button in SafariBonomo, Haxton, & Koon Among First-Time Poker Hall of Fame Candidates
This year's nominees for the Poker Hall of Fame have been announced, with the eight individuals now heading to the living members of the Hall for voting.
Each member can vote for up to four nominees, with anyone receiving votes from 22 or more members earning an automatic induction. This change, from a previous "winner-takes-all" format allowing for only one induction per year, was announced earlier this month.
Five of the eight nominees are first-time nominees, having met the minimum age requirement of 40. Eight-time WSOP bracelet winner Shaun Deeb headlines these players, and he is joined by Jason Koon, Isaac Haxton, Chris Moorman and Justin Bonomo.
Scott Seiver has been nominated for the second straight year after becoming eligible for the first time in 2025. He is joined by four-time WSOP bracelet winner Mike Matusow who is nominated for the 12th time, with PokerStars founder Isai Scheinberg rounding out the nominees.
Shaun Deeb
In his first year of eligibility, Shaun Deeb is one of the most anticipated candidates to the Poker Hall of Fame in recent memory. Long regarded as one of the toughest opponents, especially in the mixed games world, Deeb has amassed eight WSOP bracelets and two separate WSOP Player of the Year titles (2018 & 2025).
Just ten years separated Deeb's first bracelet, in the now-defunct $10,000 Pot-Limit Hold'em Championship in 2015, from his eighth when he won the €25,000 GGMillion€ at WSOP Europe last October.
These credentials put him in elite historical company in the Hall of Fame conversation. Currently, no other living player who is Hall-eligible has won as many WSOP bracelets as Deeb without already being inducted. While Benny Glaser also holds eight bracelets, he will not meet the mandatory age requirement of 40 until 2029, leaving Deeb as the most decorated un-inducted player on the ballot.
Shaun Deeb WSOP Bracelets
| Year | Event | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 (E) | Event #13: €25,000 GGMillion€ | €329,000 |
| 2025 | Event #79: $100,000 PLO High Roller | $2,957,229 |
| 2023 | Event #27: $1,500 Eight Game Mix | $198,854 |
| 2021 | Event #53: $25,000 PLO High Roller | $1,251,860 |
| 2018 | Event #74: $10,000 NLHE 6-Handed Championship | $814,179 |
| 2018 | Event #42: $25,000 PLO High Roller | $1,402,683 |
| 2016 | Event #49: $1,500 Seven-Card Stud | $111,101 |
| 2015 | Event #15: $10,000 Pot-Limit Hold'em Championship | $318,857 |
Scott Seiver
After his three bracelets led him to the WSOP Player of the Year title in 2024, many thought that Scott Seiver was a lock for induction into the Poker Hall of Fame the following year. He subsequently received his first nomination after becoming eligible at the age of 40.
However, he could only watch on as the lone induction spot went to Nick Schulman, with a special exemption seeing Michael Mizrachi also inducted following his victory in the WSOP Main Event.
With the voting process now altered to allow multiple deserving candidates to clear the threshold together, many feel Seiver once again is among the most likely to be inducted, due to his WSOP performances, tournament earnings, and a decades-long presence in the world's most exclusive high-stakes cash games.
Scott Seiver WSOP Bracelets
| Year | Event | Prize |
| 2024 | Event #72: $10,000 NL 2-7 Lowball Championship | $411,041 |
| 2024 | Event #40: $1,500 Razz | $141,374 |
| 2024 | Event #10: $10,000 Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better | $426,744 |
| 2022 | Event #3: $2,500 Freezeout | $320,059 |
| 2019 | Event #62: $10,000 Razz Championship | $301,421 |
| 2018 | Event #52: $10,000 Limit Hold'em Championship | $296,222 |
| 2008 | Event #21: $5,000 No-Limit Hold'em | $755,891 |
Jason Koon
Another player who turned Hall-eligible in 2025 is Jason Koon. Among the modern high-stakes pros, many hold Koon in the highest regard. A former Ambassador of PartyPoker and GGPoker and now a PokerStars Team Pro, Koon is the all-time leading Triton title holder with 12 titles on the prestigious high roller tour.
