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Hennigan and Esdandani Voted into Poker Hall of Fame – Savage Not Snubbed

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The 2018 class for the Poker Hall of Fame was announced on Thursday night during Day 1 of the WSOP Main Event final table. Five-time WSOP bracelet winner John Hennigan and poker producer Mori Eskandani were announced as the newest inductees.

Hennigan seemed destined for induction this year based on his past history and his recent performances at the 2018 World Series of Poker. Eskandani is a popular figure in the poker world and some argue that he was just as capable of going into the Hall of Fame for his prowess as a player. However, it was his influence on the game as a TV producer that resulted in his induction.

John Hennigan One of the More Respected Players in the Game

When talk began this year about the Poker Hall of Fame, the #1 name that was mentioned was John “Johnny World” Hennigan. Hennigan is a veteran of both tournaments and high stakes cash games and has been one of the most proficient players in both arenas for decades.

Hennigan has played consistently well at the highest stakes and is famous for prop betting on “anything in the world,” thus earning the nickname of “Johnny World.” He has also shown tremendous prowess in poker tournaments, earning over $8.1 million over his career along with five WSOP bracelets and one World Poker Tour title.

Hennigan’s run at the 2018 World Series of Poker helped remind HOF voters of his dominance. He put together a run of ten cashes (as of the date of this article) with three final table appearances and a victory in the $10k HORSE. He is currently in first place for WSOP Player of the Year in a heated race with Shaun Deeb.

Regarding his induction, Hennigan told WSOP.com, “I’m very excited by this news and grateful that it came at a point in my career when I was mature enough to be honored by it, because I am. Thanks to everyone who voted for me!”

Mori Eskandani Enshrined For Providing Unparalleled Access to Poker

The average poker fan doesn’t know the name Mori Eskandani, but odds are they have watched a program he’s produced. Eskandani is the current producer of ESPN’s World Series of Poker broadcasts and is the man behind High Stakes Poker, Poker After Dark, the NBC National Heads-Up Championship, and other poker programs.

Known as “uncle Mori” to many, Eskandani has helped bring the most popular players in poker to the rest of the world for years. What many average fans also don’t realize is that Eskandani has been a high stakes player and is a solid tournament player.

During the 1980’s, Eskandani was one of the most feared Seven Card Stud players in the world and played high stakes against many of the game’s top players. He is also a proficient tournament player with over $566k in career earnings.

Eskandani has victories in events such as the Queens Poker Classic and Amarillo Slim’s Super Bowl of Poker. Back in the day, the Super Bowl of Poker was second only to the World Series of Poker.

Eskandani has multiple WSOP final tables and has run deep twice in the Main Event. He finished 35th in the 1987 Main Event and 331st the year that Jonathan Duhamel won it all.
Some argue that Eskandani may have been deserving of the Hall of Fame based on his playing career, and if he had more results post-Boom, he would have been a lock. However, nobody can deny that he deserves induction based on his impact on the poker world through his work in television.

Matt Savage Was Not Snubbed

Surely, some people are going to argue that Matt Savage was snubbed in this year’s voting, but from this writer’s perspective, the choice for contributor was a coin-flip. The WSOP has not voted in more than two players per year in the modern era of poker and most agreed that John Hennigan would get in as a player.

This left the second slot which could be filled by either a player or a contributor. After viewing the list of finalists, this didn’t seem like a year we’d see two players inducted, so the second slot was wide open for a contributor.

The obvious choices were Savage and Eskandani and both are deserving. Personally, I thought Savage might get the nod, but I also acknowledged that Eskandani may get in just as easy. If I were to pick a “tipping point,” in the voting, it would be that Eskadani’s work could be viewed as more influential because of the number of viewers that have watched his broadcasts over the years.

What does that mean? It means that Matt Savage likely goes into the HOF in 2018. The only way that it doesn’t happen that way is if we get a “slam dunk” player and there is a big push to vote in Chris Moneymaker in during the 50th WSOP. Otherwise, next year’s induction will be Matt Savage and….we will have to wait until next year to find out.

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