Poker Hall of Fame- 2010 Ballot Is Out!

Poker is a game that requires much skill, a game interestingly combining probability and psychology at the hand of its players. The Poker Hall of Fame acknowledges the crème de la crème of this game. Only two of the top ten finalists will be enshrined as part of the class of 2010ers. On Sunday November 7 of this year we will find out who these players are at the Poker Hall of Fame induction ceremony that will take place from Las Vegas.

What are the criteria to be a Poker Hall of Fame finalist you might ask? Well, it's not so simple - here are just a few: Someone who has played poker against acknowledged top competition; someone who has played for high stakes; and one who has played consistently well, gaining the respect of peers.

Well, not surprisingly, seven of the ten names were included on last year's ballot. These are Barry Greenstein, Dan Harrington, Phil Ivey, Tom McEvoy, Daniel Negreanu, Scotty Nguyen, and Erik Seidel. The new additions include Chris Ferguson, Jennifer Harman, and Linda Johnson. Many are predicting that the two lasting votes will go to Erik Seidel and Linda Johnson. Let's have a bit of a look at these two players.

Erik Seidel has a very creative and enigmatic playing style. He is a classy guy, who has been playing in poker tournaments for 23 years. He is known to be very quiet at the table and has won about eight WSOP bracelets in five different disciplines of poker won in 15 years. He also consistently puts up major tournament results every year, which cannot be said for many of his peers. His game is still super sharp and he continues to earn at least six figures almost every single year that he has played professionally.

Johnson, on the other hand, is known less for her achievements as a player (although her tournament earnings and WSOP bracelet are really quite impressive) but more for being an industry leader and great advocate for the game. She tirelessly gives of herself to promote the game and show it in a positive light. Her goal is to mainstream the game, and she is doing all the right moves to achieve that goal. She has gathered investors to buy Cardplayer, published a poker magazine for eight years, came up with the idea of the World Poker Tour and is also one of the founders of the Tournament Directors Association. This is a nonprofit organization that runs and promotes charity tournaments nationwide. What stands out even more than her list of achievements is her efforts to bring more women into the game and speak about gender issues involving poker.

With great players such as this, there is no doubt the Poker Hall of Fame is a special honor to achieve. Who knows, start playing well enough, and you just might make it one day too!