Juanda and Harman Inducted Into 2015 Poker Hall Of Fame

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Tuesday, October 27th, 2015 | Written by Shane Larson

Waiting to find out who will be the next inductees into the Poker Hall Of Fame is now over, after it was announced that Jennifer Harman and John Juanda will become the 49th and 50th members of the prestigious pantheon of poker legends. As usual, the two inductees were chosen from a shortlist of 10 names, which this year included the likes of David Ulliott, Carlos Mortensen, David Chiu, Max Pescatori, Matt Savage, Bruno Fitoussi, Chris Bjorin, and Terry Rogers. Following announcement of their induction, Poker Hall of Fame governing council member Ty Stewart, said:

“Congratulations to the newest members of the Poker Hall of Fame. Both Jen and John are well-respected, long-time poker players who have paid their dues and deserving to represent the 2015 Class of the Poker Hall of Fame.”

Jennifer Harman

Jennifer Harman, 50, is one of the most successful female players in the game, and is currently in 8th place on the ‘Women’s All Time Money List’, having earned $2,707,477, and 2 WSOP bracelets along the way. In addition to her tournament prowess, Harman has the distinction of having competed at the highest stakes cash games in Vegas for more than a decade, as well as being a regular contributor to charitable causes, including the Nevada Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA).

The National Kidney Foundation (NKF) is also a charity close to her heart, as herself, her mother and sister have all suffered kidney disease, a situation that was further aggravated after moving to a location with a high arsenic content in the water. All three of them then suffered kidney problems, and at the age of 17 she watched her mother die of kidney failure, before aged 18 suffering kidney failure herself. Commenting on her Poker Hall Of Fame induction, Harman explained:

“I think getting into the Hall of Fame means that your peers respect what you have done with your life and career. That’s really important. It’s truly an honor to be selected into the PHOF. Poker has been an unbelievable journey for me and to have the respect of my peers is truly amazing. I want to thank everyone for the amazing support. I’m so happy!”

John Juanda

John Juanda, 44, is an Indonesian-born American who arrived in the US in 1990, and earned an MBA from the Oklahoma State University, and a Master’s Degree from Seattle University, before becoming a full-time poker professional in 1997. He also is amongst the most accomplished tournament players the game has produced, having earned $17,250,677 throughout his stunning career, placing him at number 10 on poker’s ‘All Time Money List’.

Amongst Juanda’s accolades are more than 30 tournament titles, including 5 WSOP bracelets, one of which came courtesy of winning the 2008 WSOP Europe Main Event in London for £868,800 ($1,580,096). In August of this year, Juanda also took down the EPT Barcelona Main Event for €1,022,593 ($1,164,034), which at 1,694 players was the largest field in the event’s history. Juanda’s performance was even more impressive as he had been absent from the game for more than a year on account of a series of huge fitness related prop bets, and commenting on his induction into the Poker Hall Of Fame, Juanda said:

“I appreciate the recognition. It’s an honor to see my name among so many players I have admired and respected throughout my career: Chip Reese, Erik Seidel, Dan Harrington, Daniel Negreanu. Thank you to all the fans who nominated me and to the HOF and media members who voted me in.”

Induction on November 6th in Vegas

The 2015 Poker Hall of Fame induction will take place at Binion’s Gambling Hall in Las Vegas on Friday, November 6th at 7 p.m, with the ceremony held just before this year’s WSOP Main Event resumes. The marquee tournament has been on an almost four month break since July, and next month the remaining nine players will take two days to determine an overall champion. This year’s players are a eclectic group and includes two players much older than those associated with a WSOP ME final table, namely Belgium pro Pierre Neuville, 72, the oldest November Nine in the competition’s history, and Neil Blumenfield, 61. The full line-up is as follows:

2015 WSOP November Nine:

1: Joseph McKeehen (USA) 158bb
2: Zvi Stern (Israel) 74.5bb
3: Neil Blumenfield (USA) 55bb
4: Pierre Neuville (Belgium) 53bb
5: Max Steinberg (USA) 50.5bb
6: Thomas Cannuli (USA) 31bb
7: Josh Beckley (USA) 29bb
8: Patrick Chan (USA) 16bb
9: Federico Butteroni (Italy) 15.5bb