the Hall of Fame has typically added two new members per year over the years. After the initial seven inductees in 1979, the pace settled at one or two per year. There were zero inductions in 1994, 1996, and from 1998 to 2000, but from 2005 to 2019 (except for 2009 when Mike Sexton was inducted solo), two people were inducted annually.

In 2020 (for reasons unknown), the Hall of Fame limited inductions to one person (only three women have ever been inducted: Barbara Enright, Linda Johnson, and Jennifer Harman), which left many deserving figures shut out. In 2025, Nick Schulman was the sole inductee; meanwhile, Michael Mizrachi, after winning the $50,000 Poker Players Championship and the WSOP Main Event, was inducted by unanimous vote of the living members.

Jumping from one inductee per year to up to six is a massive leap. If the living members distribute their votes strategically, six inductees could theoretically be produced each year (132 votes from 33 members, with six candidates each receiving 22 votes). Frankly, that number seems excessive — an overreaction to the criticism that "too few people are being inducted."

To make the Poker Hall of Fame more meaningful (sorry, we keep coming back to the "physical location" issue), the ideal approach might be a two-person-per-year system: two players and one industry figure. That would ensure two players who have shaped the poker landscape get inducted, while also guaranteeing that an industry insider — such as a tournament director, commentator, or writer — receives recognition.

While the process changes pushed by GGPoker and WSOP are an improvement, they may introduce new problems — presumably no one wants to see six inductees every year. Public nominations are now open, and it's up to the public to decide which candidates they believe are worthy. It will be interesting to see which nominees the public puts forward this year, and how the 33 living members will exercise their voting power.