WiPHoF Opens Public Nomination Process for 2018 Enshrinement
The Women in Poker Hall of Fame (WiPHoF) today announced the opening of its public-nomination process, the first step in selecting the women who will be elected to an enshrined in the WiPHOF this coming June.
The nomination process is available to all fans of poker, with anyone who visits the WiPHoF public-nomination page (http://womenspokerhalloffame.com/wiphof/nominations) able to nominate up to three (3) candidates. From there, in a process roughly mirroring that of the Poker Hall of Fame, the public nominations will be vetted by the WiPHoF’s election committee, and the list of finalists will then be voted on by a group of up to 30 existing WiPHoF members and industry professionals.
Currently, the Women in Poker Hall of Fame enshrines a class of honorees only every other year, so this is the first election process since 2016, when Debbie Burkhead and Victoria Coren Mitchell received the nod. Those two swelled the WiPHoF’s enshrinement number to 19. That membership includes:
- Barbara Enright
- Linda Johnson
- Marsha Waggoner
- Susie Isaacs
- Cyndi Violette
- Jan Fisher
- June Field
- Billie Brown
- Jennifer Harman
- Kathy Liebert
- Kristy Gazes
- Margie Heintz
- Phyllis Caro
- JJ Liu
- Kathy Raymond
- Allyn Shulman
- Deborah Giardina
- Debbie Burkhead
- Victoria Coren Mitchell
According to the WiPHoF, these are the criteria for possible enshrinement:
- A candidate must have been active as a player or industry leader for a minimum of 10 years prior to election and 35 yrs of age or older.
- Player/industry leader must have contributed to the world of poker in some significant way. This person can qualify by either winning major poker tournaments, or by making significant contributions to the industry of poker.
- Player/industry leader must be a proponent of women in poker.
- All nominees must be approved by a committee of the WiPHoF Committee and the Inductees.
- Nominees must agree to terms & conditions of the Women in Poker Hall of Fame.
This year’s enshrinement ceremony will be held at 11 a.m. on June 26th, 2018, at Las Vegas’s Orleans Casino. The luncheon-style ceremony will be one of several women’s poker events, including several tournaments, dotting the Vegas poker scene this summer.
The WiPHoF itself dates back to its creation in 2008, when the inaugural class of four (Enright, Johnson, Waggooner, and Isaacs) was enshrined. The WiPHoF conducted annual enshrinement ceremonies every summer through 2012, after which the process was adjusted to its current biannual format. That’s 2016 enshrinee Debbie Burkhead at right.
The WiPHoF has also shared a long and close relationship with PokerGives, a poker-themed charity that is also the beneficiary of funds raised at the biannual enshrinement ceremony and at select other poker events. PokerGives contributes to several worthy causes, but with a focus on the needs of former soldiers. As the site declares, “Poker Gives raises funds to assist military families and homeless vets with support services where there are none.”
The Women in Poker Hall of Fame also maintains an ongoing social-media presence. News and events concerning WiPHOF are often available on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/Women-in-Poker-Hall-of-Fame-887947301309464/ WiPHoF board chairman Lupe Sote also notes that the organization can be found on Twitter at @WiPHoF, and uses the hashtag #womeninpoker for ongoing updates.
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