Newly Eligible Shaun Deeb is Poker Hall of Fame Worthy, But Will He Get in This Year?
Table Of Contents
Shaun Deeb, as of March 1, is now eligible for induction into the Poker Hall of Fame after reaching age 40.
There are few in poker — even his haters — who could come up with an argument as to why the eight-time World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner isn't worthy of induction at some point. The numbers don't lie and neither do the results he's put up — online and live — for nearly 20 years. But despite having a first-ballot Hall of Fame resume, he became eligible in one of the most competitive years in recent history, thus bringing up the debate if he'll get in right away or be forced to wait a few years.
Not only are there plenty of deserving leftovers who didn't make the cut last year (Scott Seiver, Antonio Esfandiari, Phil Galfond, Vanessa Selbst, Matt Savage, to name a few), this year's list of first-time eligible candidates is stacked. Jason Koon, Justin Bonomo, and Isaac Haxton all have over $60 million in live tournament cashes and reached eligibility within the past year.
That's not to say Deeb isn't equally or more deserving than those poker legends. But it will come down to which candidate the voters think is most worthy. The WSOP only inducts one player or industry person each year, except for 2025 when Michael Mizrachi, after winning the WSOP Main Event and Poker Players Championship in the same year, was granted a special exemption induction days after Nick Schulman was inducted.
Shaun Deeb's Poker Hall of Fame Resume
Deeb has a lengthy history of dominating in low, mid, and high-stakes cash games and tournaments — live and online. But his strongest selling point to the voters (i.e. living members of the PHOF) is that he's won prestigious awards and tournaments.
The New York native with $17.4 milion in The Hendon Mob live tournament cashes, has won eight WSOP bracelets. Only six players in history have more, with Phil Hellmuth leading the way at 17 bracelets. Deeb won his most recent bracelet last fall at WSOP Europe in a €25,000 High Roller.
Deeb has stood the test of time, a key criteria for Poker Hall of Fame induction. He has online poker results dating back to the 2000s and six-figure or better live tournament cashes in 15 of the past 18 years (excluding the pandemic year of 2020).
The resume also includes two WSOP Player of the Year awards, a distinction he shares with Daniel Negreanu and nobody else. Deeb is the reigning POY winner, an honor he also achieved in 2018. As a televised cash game player, he has over $280,000 in profits, mostly on Poker Night in America, in just 164 hours of play, according to HighRollPoker.com.
Beneficiary of Recency Bias?
If the voters favor someone like Seiver or perhaps Mike Matusow entering the 2026 WSOP Europe series later this month (or summer WSOP in Las Vegas), Deeb will have opportunities to change their minds. Recency bias has come into play a few times in Poker Hall of Fame voting.
Deeb will attend the WSOP Europe series, the first leg in the 2026 WSOP Player of the Year chase, and his first opportunity since the Bahamas to win his ninth bracelet. There are 100 bracelet events on the summer WSOP schedule, providing plenty of additional chances to impress the voters.
If Deeb isn't chosen this year, he'll certainly be among the favorites each summer for PHOF induction until he finally gets the nod. But the backlog is only going to increase in the coming years when more elite players become eligible, such as Tom Dwan (2027) and Kristen Foxen (2027). And that doesn't even include the extensive list of deserving candidates who've already reached eligibility, including Josh Arieh, Jeremy Ausmus, and many others, some mentioned above.
No doubt Deeb will one day reach the Poker Hall of Fame. But will it be in 2026, his first year of eligibility? That question will be answered in about four months.
Shaun Deeb's World Series of Poker Bracelets
| Series | Event | Entries | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 WSOP Vegas | $10,000 PL Hold'em Championship | 128 | $318,857 |
| 2016 WSOP Vegas | $1,500 Seven Card Stud | 331 | $111,101 |
| 2018 WSOP Vegas | $25,000 PLO 8-Handed High Roller | 230 | $1,402,683 |
| 2018 WSOP Vegas | Big Blind Ante $10,000 NLH 6-Handed Championship | 355 | $814,179 |
| 2021 WSOP Vegas | $25,000 High Roller PLO | 212 | $1,251,860 |
| 2023 WSOP Vegas | $1,500 8-Game Mix 6-Handed | 789 | $198,854 |
| 2025 WSOP Vegas | $100,000 High Roller PLO | 121 | $2,957,229 |
| 2025 WSOP Europe | €25,000 NLH GGMillion$ | 38 | €329,000 |
