2010 Hall of Fame Inductees: Erik Seidel and Dan Harrington

By Pauly
New York City

This just in... the class of 2010 for the Hall of Fame will include Dan Harrington and Erik Sediel.





They beat out a tough ballot of ten potential Hall of Famers...

2010 Poker Hall of Fame Ballot:
Chris "Jesus" Ferguson
Barry Greenstein
Jen Harman
Dan Harrington
Phil Ivey
Linda Johnson
Tom McEvoy
Daniel Nereanu
Scotty Nguyen
Erik Seidel

* * * * *
At my first WSOP in 2005, I had no clue about the Hall of Fame ceremony. I knew that the HOF existed and could rattle off a few greats of the game who were enshrined in the hall, but aside from those poker gods, I was clueless about the overall HOF procedures. Heck, up until ten minutes before the press conference, I had no idea that Jack Binion and Crandall Addington were the ones who got the nod. I cite a wicked hangover as one of the contributing causes to my nonplussed behavior. But I was also tightly wrapped up in my own little world. If you've read Lost Vegas, then you know the kinds of behind the scenes stresses that I had to deal with during the summer of 2005. A result of that fallout was walking into the Rio and not having a fucking clue about the HOF.

At that point in the WSOP, I was exhausted and drained and sort of operated on vapors and pure instinct. I'm sure that Nolan Dalla sent me an email about the HOF ceremony, but it either got lost in the shuffle or I simply ignored it as I wandered around in a semi-translucent haze.

In 2005, the Hall of Fame ceremony took place on the same day as the Media/Celebrity tournament and WSOP press conference, which occurred on a day off before Day 1A. The media tournament was my biggest concern and the only reason I showed up at the Rio on a rare day off. The press conference was something that I knew I'd have to sit through before we got to play cards. But the HOF was an afterthought.

I showed up at the final table area, where I had been sitting for five weeks straight, and hoped to find my usual seat in between Otis and BJ. I arrived early, set up my laptop, and then went to the media room to chat with friends. The press conference was coupled with the Hall of Fame ceremony, so the folks at the WSOP killed two birds with one stone and was able to take advantage that all of the out-of-town and mainstream media had gathered in one place. When I returned to media row, the final table area was packed with clean-cut people with fresh badges, many of whom I had never seen before. My chair was also missing. Someone walked up to the media row and stole my chair. I had left a black sports jacket hanging on the back of the chair, and luckily, they didn't steal the jacket. Instead, they snagged the chair, but was kind enough to toss my jacket underneath the desk. I scanned the crowd but could not locate the chair thief.

I spent the rest of the press conference on my knees pecking away at my laptop. For one season in the South Riverdale Little League, I was the starting catcher for the Pirates. As a Yankees fan, I loved Thurman Munson, but he had just passed away in a tragic plane crash, so I had to look to Johnny Bench as a stand-in idol. Twenty plus years later, I did my best Johnny Bench imitation as I crouched in media row and frantically scribbled down quotes at the press conference and made sure I accurately got key phrases from the HOF inductees.

To this day, I'm bummed out that I let the chair thief tilt me because my ire overshadowed the significance of the HOF. That's one of my biggest regrets of the 2005 WSOP, but it was also a valuable lesson that I applied to subsequent WSOPs -- don't sweat the small stuff and enjoy special moments that don't happen every day.

In 2006, I was excited for the HOF ceremony and vowed to pay more attention, especially because Billy Baxter and T.J. Cloutier were the two players who got the nod. I showed up in much better condition (not even close to being as hung over from the year before) and I even arrived early. In 2006, the press conference and HOF ceremony got moved to one of the theatres inside the Rio. I sat in the back with Otis. That's when he snapped this infamous photo of me sharing how I felt about the situation...

I was let down because the HOF ceremony got rushed because of time constraints. The press conference went long because it was coupled with a press junket for Lucky You, the poker movie by Curtis Hanson that bombed. We knew it was going to be a dud after watching seven seconds of the trailer. Sure, we got to hear Drew Barrymore gush about Las Vegas and the poker scene, and it was kinda cool to hear Curtis Hanson discuss why he purposely chose specific unrecognizable locations to shoot certain scenes in order to show a different side of Vegas. Sadly, the Hollywood people ran long and as a result, the HOF speeches from Billy Baxter and TJ Cloutier got cut short. That might have been the most furious I had ever been with Harrah's, selling out their press conference to Hollywood types. I understand why they did it, but the movie was a utter bomb and did nothing to promote poker. Instead of hearing two greats of the game reflect upon their careers, we got ambushed by the Hollywood propoganda machine.

