Barry Greenstein and Linda Johnson were selected to join the Poker Hall of Fame today after securing a sizable amount of the 35 poker player/media member panel votes. Greenstein and Johnson will be officially inducted into the Poker HOF on November 8th while the WSOP Main Event final table is playing out.
As for Greenstein’s accomplishments, he has earned over $7.5 million in live poker tournament winnings, captured three WSOP bracelets, and won two WPT titles. In addition to this, Greenstein is known as the “Robin Hood of Poker” since he donates quite a bit of his poker winnings to charity.
Linda Johnson is more of a poker personality – although she has won a WSOP bracelet. However, her most notable accomplishments lie off of the table since the “First Lady of Poker” started CardPlayer Magazine, and was instrumental in launching the WPT. After hearing of her induction, Johnson told the press, “I feel lucky to have been involved in many facets of poker over the past 35 years. Being recognized by the industry is a tremendous honor.”
Johnson and Greenstein beat out a field of 10 total nominees, which included notables like Huck Seed, John Juanda and Annie Duke. One person who will definitely be happy about Duke’s exclusion from the Poker HOF is Daniel Negreanu since he had some choice comments about her nomination.
After hearing of Duke’s bid for the 2011 Poker HOF class, the zany Canadian was quoted as saying, “For what? Robbing people at UB? Owing Russ Hamilton money and never paying him back? For stealing money from people at the poker table? For representing poker in the worst light imaginable when she was on Celebrity Apprentice? For all those things then yes.”
It will be interesting to see if Negreanu rubs any salt in the wound since Duke didn’t get selected for the Hall of Fame.
