Poker Hall of Fame
By All In Central · Updated
The Poker Hall of Fame has 66 members. Jason Koon is the newest, inducted in 2026. Created at Benny Binion's Horseshoe in 1979 and run by the World Series of Poker, the Hall honours the players who defined the game — and a handful of people who built it. Here is every member, class by class.
Every member, by year
† inducted after their death. Years with no inductee: 1994, 1995, 1998, 1999, 2000.
1970s
- 1979Johnny MossMain Event champion 1970, 1971, 1974
Three-time Main Event champion.
- 1979
Legendary high-stakes gambler of the early 20th century.
- 1979
Credited with bringing Texas hold'em to Las Vegas.
- 1979
- 1979
Casino owner (Dunes, Sands, Riviera) and player.
- 1979James Butler "Wild Bill" Hickok†Honorary
The Old West lawman shot while holding the "dead man's hand" in 1876.
- 1979Edmond Hoyle†Honorary
18th-century author of card-game rules — "according to Hoyle".
1980s
- 1980
- 1981
Five-card stud great who ran the Golden Nugget card room.
- 1982
- 1983
- 1984
Deuce-to-seven lowball specialist.
- 1985
- 1986
Alabama road gambler.
- 1987Walter "Puggy" PearsonMain Event champion 1973
- 1988Doyle "Texas Dolly" BrunsonMain Event champion 1976, 1977
- 1988
- 1989
1990s
- 1990Benny Binion†Non-player
Founded the Horseshoe and the World Series of Poker.
- 1991
Inducted at 40, then the youngest member.
- 1992Thomas "Amarillo Slim" PrestonMain Event champion 1972
- 1993Jack KellerMain Event champion 1984
- 1996
- 1997
Seven-card stud specialist — not the actor.
2000s
- 2001
- 2002
Businessman and World Poker Tour chairman, and a three-time bracelet winner.
- 2002Johnny ChanMain Event champion 1987, 1988
- 2003Bobby "The Owl" BaldwinMain Event champion 1978
- 2004Berry JohnstonMain Event champion 1986
- 2005Jack BinionNon-player
Ran the Horseshoe and grew the WSOP.
- 2005
Player and one of the founders of the WSOP.
- 2006
- 2006
- 2007Phil HellmuthMain Event champion 1989
- 2007
The first woman inducted.
- 2008
- 2008Henry OrensteinNon-player
Popularised the hole-card camera that made poker watchable on TV.
- 2009
Player, and the voice of the World Poker Tour.
2010s
- 2010Dan HarringtonMain Event champion 1995
- 2010
- 2011
- 2011
"The First Lady of Poker" — bracelet winner and industry pioneer.
- 2012Eric DracheNon-player
WSOP tournament director 1973–88.
- 2012
- 2013Tom McEvoyMain Event champion 1983
- 2013Scotty NguyenMain Event champion 1998
- 2014
- 2014Jack McClellandNon-player
Tournament director.
- 2015
- 2015
- 2016
- 2016Carlos MortensenMain Event champion 2001
- 2017
- 2017
- 2018
- 2018Mori EskandaniNon-player
Producer of High Stakes Poker and Poker After Dark.
- 2019Chris MoneymakerMain Event champion 2003
- 2019
2020s
- 2020Huck SeedMain Event champion 1996
- 2021
- 2022
- 2023
- 2024
- 2025
- 2025Michael "The Grinder" MizrachiMain Event champion 2025
Voted in 33–0 by the living members minutes after winning the 2025 Main Event.
- 2026
The only 2026 inductee, in his first year of eligibility.
How members are chosen
Anyone can nominate. The Hall's governing council narrows the nominations to a list of finalists, and the living members vote. A player must be at least 40 at nomination, have played for high stakes against acknowledged top competition, played consistently well and stood the test of time; a non-player must have contributed to the growth of the game with lasting results. Until 2025 only the top vote-getter (or two) got in; from 2026 each member has four votes and everyone above the threshold is inducted.
Common questions
- How many people are in the Poker Hall of Fame?
- 66 as of 2026. The Hall was founded in 1979 with seven members; Jason Koon was the 66th, inducted in August 2026.
- Who was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame in 2026?
- Jason Koon was the only 2026 inductee, in his first year of eligibility. He was inducted in August 2026 at the Horseshoe in Las Vegas as the Main Event final table began.
- How are Poker Hall of Fame members chosen?
- Fans nominate, a governing council narrows the list to finalists, and the living Hall of Fame members vote. Players must be at least 40, have played for high stakes against acknowledged top competition, played consistently well and stood the test of time. Non-players can be inducted for their lasting contribution to the game. From 2026 each voter has four votes and anyone above the threshold is inducted, so more than one person can get in each year.
- Who was the first woman in the Poker Hall of Fame?
- Barbara Enright, inducted in 2007 alongside Phil Hellmuth. Linda Johnson (2011) and Jennifer Harman (2015) followed.
- Why are Wild Bill Hickok and Edmond Hoyle in the Poker Hall of Fame?
- Both were honorary picks for the first class in 1979. Hickok, the Old West lawman, was shot at a poker table in 1876 holding what became known as the "dead man's hand"; Hoyle, who died in 1769, wrote the card-game rulebooks behind the phrase "according to Hoyle" — though he never wrote about poker, which didn't exist yet.
- Was Michael Mizrachi inducted the same night he won the Main Event?
- Yes. Minutes after he won the 2025 WSOP Main Event, the living Hall of Famers voted 33–0 to induct him on the spot, outside the normal ballot. Nick Schulman was the regular 2025 inductee.
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Open the timerSources: the World Series of Poker's Hall of Fame list and the PokerNews, Card Player and ConJelCo coverage of each induction, checked in September 2026. The running member numbers in that coverage (Huck Seed the 59th, Jason Koon the 66th) match this list. One source gives 1995 rather than 1996 for Julius Popwell's induction; the WSOP's year is used. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.