Yeah, my first two experiences with the HOF ceremony were bittersweet. I don't recall much about 2007. I know that I worked an insane schedule for Poker News that summer (the first year they had the official updates) and was caught up in my own personal hell, which I did my best to combat with coping aids. I think I was there (and I'm too lazy to sift through the Tao of Poker archives, which is another reason why I need an assistant, or at least get my own version of KevMath who will be the go-to guy when it comes to random Tao stats and moments), but I don't recall anything of significance from the ceremony. Most likely, I tuned out the chatter mainly because Phil Hellmuth was one of the inductees (along with Barbara Enright) and I was utterly miserable at the time working 110 hours a week for Poker News. My bad headspace and my reluctance to hear the Poker Brat brag about his greatness were among the reasons for huge gaping holes in my memory banks.

The 2008 HOF ceremony took place during the dinner break at the November Nine. Finally! A proper ceremony took place to honor that year's inductees: Henry Orenstein and Dewey Tomko.

Last year, the HOF ceremony was moved away from the November Nine theatre. It was still held during the dinner break, but Mike Sexton's induction occurred in the privacy of one of the ballrooms. The ceremony was limited to invited guests and specific media members. As a member of the HOF selection committee, I got an invite to the dinner. My +1 was my lovely girlfriend. We sat at the same table with Michalski and his date to the event (the younger sister of a known Dallas pro). We recorded a couple of episodes of Tao of Pokerati at the dinner, and we couldn't stop laughing at Fun Warren, who drew the rigorous assignment of keeping Padraig Parkison out of trouble, which was an impossible task with an open bar.

Tao of Pokerati at the 2009 Hall of Fame:
Episode 12.4: Hall of Fame Dinner: Voter Hesitation (1:13)
Episode 12.5: Hall of Fame Dinner: Touched by Sexton (2:45)

You can also read an expanded recap of the Hall of Fame Dinner that I penned for Tao of Poker.

Without a doubt, the Mike Sexton ceremony was my favorite HOF that I've attended since I became a part of the poker industry. Mike's acceptance speech was actually overshadowed by his brother Tom, who delivered a sensational introduction speech.

Flash forward to 2010. We're about two plus weeks away from the Hall of Fame induction ceremony. For a second year in a row, I was selected to be a panelist on the HOF induction committee. Last year, 30 people determined the outcome of the HOF, which included 15 living members of the HOF and 15 selected members of the press. This year, the committee expanded to 33 voters (16 living HOF members and 17 press geeks) and I got a nod once again. I don't think being on the HOF committee is like a judgeship where I'm appointed for life, so I have to be on my best behavior if I want to be invited back next year. I gotta say, getting tapped for the HOF committee was probably the coolest thing that happened to me in poker outside of the Poker Prof and Flipchip hiring me to cover my first WSOP.

The tone and levity of my writing might suggest that I take a not-so-serious approach to poker, however, I take the HOF with the utmost seriousness. Most of the time, poker writers are pretty much pointed in a general direction and told what stories to write (or more importantly, we learned which stories not to write about). However, in this instance, we're asked for our honest opinions about the players up for consideration, and the HOF ballot is one of the few times we can fully express ourselves without fear of retribution.

When voting for a specific player, we were asked to consider...

1. A player must have played poker against acknowledged top competition
2. Played for high stakes
3. Played consistently well, gaining the respect of peers
4. Stood the test of time
5. Or, for non-players, contributed to the overall growth and success of the game of poker, with indelible positive and lasting results.

If you take a close look, there is nothing about age. The unwritten age rule is something that some of the HOF voters took into deep consideration. You can call it the Chip Reese Rule if you want -- that no one under 40 will be elected to the Hall of Fame, because that was the exact age of Chip Reese when he got the nod in 1991.

The cool thing is that the powers to be allowed the committee to interpret the rules as we see fit. So if someone wants to base their votes on the best player regardless of age, without a doubt that's Ivey, but if someone wants to exclude Ivey because he's not 40 yet, then they had that right.

But the committee has spoken, and the two that will gain entry this year are Dan Harrington and Erik Seidel. Congrats to both gentlemen.

