poker-players

Eric Drache

@Hall of Fame @Eric Drache

Biography Eric Drache is an American former cardroom manager and tournament director who was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame in 2012. Drache served as tournament director for the WSOP from 1973 to 1988, developed the concept of satellites, helped establish the PHoF, and has served as cardroom manager for Mirage and the Golden Nugget. “I’m not only surprised and honored to have been selected, I’m also a bit embarrassed considering the other nominees,” Drache said of his selection. “When Jack Binion and myself worked on creating the Hall of Fame, I never considered myself a potential candidate. I’m particularly happy for the family of Sailor Roberts. Sailor by everyone’s account, including my own personal observations, was a great player and played many games very well.”

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poker-players

Brian Sailor Roberts

@Hall of Fame @Eric Drache

Biography Brian “Sailor” Roberts was an American poker player who won the 1975 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event. One of the original Texas road gamblers, Roberts won two WSOP bracelets during his career. He died in June 1995, and was posthumously inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame in 2012. Biography Roberts was born in San Angelo, Texas on March 7, 1931. Upon graduating from high school, he joined the US navy and served in the Korean War, earning himself the nickname “Sailor”.

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poker-players

Tom McEvoy

@Hall of Fame @Eric Drache

Biography Tom McEvoy is an American poker player who won the 1983 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event. He is a four-time WSOP bracelet-winner and in 2013, he was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame. “I consider this the highest honor a poker player can receive next to winning the Main Event of the World Series of Poker,” he said at the time. “I feel both deeply honored and humbled to be included with all the other poker greats.”

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poker-players

Scotty Nguyen

@Hall of Fame @Eric Drache

Biography Scotty Nguyen is a Vietnamese-American poker player. Over the course of his career, he has won five World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelets including the 1998 WSOP Main Event. He was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame in 2013. Thank you so much, this is wonderful news, Nguyen said at the time. You work so hard, you put so much time in that you want and hope it will be recognized. This is something my grandkids will talk about. Its awesome, baby, thank you.

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poker-players

Jack McClelland

@Hall of Fame @Eric Drache

Biography Jack McClelland is a former poker tournament director and cardroom manager. He was inducted into the Poker Hall of fame in 2014. Being inducted into the Class of 2014 Poker Hall of Fame is a very exciting prospect and I am sure it will be a very humbling experience, said McClelland. I thank everyone involved in this process and to the WSOP, WPT and all of the great people I have met and the wonderful people I have worked with throughout the years. Thank you for bestowing this honor upon me. I am very grateful.

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poker-players

John Juanda

@Hall of Fame @Eric Drache

Biography Often, when big names in the poker world are tossed around amongst fans of the game, John Juandas name is left out. Its not that he hasnt had a deserving career, but rather his quiet nature that sometimes leaves people to forget about how great a player he really is. Intro John Juanda is a professional poker player of Chinese-Indonesian origin currently residing in Marina del Rey, California. He is known for winning five World Series of Poker bracelets first of which he collected in 2002 by winning the $1,500 Limit Ace to Five Triple Draw event for almost $50,000. He was also one of the founders of the infamous online poker site Full Tilt Poker.

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poker-players

Todd Brunson

@Hall of Fame @Eric Drache

Biography Todd Brunson may be the son of poker legend Doyle Brunson, but since turning pro himself after dropping out of Texas Tech University, Todd had put his own stamp on the poker world. Among his accolades, Todd has amassed over $3.2 million in career tournament earnings and owns his own WSOP gold bracelet. Much like his father, most of Todds poker career has been spent playing cash games. Hes a regular in the highest limits around Las Vegas and has proven himself to be one of the best players in the world. Outside of the cash games where he has won millions, Todd has had significant success in tournaments.

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poker-players

Carlos Mortensen

@Hall of Fame @Eric Drache

Biography Carlos Mortensen is an Ecuadorian poker player who won the 2001 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event. Known as ‘El Matador’, Mortensen has also won three World Poker Tour (WPT) titles and has cashed for over $6.7 million on the WPT alone, more than any other player. In 2016, Mortensen was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame. Biography Born in Ambato, Ecuador on April 13, 1972, Mortensen moved to Spain as a child. He studied at the University of Madrid and worked as a bartender, before eventually moving to the United States in the late 1990s to play poker.

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poker-players

Dave Ulliott

@Hall of Fame @Eric Drache

Biography Dave “Devilfish” Ulliott was a British poker player. During his career, he won both a World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet and a World Poker Tour title. He died in 2015 and was posthumously inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame in 2017. Biography Ulliott was born in 1954 in Kingston upon Hull. He left school at 15 and became involved in organized crime. During his 20s, Ulliott served a number of spells in prison for various crimes including insurance fraud, armed robbery and affray.

