Nominees to the WSOP Hall of Fame Announced; Matusow, Savage and Arieh Included
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The World Series of Poker (WSOP) have announced the list of ten nominees to the 2024 WSOP Hall of Fame and as expected, it features some familiar faces.
Last year mixed game legend Brian Rast was a popular induction, joining the likes of Phil Ivey, Daniel Negreanu and Doyle Brunson in the exclusive club.
2024 WSOP Hall of Fame Nominees
The living members of the Hall will allocate a ballot of 10 total points to determine this year’s inductee from the following list:
- Patrik Antonius
- Josh Arieh
- Barny Boatman
- "Miami" John Cernuto
- Ted Forrest
- Kathy Liebert
- Mike Matusow
- Matt Savage
- Isai Scheinberg
- Bill Smith
As a reminder, the requirements for the Poker Hall of Fame are as follows:
- A gambler must have played poker against acknowledged top competition,
- Played for high stakes,
- Played consistently well, gained the respect of peers,
- And stood the test of time.
- Or, for non-players, contributed to the overall growth and success of the game of poker, with indelible positive and lasting results.
The 2024 Poker Hall of Fame inductee will be announced during Event #95: Poker Hall of Fame Bounty No-Limit Hold'em, which begins on Sunday, July 14.
All living members of the Poker Hall of Fame are eligible to play in this event, with a bounty allocated to each of them corresponding to their induction year.
The inductee's Hall of Fame picture will then be unveiled at the WSOP Hall of Fame Poker Room, which opened inside Horseshoe Las Vegas in 2023.
Repeat Nominees
Much has been made of the backlog of players and industry personnel deemed eligible by many to enter the Hall, and that is mirrored in the amount of repeat nominations.
And these aren't just two-time nominees, 2024 marks the tenth time four-time WSOP bracelet-winner Mike Matusow has been nominated while six-time WSOP bracelet winner Ted Forrest has his seventh nomination since he was first nominated in 2014.
Industry personnel are also eligible for the hall of fame, and the backlog in this area is also apparent; World Poker Tour Executive Director Matt Savage makes the list for the ninth time in ten years, while online poker pioneer Isai Scheinberg is named for a fifth consecutive year.
Other familiar faces include Patrik Antonius, who makes the ballot for the first time since 2020, while Josh Arieh and Kathy Liebert make it three-in-a-row. 1985 WSOP Main Event winner Bill Smith is also nominated for a second year.
First-Time Nominees
In 2023, there were three first-time nominees. One of them was Brian Rast who was duly inducted into the Hall of Fame. This year there are just two new first-time nominees will be hoping for a short stay on the list of nominees.
They are EPT champion and veteran British poker pro Barny Boatman and three-time WSOP bracelet winner "Miami" John Cernuto.
Barny Boatman
No European, let alone an Englishman, has been inducted into the WSOP Hall of Fame since David "Devilfish" Ulliott in 2017, but induction would seal an incredible year for Barny Boatman.
This year, Boatman took down the EPT Paris Main Event in February this year, defeating a 1,717-player field to win €1,287,800.
"It’s a huge honor to be there representing those of us who’ve stuck around for ever because we just love the game"
A member of the original Hendon Mob and pioneer of televised poker — especially in Europe — Boatman was named as a member of PokerStars Team Pro in March.
Boatman told PokerNews the nomination was "ridiculously flattering" and "a little embarassing", adding "I certainly meet the age criteria!"
"If you’re gonna put an old school Brit on the list, I’d have gone with my good friend John Duthie," he continued. "But of course it’s a huge honor to be there representing those of us who’ve stuck around for ever because we just love the game. All my fellow nominees are highly deserving."
A two-time WSOP bracelet winner, Boatman won his in 2013 in Event #49: $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em, and followed that up two years later at the WSOP Europe in Berlin by winning Event #7: €550 Pot-Limit Omaha.
"Miami" John Cernuto
If you ask James Woods, there's only one person who should be inducted into the Hall of Fame this year and his name is "Miami" John Cernuto.
"There's no part of John Cernuto that isn't great for poker," Woods told PokerNews. "If John Cernuto isn't in the Poker Hall of Fame, then the Poker Hall of Fame, it's about fad and fashion. It's not about what poker is fundamentally about."
Cernuto's poker resume includes three WSOP bracelets — the last of which came in 2002 — and the former air traffic controller has over $6.3 million in live tournament cashes. He also holds the record for most cashes on The Hendon Mob with well over 660 cashes.
This year Cernuto has notched up five cashes at the WSOP, in five different disciplines with no finish lower than 33rd.
The best result came in Event #4: $1,500 Limit Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better where he finished tenth for $12,497.
Who's Missing?
As expected, there are plenty of big names that have missed the list of nominees for this year at least:
- Jeremy Ausmus — A 2024 Player of the Year contender, Ausmus is a six-time WSOP bracelet winner who was nominated in 2023
- Lon McEachern & Norman Chad — The popular commentary duo were nominated in 2020, 2022 and 2023
- Antonio Esfandiari — The inaugural Big One for One Drop champion was nominated three times 2019-21
- Bertrand "ElkY" Grospellier — Back-to-back nominations in 2021 & 2022 for the online poker legend
- Michael Mizrachi — The Grinder also received back-to-back nominations in 2021 & 2022
- Chris Bjorin — Two-time bracelet winner nominated seven times between 2012-19
- David Chiu — Five-time bracelet winner nominated six times between 2012-19