Current Poker Hall of Fame Members:
1979 Nick "The Greek" Dandolos, James Butler, "Wild Bill" Hickok, Edmond Hoyle, Felton "Corky" McCorquodale, Johnny Moss, Red Winn, Sid Wyman
1980 T "Blondie" Forbes
1981 Bill Boyd
1982 Tom Abdo
1983 Joe Bernstein
1984 Murph Harrold
1985 Red Hodges
1986 Henry Green
1987 Walter Clyde "Puggy" Pearson
1988 Doyle Brunson and Jack “Treetop” Strauss
1989 Fed "Sarge" Ferris
1990 Benny Binion
1991 David "Chip" Reese
1992 "Amarillo Slim" Preston
1993 Jack Keller
1996 Julius Oral "Little Man" Popwell
1997 Roger Moore
2001 Stu Ungar
2002 Lyle Berman and Johnny Chan
2003 Bobby Baldwin
2004 Berry Johnston
2005 Crandall Addington and Jack Binion
2006 Billy Baxter and T.J. Cloutier
2007 Barbara Enright and Phil Hellmuth
2008 Henry Orenstein and Duane “Dewey” Tomko
2009 Mike Sexton
2010 Dan Harrington and Erik Seidel

Photo credits: Flipchip

The Poker Hall of Fame Dinner

By Pauly
Los Angeles, CA

As a non-scenster in the poker world, I do everything in my power to avoid attending poker-related functions. And when I do make a cameo at those parties and events, I do a little glad-handing, crack a few jokes, and find a way to make a quick exit. If I was a serious alkie, I'd probably be loving those parties for the free booze aspect, but I'm not that kind of juicer anymore.

However, I made a welcomed exception for the Poker Hall of Fame dinner. I knew it would be one of the highlights of my week in Las Vegas. As one of the 15-member media panel who determined this year's class (along with the living members of the Hall of Fame), I received an invite (+1) for the dinner and induction ceremony where the industry would honor Mike Sexton as the lone member of the 2009 class. The private event was held in the Brasilia Ballroom during the two-hour dinner break of the November Nine final table. The close proximity to the Penn & Teller Theatre made it super easy to attend. Luckily I have a girlfriend and the +1 on the invite was a no-brainer so I took the lovely Change100 who was equally excited to witness Mike Sexton's induction. Michalski was scrambling at the last minute to find a date and he didn't want to show up to such a prestigious event empty-handed. He found a date and no, his date wasn't a guy nor was it a local harlot he found off craigslist. On the contrary, Michalski's date was a sweet Texas girl and the sibling of a WSOP bracelet winner.

We all sat together at a table off to the corner after arriving fashionably late since the final table ran a few minutes behind schedule. Most of "famous people" sat at the middle tables up front. You know who I'm talking about... Texas Dolly, Jesus, Howard Lederer, Daniel Negreanu, and that Phil Hellmuth clown. Sure, my vote counted just as much as Dolly's or Hellmuth's but that's were our equality ended. That's why Michalski and I (and the rest of the media panel) were sitting off to the side and near the back -- sot of like the kiddie table at Thanksgiving dinner. It was a stark reminder that we were skilled enough as scribes to gain access to the ballroom, but we weren't important enough to be closer to the action, which was fine with me since I was surprised that I got a vote in the first place. The cliche fits... I was simply happy to be there.

A poker-themed wine company sponsored the event and provided free wine. The "high roller" wine was available for tasting in the back of the room. I didn't realize that it was a tasting table and I was initially irked at the small portions. The waiters at the tables had full bottles of wine -- albeit a lesser expensive wine. At least they kept the glasses filled to the top.

I ran into Barry Greenstein at the meat station and introduced him to Change100 and although she has been in the poker biz since 2006, she had never formally met the guy known in some circles as Joe Sebok's dad.

"You've got a good man there," Greenstein told my girlfriend.

"I know," blushed Change100.

Greenstein's compliment came before I revealed my votes. Although we could vote for no more than three people, I wrestled with my decision for weeks and had kept my votes private until I revealed two.

"You know Barry, I voted for you and Mike."

He cracked a rare smile. I picked up a tell on Greenstein. He can disguise the strength of his cards, but he couldn't hide the elation that someone actually voted for him.

"Thanks. But I'm glad you voted for Mike. He's the only guy that met all of the criteria. Lots of the (internet) kids don't realize that he hasn't been playing as much because he's busy being an expanding the reach of poker."

Greenstein also made a crack that the Hall of Fame lost some of it's legitimacy "once they let Jack Keller in." Ouch. But that's why I love Greenstein. He's a straight shooter.

I bumped into Padraig Parkinson. I had seen him eight hours earlier at the bar inside the lobby of the Penn & Teller Theatre and he had been drinking steadily ever since. The Irishman (third winningest player from Ireland) was part of a radio show with Jesse May in the UK. Although Jesse and Padraig had me on their show in the past, I had never actually met Padraig. I introduced myself and his eyes lit up. He put his glass of wine on the floor and whipped out his mobile phone.

"I gotta call Jesse!" Padraig said.

