Originally Posted by
SrslySirius
I could write 5,000 words on why the poker HOF is completely broken, but here's the bullet points:
1. The nomination process is completely opaque. There's a form on the website for fans to submit names, but you never see the results. WSOP could just be hand-picking nominees and you'd never know.
2. In fact, it's quite obvious that people such as Isai Scheinberg are being deliberately kept off the ballot. The interests of the WSOP are a factor. They shouldn't be.
3. It's also known that old timers have a say as to who gets on the ballot, such as Sailor Roberts a few years ago. The "Poker Hall of Fame Governing Council", whoever that is comprised of, supposedly has the ultimate say in who gets on the ballot. So what is the point of giving fans a form to fill out? To create the illusion of fairness?
4. Because only 2 players per year can be inducted, there is a backlog of players that deserve to get in, and many of them likely never will. This is only going to get worse as automatic first-ballot guys like Phil Ivey become eligible. The fact that John Juanda and David Chiu aren't even on the ballot is an absolute farce. They'll probably never get in. Mike Matusow may never get in. Ted Forrest may never get in. Jennifer Harmen may never get in, and yet Barbara Enright and Linda Johnson have been inducted?
5. The point system was completely broken the last several years, giving an enormous amount of power to a small number of people. Doyle Brunson and Phil Hellmuth were able to use their influence to get whoever they wanted inducted. This has been improved somewhat, but is still a major problem.
6. We don't know who the voters are, aside from the living hall of famers. Why is this a secret?
7. We don't know the results of the voting. I can only think of one single reason to withhold the point totals from the public, and that is to hide the fact that it's been fixed. If any of you can think of a legit reason to do so, I'd like to hear it.
8. There are too few voters. This makes it easier to manipulate results with voting blocs, lacks diversity, and increases variance. The chances of someone like Chiu ever getting in may depend on the whim of 1 or 2 people.
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