In its return for the first time since 2018, the Women in Poker Hall of Fame (WiPHoF) has selected Vanessa Selbst, Angelica Hael, Jennifer Tilly and Terry King as its Class of 2022 inductees.
Marking a strong comeback after coronavirus-related postponements, this year saw an unprecedented 54 women nominated through the public elimination process and seven making the ballot, including Kristen Foxen, Liv Boeree and Kara Scott.
"This year, having skipped a year of induction and with very few votes separating the top four women, the Hall members chose to make an exception and induct all four amazing women to the Class of 2022," the WiPHoF said in an announcement.
All Worthy Inductees
Each of the four inductees is well deserving in their own rights. Selbst, the all-time female money leader with $11.9 million in Hendon Mob cashes, has three World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelets to her name and has also made two World Poker Tour (WPT) final tables.
Though she has largely retired from poker and now works as an options trader, Selbst's impact on the poker world and influence on women in the game can't be overstated.
The same goes for Tilly, an acclaimed actor who has also been around poker for two and a half decades, having won a bracelet in the 2005 WSOP Ladies Event. Tilly, star of films like Child's Play and Liar Liar, appeared on early poker programs like The Big Game and also played on the most recent season of High Stakes Poker.
Hael, head of Global Tour Management for WPT and vice president of WPT Enterprises, is "responsible for a tour that has awarded more than $1 billion in prize money over its 16-plus years of leadership" and received the 2018 GPI Industry Person of the Year award for her efforts.
Hael joined WPT in 2010 and helped the tour see unprecedented international growth, including expansion to Asia, Africa and South America, and has also advised international brands including Asian Logic's Asian Poker Tour (APT).
King, a poker historian and one of the pioneering women in poker, won a bracelet in the 1978 WSOP Ladies Event and was one of the first women to deal in the WSOP Main Event. Having been in the industry for more than 50 years, King is widely recognized as a leading poker historian who has documented countless stories from poker's early years.
Foxen & Boeree Will Have to Wait for Next Year
With the four inductees chosen, the other 2022 nominees, Foxen, Boeree and Scott, will have to wait until next year for another chance to be voted into the WiPHoF.
All three would've been worthy picks as Foxen, a three-time GPI Female Poker Player of the Year winner and three-time WSOP bracelet winner, is one of the top crushers in the game, while Boeree and Scott have also had sizable impacts in the industry. Boeree has $3.9 million in live earnings and a WSOP bracelet under her belt, while Scott, a beloved poker presenter, became the second woman to cash back-to-back WSOP Main Events in 2009.
Others who were nominated to be on the 2022 ballot included Jamie Kerstetter, Maria Lampropulos, Gaelle Baumann and Jennifer Shahade.
Once inducted, Selbst, Tilly, Hael and King will join the likes of JJ Liu, Kathy Liebert, Maria Ho, Linda Johnson and others who make up the WiPHoF.
Current members of the Women in Poker Hall of Fame:
| Billie Brown | Debbie Burkhead | Barbara Enright | June Field | Jan Fisher |
| Kristy Gazes | Deborah Giardina | Jennifer Harman | Margie Heintz | Maria Ho |
| Susie Isaacs | Linda Johnson | Kathy Liebert | JJ Liu | Victoria Coren Mitchell |
| Kathy Raymond | Lupe Soto | Cyndy Violette | Marsha Waggoner | Phyllis Caro Yazbek |
Ceremony at PokerGO Studio
The four inductees will be honored at a WiPHoF Celebration & Induction Ceremony on Dec. 14 at the PokerGO Studio in Las Vegas. The celebration, sponsored by Playtika LTD and PokerGO, will be open to the public.
To purchase tickets to the induction ceremony or to learn more about the Women in Poker Hall of Fame, visit www.WiPHoF.com.