He has also won two WSOP bracelets. The first came in 2021 in the prestigious $25K Heads-Up Championship, and after his second bracelet in the $50,000 High Roller just last year, he said he would love to be honored with induction into the Poker Hall of Fame.
"You know, it's not something I've really considered as a possibility," he told PokerNews. "But the career has gone pretty well, so we'll see what the people in there think."
Jason Koon WSOP Bracelets
| Year | Event | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Event #32: $50,000 High Roller | $1,968,927 |
| 2021 | Event #11: $25,000 Heads-Up Championship | $243,981 |
Isaac Haxton
Isaac Haxton enters the discussion in his first year of eligibility, sitting seventh on the global all-time money list and fourth on the United States all-time list.
His career spans from the early days of the online poker boom to the modern industry, dominated by high-stakes poker tours and professionals. Haxton famously finished runner-up in the 2007 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure aged just 21, and represented both PokerStars and PartyPoker as ambassador during the 2010s.
His largest live cash came in 2018 after winning the $300,000 Super High Roller Bowl for $3,672,000, with Haxton amassing over $65 million in career earnings over his 19-year career. In 2023, he removed himself from the "Best Without a Bracelet" list with a victory in the $25,000 High Roller.
A maiden Triton title last year in Jeju was only the latest accolade he's achieved, with Haxton regularly considered one of the toughest poker players in the world.
Isaac Haxton WSOP Bracelets
| Year | Event | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Event #16: $25,000 High Roller | $1,698,215 |
Justin Bonomo
Justin Bonomo could also be inducted in his first year of eligibility, in recognition of a career that has seen him dominate the high-roller world for extended periods.
Bonomo secured his first WSOP bracelet in 2014, before embarking on one of the most dominant single-year runs in poker history four years later.
His legendary stretch saw him capture the Super High Roller Bowl China for over $4.7 million, win the Las Vegas Super High Roller Bowl for $5 million two years later, secure a second career WSOP bracelet in the $10,000 Heads-Up Championship, and cap it off by winning the $1,000,000 Big One for One Drop for a staggering $10,000,000.
However, Bonomo’s candidacy also carries elements of high-profile controversy that members of the Hall will likely weigh. His early-career history involving online multi-accounting remains part of his public record.
He also faced a highly publicized threat of disqualification at the 2024 WSOP Paradise Super Main Event due to a compliance dispute. This stemmed from his choice to wear a Palestinian Keffiyeh scarf at the televised feature table, which fell foul of the WSOP's policy to "not allow garments deemed controversial or political in nature".
Justin Bonomo WSOP Bracelets
| Year | Event | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Event #78: The Big One for One Drop | $10,000,000 |
| 2018 | Event #16: $10,000 Heads-Up Championship | $185,965 |
| 2016 | Event #11: $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em 6-Handed | $449,980 |
Mike Matusow
Twelfth time's a charm? Another nomination for Mike Matusow, who is one of the most recognizable poker players of his generation. Affectionately known as "the Mouth" for his reputation for trash-talking, Matusow featured prominently on televised poker shows throughout the 2000s, including Poker After Dark and High-Stakes Poker.
His first six-figure score came in 1999, when he won his first bracelet, taking down the $3,500 No-Limit Hold'em event for $265,475.
"The Mouth" navigated to the final table of the 2001 WSOP Main Event, finishing sixth for $239,765. Amazingly, Matusow reached the WSOP Main Event final table again in 2005, where he finished ninth for $1,000,000, his first six-figure haul.
Matusow became a two-time bracelet winner in 2002, winning the $5,000 Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better event for $148,520, then his third in 2008 in the $5,000 No-Limit 2-7 Draw event. He then won a fourth in 2013 in the $5,000 Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo.
In addition to his WSOP successes, Matusow has reached five final tables on the World Poker Tour (WPT), with three of those being top-three finishes. Just shy of $1.56 million of Matusow's $10.8 million in live poker tournament winnings stem from WPT events.
