top corner
Popular Poker Toplists
Poker Site Reviews
Poker Strategy
More Poker Toplists

2020 Poker Hall of Fame List of Finalists Announced

  1. Home
  2. News
  3. 2020 Poker Hall Of Fame Finalists
Poker Hall of Fame

On Thursday, the WSOP announced the official list of finalists for the 2020 Poker Hall of Fame. The final list consists of 11 individuals with two being considered as a team. Also, it appears that two finalists from last year did not roll over to the final list as was previously reported.

Four New Names on Finalists List

The list of Hall of Fame finalists was released on Thursday with five new names appearing on the list. Patrik Antonius, Matt Savage, Isai Scheinberg, Lon McEachern, and Norman Chad are the new names on the list of finalists.

McEachern and Chad will be considered in the builder category as a pair. Both are the long-time commentators for ESPN’s World Series of Poker and select other poker programs on the network. Chad is a part-time poker player and has a WSOP final table appearance.

Matt Savage and Isai Scheinberg are both returning to the finalist list. Savage is one of the most well-respected tournament directors in the world and most everyone knows about Scheinberg’s contributions to poker through PokerStars.

Patrik Antonius is a finalist for the first time. He has won more money in high stakes cash games online than any other player in history. Antonius is a well respected high stakes poker player with over $12 million in live tournament earnings.

Two Names Mysteriously Dropped Off

When it was announced that the Poker Hall of Fame would accept a single inductee in 2020, it was also announced that last year’s finalists would remain eligible. That does not appear to be the case. When the list was released, two names are conspicuously absent.

David Chiu and Chris Bjorin are no longer listed as finalists for the Hall of Fame. While it is unlikely that either would receive serious consideration, they are certainly more worth of a nomination than some that are presently on the list. While we all love McEachern and Chad, Bjorin and Chiu deserve a spot above either of them. The same can be said for Savage.

Do Any of the New Additions Have a Shot of Induction?

The big question now is whether any of the new names added to the list have a legitimate shot of being inducted. Here’s my take:

Matt Savage – While Savage is considered one of the best TDs in history, he is still just an industry professional. He has not made a significant enough impact to trump any of the players on the list and is certainly not more of a contributor than Scheinberg. Savage has no shot this year.

Isai Scheinberg – If the vote was being held by both the living HOF members and the media panel as in the past, Scheinberg would get in. However, with it just being the living HOF members, he will not get in this year.

Lon McEachern and Norman Chad – This is a cute nomination but one can argue that they are the least deserving out of anyone on this list. While they are the voice of WSOP broadcasts, that’s about all they have contributed to poker over the years. Every other person on the list of finalists is more deserving. They should have zero shot of being inducted. If they get in this year, then the “vote” needs to be investigated.

Patrik Antonius – Out of everyone added to this list, Patrik has the only legitimate shot of being inducted. He is well known and liked by living HOF members and ticks all of the boxes that old-school HOF members look for. If Ted Forrest is not selected, then Patrik will get inducted.

In the end, I still think Ted Forrest gets the nod this year. The list of finalists is now in the hands of the living HOF members who will now vote. The inductee will be announced on December 29th prior to the start of the final table of the American leg of the 2020 WSOP Main Event at the Rio in Las Vegas.

bottom corner