Two of poker players most elite, Jen Harman and his counterpart John Juanda are set to be inducted into the poker hall of fame class of 2015. The two will become the 49th and 50th members to be inducted into the club. The induction ceremony for the duo is set to take place in Las Vegas at Binion’s Gambling Hall on Friday, November 26th from 7 p.m.
The duo were nominated by the public fans and voted in by 39 already exiting members of poker hall of fame and a panel from blue ribbon media. To be inducted into the exclusive poker hall of fame, the duo had to have met a stringent criterion which includes;
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Having played in poker tournaments against renowned opponents
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Be at least 40 years old when nominated
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Played high stakes poker
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Have played poker consistently well and from that gained respect from fellow players and fans
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Stood the test of time
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They must have contributed in a small or big way to the growth and success of poker with positive and lasting outcomes.
“Congratulations to the newest members of the poker hall of fame, “said Ty Stewart, a member of the Poker hall of fame governing council. “Both John and Jen 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.”
Harman has numerous poker tournament accomplishments under his belt including two world poker tour tables, twelve world poker series final tables, over $2.7 million in poker earnings and the much coveted honor of being the very first woman to win not one but multiple WSOP gold bracelets in open poker events. Her impressive career is notably tied to her lasting success in the biggest cash game globally.
“It’s truly an honor to be selected into the poker hall of fame,” said Harman. “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 their support. I’m so happy.”
The 50 year old mother of two has been a consistent winner at high stakes in Las Vegas poker tournaments for over a decade. Herman has also dedicated her time and love for the game towards raising money for a few charitable causes including Nevada Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and the National Kidney Foundation.
Indonesian native Juanda is a private person that leads an equally private life but his impressive poker resume is not private. In his career, he has garnered over $17 million in poker winnings including a European Poker Tour Title, a whopping 5 WSOP gold bracelets, PPT, APT, WPT and many other tournaments wins. He has undeniably won tournaments wherever he toured including Asia, North America, Australia and Europe.
“It’s an honor to see my name among the list of the many players I have respected and admired throughout my career: Erick Seidel, Daniel Negreanu, Chip Reese, Dan Harrington. Thank you to all the fans that lifted me this high by nominating me to the HOF and members of the media for voting me in,” said Juanda.
44 year old Juanda has been a long time resident in the US. He came to the US in 1990 when he attended Oklahoma State University before proceeding to Seattle University to receive his master’s degree. However since 1997, Juanda has made a living on playing poker which has secured his position as one of the most successful and consistent poker players within the last two decades of his career.
POH was established in 1979 and currently has 25 living members having a mix of influential poker players and other great contributors to the game.