Mike Matusow WSOP Bracelets
| Year | Event | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | $5,000 Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo Split 8 or Better | $266,503 |
| 2008 | $5,000 No Limit 2–7 Draw | $537,862 |
| 2002 | $5,000 Omaha Hi-Low Split 8 or Better | $148,520 |
| 1999 | $3,500 No Limit Hold 'em | $266,475 |
Most Nominations But Not in Poker Hall of Fame
| Rank | Person | Nominations | First Nominated |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mike Matusow | 12 | 2013 |
| 2 | Matt Savage | 10 | 2015 |
| 3 | Ted Forrest | 8 | 2014 |
| 4 | Chris Bjorin | 7 | 2012 |
| 4 | Isai Scheinberg | 7 | 2020 |
| 6 | David Chiu | 6 | 2012 |
| 7 | Chris Ferguson | 4 | 2010 |
| 7 | Bruno Fitoussi | 4 | 2014 |
| 7 | Eli Elezra | 4 | 2016 |
| 7 | Kathy Liebert | 4 | 2022 |
Chris Moorman
The final player nominated in their first year of eligibility is British player Chris Moorman. Widely considered the most successful online tournament player in poker history, Moorman built his bankroll from scratch after winning $70 in a freeroll. He has since generated a staggering record of nearly $15 million in online tournament earnings playing under the iconic moniker “Moorman1".
While his virtual legacy is unmatched, Moorman has also accumulated over $11.6 million in live tournament earnings. His live breakthrough came in 2011, a historic year where he final-tabled the Aussie Millions Main Event and finished as the runner-up in the WSOP $10,000 Six-Handed Championship.
He finally captured his first major live title in 2014 by winning the prestigious WPT L.A. Poker Classic Main Event at the Commerce Casino for $1,015,460, and later secured his first live WSOP gold bracelet in the 2017 $3,000 Six-Handed event.
Moorman added a second career bracelet during the 2021 WSOP Online series and final tabled the WPT World Championship at Wynn Las Vegas in back-to-back years, finishing fourth both times for combined cashes of over $3.2 million.
His induction would mark a historic acknowledgment of online poker’s greatest player, becoming only the third British player to be inducted after Edmond Hoyle and David "Devilfish" Ulliott.
Chris Moorman WSOP Bracelets
| Year | Event | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 (O) | Event #29: $800 NLH Deepstack Championship | $102,406 |
| 2017 | Event #27: $3,000 No-Limit Hold'em 6-Handed | $498,682 |
Isai Scheinberg
Among this year's candidates, Isai Scheinberg stands as the only "builder" nominee, which seeks to reward those who have made a significant contribution to poker or contributed to the growth or success of the game as a whole. He is one of only three to be nominated in back-to-back years, alongside Seiver and Matusow.
In 2001, the Israeli-Canadian businessman co-founded PokerStars alongside his son, Mark. Under his leadership, the site helped transform poker from a localized casino attraction to an international online phenomenon, riding the wave of the poker boom throughout the 2000s and beyond.
Scheinberg’s legacy among players and peers is backed up by his actions following Black Friday in 2011, where Scheinberg acquired Full Tilt and all of its liabilities, ultimately ensuring that millions of frozen player balances globally were fully refunded.
Many have long called for Scheinberg's induction into the Hall of Fame, especially after receiving the WPT Honors Award in 2022. To many, without Scheinberg, there would be no online poker as we know it today. The expanded voting thresholds provide living members with the ultimate opportunity to cement his lasting impact on the game.
Huck Seed holds the record for being on the ballot the most times before being inducted, seven, one more than Jennifer Harman. If Scheinberg does get inducted this year, he would tie this record. If Matusow were to gain entry, he would obliterate it at 12.
Most Nominations Before Induction into Poker Hall of Fame
| Rank | Person | Nominations | Year Inducted |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Huck Seed | 7 | 2020 |
| 2 | Jennifer Harman | 6 | 2015 |
| 3 | Scotty Nguyen | 5 | 2013 |
| 3 | Tom McEvoy | 5 | 2013 |
| 5 | Barry Greenstein | 3 | 2011 |
| 5 | Carlos Mortensen | 3 | 2016 |
| 5 | Chris Moneymaker | 3 | 2019 |
| 5 | Daniel Negreanu | 3 | 2014 |
| 5 | David Ulliott | 3 | 2017 |
| 5 | John Juanda | 3 | 2015 |
| 5 | Phil Ivey | 3 | 2017 |
