Women in Poker Hall of Fame Inducts Fisher, Field, Violette

The Women in Poker Hall of Fame inducted its second class of honorees on Friday night, adding poker veterans Jan Fisher, June Field and Cyndy Violette to its ranks. This second annual class swells membership in the WIPHOF to seven, along with inaugural class members Linda Johnson, Barbara Enright, Susie Isaacs and Marsha Waggoner.

The night’s gala at the Golden Nugget in downtown Las Vegas drew approximately two hundred luminaries from the poker world, with Mike Sexton hosting the evening’s program. Sexton opened a proclamation sent to the event by Las Vegas mayor Oscar Goodman, who declared June 5th, 2009 to be Women in Poker Hall of Fame Day. Among the other speakers during the festivities was World Series of Poker Commissioner Jeffrey Pollack, who joined in the celebration amid the summer’s busiest weekend for women’s poker, including a LIPSTour event on Saturday at the Golden Nugget and the traditional WSOP Ladies Event on Sunday at the Rio.

With each of the women introduced by one of the inaugural class members, Field, instrumental in the creation of several poker publications including CardPlayer, was the first of the three to take the podium. The second new member was Fisher, a Vegas poker veteran who has excelled in a wide variety of poker roles over the last three decades. Last of all came Violette, whose playing career now spans some 27 years and who is known within the world for her ultra-healthful lifestyle in addition to her poker excellence. The three received awards and gifts in recognition of their long-term participation in the poker world.

2009 WIPHOF inductees Jan Fisher, June Field and Cyndy Violette

Photo courtesy BJ Nemeth

The evening concluded with a dance and the wrap-up of a silent auction in which many thousands of dollars were collected for charities supported through the weekend’s PokerGives.org effort. A key element of the weekend’s focus, the charity proceeds generated by the auction were targeted for three worthy causes – Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund, Paralyzed Veterans of America, and Special Olympics.

Here's a video from the event: