World Series Of Poker Announces Eight Finalists For 2026 Poker Hall Of Fame Induction

The World Series of Poker announced eight finalists for the Poker Hall of Fame on Wednesday. The list focuses on players who came of age in the game during the Moneymaker poker boom, a key online poker entrepreneur and founder, and a member of poker’s old guard era.

After several years of inducting only one individual annually, series officials changed the process this year. There is now no official cap on the number that could be inducted, although the math behind voting points to a maximum of six. The eight hopefuls include:

• Shaun Deeb
• Jason Koon
• Isaac Haxton
• Justin Bonomo
• Scott Seiver
• Chris Moorman
• Mike Matusow
• Isai Scheinberg

The list of eight nominees is given to the 33 living members of the Hall of Fame. Each member gets up to four votes. If two-thirds of the members cast a vote for the nominee, he gets inducted. If no one receives the necessary 22 votes, then the nominee with the highest vote total gets in.

The new voting model mimics the Baseball Hall of Fame where writers can vote for up to 10 players.

“One of, if not the highest honor in the poker industry, the eight finalists have earned a chance at poker immortality for their achievements on the felt, presence in the poker world, and their overwhelming impact on the game,” the WSOP said in announcing the finalists.

Young Guns From Moneymaker-Era Well-Represented

Poker players who got into the game during the Moneymaker boom of the 2000s are well-represented among the nominees.

This group includes Deeb, Koon, Haxton, Bonomo, Seiver, and Moorman. Most are online and live crushers from the initial boom.

Five of the six are Americans, with Moorman the only player from outside the U.S. This marks Sevier’s second nomination after also being included in 2025. Deeb, Koon, Haxton, Bonomo, and Moorman are all receiving first-time nominations after turning 40, a part of the nomination criteria.

Two other players in this category were given the nod for the Hall of Fame in 2025. Nick Schulman earned the honor through the regular process, while Michael Mizrachi was added following his epic run in the WSOP main event and the Poker Players Championship through a special exemption.

Additional players from this category should be nominated in the coming years as more of them turn 40 years old.

Scheinberg Stays Alive Despite Controversial Bid

After being nominated six previous times, Isai Scheinberg is once again on the list this year. He’s the lone non-player up for induction.

The PokerStars founder made a major impact on the online game but comes with some controversy.

In 2011, Scheinberg was indicted on five criminal charges after PokerStars continued operations in the U.S. following the passage of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006. On April 15 that year, the federal government cracked down on online poker operators and seized site domains of several operators, including PokerStars.

In September 2020, the feds fined Scheinberg $30,000 and did not sentence him to any jail time. Earlier that year, Scheinberg pled not guilty to violating the Illegal Gambling Business Act, the UIGEA law, and conspiracy to commit bank fraud and money laundering.

Along with his work in growing online poker, supporters point to Scheinberg’s role in paying back Full Tilt Poker players. That site imploded after Black Friday when funds went missing in what the federal government referred to as a ponzi scheme.

Former PokerStars ambassador and current Hall of Fame member Daniel Negreanu has long been a supporter of Scheinberg’s inclusion. Here’s a look at comments he made in 2020.

It’s been a long time coming for Isai Schienberg to be on the nomination list and he got all 10 of my votes this year.

A builder category without Isai is no builder category at all.

His innovations changed poker forever. https://t.co/VQgE7BYNYv

— Daniel Negreanu (@RealKidPoker) December 18, 2020

Matusow Last Remaining Old Guard On The Ballot

Mike Matusow rounds out the list of nominees. This is his 12th time up for induction. Matusow has the most nominations without an induction. The four-time WSOP bracelet winner made numerous televised poker appearances, played high-stakes cash games, and final tabled the WSOP main event twice.

True to his “The Mouth” nickname, Matusow is adamant he should’ve been inducted years ago.

“What really bothers me is I’ve made like $3.5 million playing poker the last three years, and I sit there and am still able to compete against the best in the world,” he told Card Player in 2024, referencing a back injury he has dealt with for several years. “And I’m playing in debilitating pain every day. The fact that they haven’t put me in the Hall of Fame really bothers me because I should have been in 10 years ago.

“They put people in the Hall of Fame in front of me that are an absolute embarrassment, people who could never beat me in any game ever.”

That point might be debated, but poker fans continue to give Matusow the nod at least in the nomination process. He continues to come up short, however, in the member voting process.

Matusow could be one of the last possible inductees from the era of players like Negreanu, Phil Hellmuth, Jennifer Harman, and Phil Ivey. The expanded number of  inductees could help his chances this year. He may be a favorite to get in because existing members can remember his success on the felt and his contributions to the game.

Criteria For Hall Of Fame

Poker Hall of Fame inclusion is based on a set of criteria spelled out by the WSOP and include the following:

• Must be at least 40 years old at the time of nomination
• Must have played for high stakes
• Played against acknowledged top competition
• Must have played consistently well and gained the respect of peers
• Must have stood the test of time
• For non-players, they must have contributed to the overall growth and success of the game of poker, with indelible positive and lasting results

Poker Hall of Fame Members

Here’s a look at the complete Poker Hall of Fame membership, with year of induction: