There are currently 65 members in the Poker Hall of Fame following the induction of Nick Schulman and Michael Mizrachi in 2025. The previous 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 2026, nominations opened on June 11, while in 2025, nominations opened on June 6, 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 1986 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 2026:
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
- Eric Blair
- Marco Johnson
- Jonathan Tamayo
- Ryan Miller
- Mike Gorodinsky
- Bradley Ruben
- Christoph Vogelsang
- Joey Ingram
- Timothy Adams (birthday is June 4)
- Jeff Platt (birthday is June 4)
The two heavy favorites among the new players who are eligible for nomination in 2026 are Shaun Deeb and Jason Koon. Deeb has eight WSOP bracelets, two WSOP Player of the Year awards, and more than $17,800,000 in lifetime tournament earnings. Koon has two WSOP bracelets, 12 Triton titles, and more than $17,900,000 in lifetime tournament earnings. It’s hard to split the difference between both players’ poker resumes, but the upper hand falls to Deeb with his two WSOP Player of the Year awards and eight WSOP bracelets..
However, will the Poker Hall of Fame change the induction process following what occurred during the WSOP Main Event with Mizrachi being inducted. However, if the Poker Hall of Fame decides to keep it to one player a year, Koon will have more competition than just Deeb. Players who have been nominated previously but weren’t inducted include Antonio Esfandiari, Ben Lamb, Josh Arieh, Jeremy Ausmus, 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 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.