Two minutes later, I was on the phone with Jesse May and we were recording a bit for his radio show live from the Mike Sexton Hall of Fame dinner.

I handed the phone back to Padraig and he told me that he had 1% of Happy Shulman at the final table before he made a bee-line for the wine tasting table. That's when Fun Warren from Party Poker emerged from the crowd. Fun Warren is one of the coolest people in the entire poker industry. He's a proper Englishman who knows how to have a good time. Padraig is an old friend of Mike Sexton which was why he was at the dinner. Mike pulled Fun Warren aside and gave him a top secret mission -- be a chaperone to Padraig. Fun Warren's assignment was to keep Padraig out of trouble during the induction dinner. Talk about a tough task. How can you keep an Irishman away from free booze?

During the speeches, Padraig could not sit still and he rushed towards the win tasting tables. Without fail, Fun Warren was always a step or two behind him like a good shepherd to properly guide his soused sheep back to the flock.

A few old school legends sat up on the stage; T.J Cloutier, Texas Dolly, and Jack Binion. They took turns sharing stories about Mike Sexton and busted his balls about being a degenerate sports bettor. Doyle recanted one story many moons ago about Sexton getting tossed in jail after a poker game got raided in North Carolina. Sexton used his one phone call to put in a bet with his bookie.

"Give me Atlanta and the over!"

Commissioner Jeffrey Pollack spoke about Sexton's character. He used the word "class" a few times which is appropriate. Classy guys stand out in the poker world because the majority of people in the business are Grade A assholes and Jerkoffs with a capital J.

Then Tom Sexton took the stage. I had the pleasure of working with Mike Sexton's older brother during the 2007 WSOP. During the down time, Tom told me fantastic stories about old school Vegas, especially dark and deviant tales about Archie Karas and Stuey Ungar. I knew that Tom would give a kick ass speech -- and he certainly delivered. He gave a little insight into Mike's career and his devotion to veterans groups and little league baseball. Mike Sexton is a true American hero.

In once instance, Tom had everyone in stitches and in the other he had almost everyone in tears. Tom got a little teary-eyed when he mentioned their mother who passed away 30 years earlier without seeing Mike Sexton's rise to greatness.

Tom finally introduced his brother, the man of the hour, who took the time to say many positive things about the eight other men who were on this year's ballot. Mike Sexton had the most to say about Tom McEvoy who helped usher in smoke-free tournaments.

Sexton also mentioned his loyalty to Linda Johnson who gave him one of his first jobs in poker. He also suggested that Johnson should be on next year's ballot for the Hall of Fame based on her numerous contributions to the game of poker.

Sexton praised Steve Lipscomb for helping shape the poker world as we see it today with the inception of the World Poker Tour, and of course, Sexton had some funny things to say about his partner in crime -- Vince Van Patten. Yep, VVP was in attendance but no Shana Hiatt (in case you were wondering) but Sexton definitely mentioned Shana as an integral part of the early success of the WPT.

I was fortunate to take part in a special night as the poker community honored one of their most influential members... Mike Sexton.

* * * * *
My Sunday column at Poker News contained some of my favorite quotes from the Poker Hall of Fame Dinner. Definitely check that out.

Michalski and I recorded two episodes of Tao of Pokerati during the Hall of Fame dinner...

Episode 12.4: Hall of Fame Dinner: Voter Hesitation (1:13)
Episode 12.5: Hall of Fame Dinner: Touched by Sexton (2:45)

I also uploaded a video that I stealthily shot during the Hall of Fame dinner. It was a montage of Mike Sexton clips/outakes/bloopers from the WPT. I was filming a big screen and the sound is not the best quality. Just a heads up warning. Regardless of the poor quality, there were some funny moments in the montage.



Original content written and provided by Pauly from Tao of Poker at www.taopoker.com. All rights reserved. RSS feeds are for non-commercial use only.

Welcome to the Poker Hall of Fame... Mike Sexton

By Pauly
Los Angeles, CA

I thought the results were supposed to be a secret? Nope, the votes were tallied up and the inductees for the 2009 Poker Hall of Fame were revealed in a blurb on the Las Vegas Review-Journal of all place. Only one player got the nod... Mike Sexton.

The nine nominees needed 75% of the 30 total votes in order to gain entry. Only Mike Sexton met those requirements. I wrote an article on Poker News were I picked Sexton as the overall favorite to make HOF this year. The results made me look like I knew what I was talking about. Then again, how can you argue against Sexton's accomplishments on and off the felt?

As I've mentioned many times before, most of the time when I'm playing poker, I heard Mike Sexton's voice inside my head commentating on my every move... if I'm making sketchy move, then Mike is raising his objections to Vince (who doesn't actually have a speaking roll -- he just sits there and nods).


