A staple of the WSOP festival is the annual induction of new members into the Hall of Fame, with one or two names being added each year. Awards can also be presented post-mortem, but even then, the honorees must meet strict criteria - age at least 40 years, standing the test of time, long-term profitable play, respect from opponents, or success at the high stakes. Unless it is a player directly, the awardee must have been responsible for the overall growth and success of the poker industry over the long term.
Each year, the nominations begin first with a public vote that selects ten candidates, and then from there the living members of the Hall of Fame select the new entrant. This year, the group includes no fewer than nine names that have been nominated in the past, the only exception being 1985 WSOP champion Bill Smith. Likewise, there are three of this year's champions, Josh Arieh (5 bracelets), Jeremy Ausmus (6 bracelets) and hot prospect Brian Rast (6 bracelets), who just a few days ago claimed his third PPC triumph.
A lot of eyes will be on the $1,000 Senior's Event today, in which we've formed the final table after four days of play. That's where the legendary Billy Baxter, owner of seven bracelets, has made his way to, and today he could add an eighth to his tally after 21 long years. The 83-year-old veteran won his first bracelet back in 1975, and the poker community is rooting for him to repeat the feat today!
And finally, we have an equally interesting story from this year's WSOP, courtesy of Ap Louis Garza, who walked his way to a coveted bracelet in the $10,000 PLO Championship event. A field made up of 731 entries created a prizepool of nearly $7 million, from which the champion took home a whopping $1,309,232. He spiced up this lifetime win right at the table with the next step of his life when he proposed to his long-time girlfriend in front of the entire crowd immediately after winning. "I wouldn't be here without her, so I don't think I could have found a better moment to make this decision."
Source: PokerNews, WSOP, wikipedia
