Women in the poker industry are often neglected with the majority of poker pros being men, who are wrote about and admired. However, there are plenty of women in the industry who are a great success, able to take down major tournaments and massive earnings. The Women in Poker Hall of Fame celebrates the successes of such poker players and the selection process for the 2016 class has now begun.
Nominations are being accepted at the Women in Poker Hall of Fame website and fans of female poker pros can submit a nomination for the one they feel represents the industry the best. New members are inducted every two year and inductees are chosen based on being a poker player or a female in the industry. The last ceremony for induction took place in 2014.
Lupe Soto is the board chair of the group who recently stated that the board met last week to discuss the 2016 induction. The open nominations have not begun and any fan can get started nominating their favorite player. Visit the nominations page of the Women in Poker Hall of Fame site. Fill out your name, email and then nominate two women you feel represents the industry well and should be inducted. You also have to state why you think the individual deserves the nomination.
If you want to nominate more than two females, simply go back in to the website and nominate females again. You can fill out a second form to be able to nominate everyone you wish to see inducted. The process of nomination is similar to the Pro Poker Hall of Fame, with nominators having to include information as to why the individual needs to be inducted.
To become a potential inductee, the female needs to meet five requirements. The first is to be an active player or an industry leader for at least 10 years prior to the election and be 35 years of age. The individual must have contributed to the poker world in a significant way by winning major tournaments or contributing to the industry in some way.
The individual needs to be a proponent of women in poker and must be approved by a committee of the Board of Directors and the Inductees. Nominees also have to agree on the terms and conditions of the Women in Poker Hall of Fame.
There are differences in the women’s Hall of Fame and the overall Poker Hall of Fame. The women’s requires the inductee be 35 but there is not criteria that focuses on high stakes game play like the pro version does. The other difference is that only women can be nominated. It is odd that some have actually come out not supporting this group as they feel that women should not be singled out, and events, even female only events, should be open to women. Men has competed in female-only events in the past, even earning a payout or win, when they are not supposed to be competing in the event.
The Women in Poker Hall of Fame is an organization that celebrates women in a male-dominated industry. As a female, I feel it is a perfect way to let women be recognized for their contributions in the poker industry. Women often get looked over or focused only how they look rather than how they play the game. It will be interesting to see who earns the induction this time around after the nomination process is complete. In 2013, the inductees were Allyn Shulman and Deborah Giardina. The Class of 2016 is scheduled to be inducted on July 5th 2016.