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poker-players

Mori Eskandani

@Hall of Fame @Eric Drache

Biography Mori Eskandani is a poker TV producer and president of PokerGO. He was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame in 2018. A former high stakes cash game player, for two decades Eskandani has worked behind the scenes on such programs as the World Series of Poker on ESPN, NBC Heads-Up Championship, Poker After Dark and High Stakes Poker. PokerNews Covered Events Event Place Prize 2023 World Series of PokerEvent #22: $10,000 Limit Hold’em Championship 17th $17,500 2022 WSOP OnlineEvent #1: $400 NLH Kick-Off 36th $1,332 2022 World Series of PokerEvent #9: $1,500 Seven Card Stud 27th $3,018 2021 World Series of PokerEvent #12: $1,500 Limit Hold’em 52nd $2,631 2012 World Series of PokerEvent 32: $10,000 H.O.R.S.E. 9th $35,923 2010 World Series of PokerEvent #57: $10,000 No-Limit Hold’em Championship 331st $36,463 2008 World Series of PokerEvent 4 - $5,000 Mixed Hold’em (Limit/No Limit) 32nd $10,922

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poker-players

John Hennigan

@Hall of Fame @Eric Drache

Biography John Hennigan is an American poker player and six-time World Series of Poker bracelet winner. He was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame in 2018. Biography Born on August 10, 1970, Hennigan learned to play pool at a young age, traveling to play on the pool circuit. A big gambler, Hennigan gained the nickname “Johnny World” due to his willingness to gamble on anything in the world. Gambling on pool would lead him to poker, with his first recorded cash coming in 1997. In 2002, he won his first WSOP bracelet in the $2,000 H.O.R.S.E. tournament for $117,320.

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poker-players

David Oppenheim

@Hall of Fame @Eric Drache

Biography David Oppenheim is an American poker player who was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame in 2019. Having started out playing poker during his second year in college, Oppenheim has been consistently crushing the the high stakes cash games for many years. He is a regular winner in the high stakes games in Bobby’s Room. “Being recognized as one of the all-time greats by my peers is truly humbling, and I am honored to have been selected to the Poker Hall of Fame,” said Oppenheim about his induction. “I have been so fortunate to be able to do what I love for a living. I never planned to be a professional poker player; rather, it was a passion that became my job.

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poker-players

Huck Seed

@Hall of Fame @Eric Drache

Biography Huck Seed is an American poker player who won the 1996 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event. He has won four WSOP bracelets and made two WSOP final tables during his career He also won the WSOP Tournament of Champions in 2010, and the National Heads-Up Poker Championship in 2009. In 2008 and 2009 he made back-to-back final tables in the WSOP $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. In 2020, Seed was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame.

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poker-players

Eli Elezra

@Hall of Fame @Eric Drache

Biography Eli Elezra is one of the most instantly recognizable poker players in the world, thanks to him enjoying a long and illustrious career going back to the mid-1990s. The five-time World Series of Poker bracelet winner is equally adept at tournament poker as he is at high-stakes cash games. Elezra was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame in 2021. Background Elezra was born November 24, 1960, in Jerusalem, Israel, and has lived a colorful and varied life. Like many Israelis, Elezra served in his country’s army, donning the uniform id the Israel Defence Force’s Golani Brigades, one of the country’s elite military units. Elezra spent three weeks in prison for refusing to comply with military orders but went on to become a lieutenant.

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poker-players

Layne Flack

@Hall of Fame @Eric Drache

Biography Born May 18, 1969, Layne Flack hailed from Rapid City, South Dakota before working as a poker dealer in small card clubs in Montana. Eventually, he found his way to Nevada and learned under poker greats like Johnny Chan and Ted Forrest. “At 24, he and his girlfriend moved to Reno, Nevada and by 1995, when his daughter Hailey was born, Layne was a full-time professional poker player,” Al Moe previously wrote in this PokerNews profile.

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poker-players

Brian Rast

@Hall of Fame @Eric Drache

Biography Brian Rast is an American poker player and winner of six World Series of Poker bracelets, and a 2023 Poker Hall of Fame inductee. He is one of only two players to have won the $50,000 Poker Players Championship on three occasions, doing so in 2011, 2016 and 2023. Read More: Life in the Rast Lane: Brian Rast’s Incredible Poker Journey Biography Rast was born in 1981 in Denver, Colorado. He then moved to Poway, California where he graduated from Poway High School in 2000. After finishing High School Rast entered Stanford University, but dropped out rather soon in order to seek career as a professional poker player.

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