2006 WPT Championship at the Bellagio
Photo by yours truly
I remember the first WPT event that I covered at the Borgata in Atlantic City in 2005. I had been up for a few days straight. I drove down from New York City after a flight from Barcelona (via Amsterdam) where I covered my the EPT Barcelona. Although I watched Mike Sexton play in the 2005 WSOP, I had never seen him as "Mike Sexton the biggest swinging dick on the WPT." There I was, sitting in the press area, when Mike Sexton walked into the packed ballroom.

The larger than life Mike Sexton was one of the most recognizable figures in poker at the apex of the boom in late 2005. Sexton took a few steps, posed for a picture, and glad-handed Tab the tournament director. Sexton strolled through the playing area. Players stopped in the middle of hands to look up as Sexton passed by. Sexton occasionally stopped at a table to talk to a player. His people. Just because he was behind the microphone calling the action didn't mean that Sexton abandoned his roots.

Sexton paid his dues in an era when poker was less sanitized and not yet corporatized. He was also friends with Stuey Ungar at a time in Stuey's life when he burned so many bridges that no one wanted anything to do with him. There's plenty of crazy Stuey stories, even a few involving Sexton, but the one that stood out the most was the Gold Coast story.

Sexton was at home fast asleep. 4:20am. The phone rang. It was Stuey who was plastered, broke, and trying to dodge drug dealers whom he owed a shitload of money. That summed up the 1990s for Stuey Ungar. Same shit. Different day. That night, Stuey was wandering the streets of Downtown with the rest of the derelicts. Sexton's girlfriend begged him not to help pull Stuey out of the gutter for the umpteenth time. Sexton did not listen to her and he drove downtown. Sexton found Stuey and mentioned that "his fingers were blackened from smoking crack."

Sexton hid Stuey in different hotels in order to stay a few steps ahead of the thugs looking to collect a hefty drug debt. At one point Sexton set up Stuey at the Gold Coast for a month while he tried to stay clean and out of sight from his dealers. Sexton assumed that the bill would only be $1,500, but Stuey went a little crazy with excessive room service charges and pay per view flicks. The bill was over $6,000. Sexton wasn't rolling in the cash those days. He didn't have the money and had to put the balance on his credit card. But he did it for Stuey.

Mike Sexton. Guardian Angel. Player. Commentator. Ambassador. Hall of Famer.


Original content written and provided by Pauly from Tao of Poker at www.taopoker.com. All rights reserved. RSS feeds are for non-commercial use only.

2009 Poker Hall of Fame Voting

By Pauly
Los Angeles, CA

I'm fortunate and deeply honored that I'm one of the thirty people (15 living members of the Hall of Fame and 15 member media panel) that get a vote for this year's Hall of Fame.



Here's the criteria...

-- Among finalists, who is most deserving to be elected this year
-- A player must have played poker against acknowledged top competition
-- Played for high stakes
-- Played consistently well, gaining the respect of peers
-- 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.

Members of the Poker Hall of Fame:
1979: Nick 'The Greek' Dandolos; 'Wild Bill Hickok'; Edmond Hoyle; Felton 'Corky' McCorquodale; Johnny Moss; Red Winn; Sid Wyman
1980: T 'Blondie' Forbes
1981: Bill Boyd
1982: Tom Abdo
1983: Joe Bernstein
1984: Murph Harrold
1985: Red Hodges
1986: Henry Green
1987: Walter Clyde 'Puggy' Pearson
1988: Doyle Brunson; Jack 'Treetop' Strauss
1989: Fed 'Sarge' Ferris
1990: Benny Binion
1991: David 'Chip' Reese
1992: 'Amarillo Slim' Preston
1993: Jack Keller
1996: Julius Oral 'Little Man' Popwell
1997: Roger Moore
2001: Stu 'The Kid' Ungar
2002: Lyle Berman; Johnny Chan
2003: Bobby Baldwin
2004: Berry Johnston
2005: Crandall Addington; Jack Binion
2006: Billy Baxter; T.J. Cloutier
2007: Barbara Enright; Phil Hellmuth
2008: Henry Orenstein; Duane 'Dewey' Tomko
2009: ? ? ?

I can vote for no more than three nominees. I can also vote for none. My vote is due on October 2nd, so I have a solid week or so to think about this.

I'm wondering what the readers here think and want your feedback. I know who I shouldn't vote for, but who should I vote for and why?


Original content written and provided by Pauly from Tao of Poker at www.taopoker.com. All rights reserved. RSS feeds are for non-commercial use only.