Nominations Open for 2022 Women in Poker HOF - Will Vanessa Selbst & Kristen Foxen Get In?
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Fan nominations are open now through September 1 for the 2022 Women in Poker Hall of Fame class, and the list of candidates, which includes Kristen Foxen and Vanessa Selbst, is quite strong this year.
Foxen (previously Kristen Bicknell prior to marrying fellow poker superstar Alex Foxen earlier this year) and Selbst are widely considered two of the best, if not the best, female poker players in history. They are often compared to old-school pros such as Jennifer Harman and Kathy Liebert, both members of the Women in Poker Hall of Fame (Harman is also a 2015 Poker Hall of Fame inductee and Liebert a 2022 fan-voted nominee).
The Women in Poker Hall of Fame hasn't inducted a new member since 2018 when Maria Ho and Lupe Soto were enshrined. Voting takes place every two years, but the process was cancelled in 2020 due to COVID-19.
Foxen, Selbst Tough to Pass Over
Selbst, 38, an aggressive player who isn't afraid to pull off a massive bluff for stacks, has $11.9 million in live tournament cashes, according to Hendon Mob, most ever by a woman. The former PokerStars Team Pro member, however, mostly retired from poker in 2018 to pursue another career path, but she still pops up at the occasional major tournament stop. She's a three-time World Series of Poker bracelet winner and has reached two World Poker Tour final tables.
Foxen, a successful online poker pro before she burst onto the live poker scene during the 2010s, is a three-time GPI Female Poker Player of the Year winner. The 35-year-old Canadian and former PartyPoker ambassador has nearly $5.6 million in Hendon Mob results. She is also a three-time WSOP bracelet winner and is a tough opponent in any tournament at any buy-in level.
The talented duo aren't the only potential candidates to reach the Women in Poker Hall of Fame this year. Other potential nominees include the retired but talented Liv Boeree, poker historian Terry King, Maria Lampropulos, among others.
Criteria and Past Women in Poker Hall of Fame Inductees
The Women in Poker Hall of Fame has 20 current members, which includes Liebert, Ho, Harman, and the only woman to reach the WSOP Main Event final table, Barbara Enright. Two more names will be added to the list at an induction ceremony in December.
Much like the Poker Hall of Fame, the WiPHOF selection process begins with fan voting. Fans can select their own nominee by using this link. Those interested in being a part of the voting process should abide by the following criteria when selecting a player:
- Candidate must have been active as a poker player or industry leader for at least 10 years and be 35-years-old or above.
- Player/industry leader must have contributed to the world of poker in some significant way.
- Player/industry leader candidate must be a proponent of women in poker.
When the fan voting concludes on September 1, the list of votes will be sent to the WiPHOF Organization Committee and then the current Hall of Fame members for review. Once the ballots are prepared, current HOF members and certain media then vote on the winner(s).
Current members of the Women in Poker Hall of Fame:
| Billie Brown | Debbie Burkhead | Barbara Enright | June Field | Jan Fisher |
| Kristy Gazes | Deborah Giardina | Jennifer Harman | Margie Heintz | Maria Ho |
| Susie Isaacs | Linda Johnson | Kathy Liebert | JJ Liu | Victoria Coren Mitchell |
| Kathy Raymond | Lupe Soto | Cyndy Violette | Marsha Waggoner | Phyllis Caro Yazbek |
