The Women in Poker Hall of Fame released the list of the finalists to be considered for induction in the Hall of Fame in 2018. A total of eleven nominees have reached the final round and among them, we can see accomplished poker pros such as Maria Ho, Karina Jett, and actress Jeniffer Tilly who proved that Hollywood stars can be proper poker players.
Nominations for this yearās induction into the prestigious Hall of Fame were accepted by March 15 and went through a selection process where a panel of journalists and poker industry representatives cast their votes. In a press release on Tuesday, the organization announced the names of the eleven finalists who will be competing for the award and recognition the Hall grants every two years. Among the 19 women who have already been enshrined in the Women in Poker Hall of Fame are Debbie Burkhead, Linda Johnson, Jennifer Harman, and JJ Liu. This year, the voting panel is expected to choose between two and four new members who will be honoured and inducted into the Hall.
It will be a tough choice, however, as all of the eleven finalists are prominent names in the world of professional poker and in one way or another, they have all made significant contributions to the industry. The first name everyone would immediately notice is actress Jeniffer Tilly, who was nominated for an Academy Award in 1994 for her role in Woody Allenās Bullets over Broadway. Along with her amazing Hollywood career, Tilly has also been successful in the world of poker ā not only as an advocate and speaker but most of all, as a player. In 2005 she won a World Series of Poker bracelet when she topped a field of over 600 entrants in a Ladies Event and only a few months later, she won the third World Poker Tour Ladies Invitational Tournament. She has participated in a large number of high stakes cash events and has amassed nearly $1 million from live tournaments.
One of the worldās most accomplished women poker players is also among the final eleven. This is Maria Ho, a successful player, PokerGO commentator and former āAmazing Raceā contestant with live tournament earnings of $2.7 million. She was on the ESPN as part of the broadcast team for the WSOP Main Event in 2017 and is currently one of the hosts of WPTās King of The Club on Fox Sports Net. Another professional poker player on the list of potential Women in Hall of Fame inductees this year is Karina Jett, who has participated in multiple live tournaments and has collected nearly half a million dollars in earnings. Although she started her poker career in 1997 playing Seven-Card Stud, she switched to Holdāem and among her most notable performances are four final table finishes in $1,000 WSOP Ladies Events.
Speaking of professional players, we cannot miss Terry King, one of the first women in history to get a WSOP bracelet in 1978. She started her career in 1972 when she moved to Las Vegas and began playing poker. She then became a prominent dealer, a tournament director and a floor person. Another notable figure we should mention is Kara Scott, known in the world of poker as a professional player, journalist, commentator and ambassador. Although considered a recreational player, she has more than $660,000 in tournament earnings and has multiple awards and publications. Shirley Rosario, another professional player on the list, has also made significant contributions to the industry with her poker website group, her work as a PokerStars consultant, and multiple other appearances.
Full list of 2018 Women in Poker Hall of Fame Nominees
The full list of the 2018 finalists for the Women in Hall of Fame include journalist, author and editor Haley Hintze, WPT Europe General Manager Hermance Blum, WPT Supervising Producer Mandy Glogow, and Vice President for WPTās Global Tour Management Angelica Hael. The other candidate for this yearās induction into the Hall is Lupe Soto, the founder of Women in Hall of Fame. Soto entered the poker industry in 1999 and has spent the past two decades working in that sphere but most of all, she has always been dedicated to promoting and supporting women in poker.
Lupe Soto has also founded the first online poker forum for women called Poker Chix and the Ladies International Poker Series, simply known as the LIPS Tour. She also created the Seniors Poker Tour and the charity organization Poker Gives, while this spring Soto is working towards founding the Womenās Poker Association (WPA).
