There are currently 63 members in the Poker Hall of Fame following the induction of Patrik Antonius in 2024. The last five years (2020-2024) have seen the induction of only one member, while in the ten years prior to that (2010-2019) saw the induction of two members.
Poker players who’s careers were launched in the poker boom of the early 2000s are now aging into Poker Hall of Fame eligibility. Not only do these players satisfy the Poker Hall of Fame eligibility criteria, they smash right through it with a list of accolades as long as the Las Vegas Strip.
One of the main criteria for Poker Hall of Fame nomination is, “Must be at least 40 years old at the time of nomination.” In 2024, nominations opened on June 4, in 2023, nominations opened on June 5, and in 2022, nominations opened on June 6.
Taking in consideration early June 1985 birthdays will be heavily dependent on when the Poker Hall of Fame decides to open nominations. Below is a list of poker players and non-players who are now eligible for nomination in 2025:
Players that will be eligible for Poker Hall of Fame nomination in 2025 include:
- Nick Schulman
- Scott Seiver
- Ben Lamb
- Daniel Alaei
- Vanessa Selbst
- Liv Boeree
- Tiffany Michelle
The two heavy favorites among the new players who are eligible for nomination in 2025 are Nick Schulman and Scott Seiver. Schulman has six WSOP bracelets, one WPT title, and more than $23,000,000 in lifetime tournament earnings. Seiver has seven WSOP bracelets, one WPT title, and more than $27,000,000 in lifetime tournament earnings. Seiver was also crowned the 2024 WSOP Player of the Year, and thus has the slight upper hand over Schulman.
However, with the Poker Hall of Fame only inducting one person over the past five years, Seiver will have more competition than just Schulman. Players who have been nominated previously but weren’t inducted include Antonio Esfandiari, Josh Arieh, Michael Mizrachi, Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier, Mike Matusow, Ted Forrest, and many more.
Looking Towards the Future Poker Hall of Fame
If the Poker Hall of Fame doesn’t deviate from inducting one player in 2025 or future years, a log jam of some of the world’s best poker players are coming in the next few years. The list of eligible players includes former WSOP Player of the Years, multi-WSOP bracelet winners, high-stakes tournament crushers, online wizards, and former WSOP Main Event winners.
Players that will be eligible for Poker Hall of Fame nomination in 2026 include:
- Shaun Deeb
- Jason Koon
- John Racener
- Isaac Haxton
- Justin Bonomo
- Chris Moorman
- Timothy Adams
- Christoph Vogelsang
- Joey Ingram
Players that will be eligible for Poker Hall of Fame nomination in 2027 include:
- Tom Dwan
- Jason Mercier
- Bryn Kenney
- Darren Elias
- Andrew Robl
- Kristen Foxen
- Nick Petrangelo
- Chance Kornuth
- David Peters
- Sam Trickett
Players that will be eligible for Poker Hall of Fame nomination in 2028 include:
- Joe Cada
- Greg Merson
- Martin Jacobson
- Jonathan Duhamel
- Andrew Lichtenberger
Under the current conditions of the Poker Hall of Fame, plenty of worth players who fit all the criteria for eligibility will likely miss out on induction. Some may even miss out on being nominated! The team behind the Poker Hall of Fame will have to take a long look at the nomination and induction process and see if a new deck is needed on this poker table.
