Sexton Makes Poker Hall of Fame
Written by Matt W | Saturday, October 17th, 2009
It was certainly an honor for 62 year old poker player, Mike Sexton to learn that he had been chosen to be inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame, following an announcement by the selection committee yesterday.
Sexton was also surprised to learn that he was the only player to receive this endorsement among the top names that appeared on the pre-selection list. Many were sure that at least some of these quality players, that included seven time WSOP bracelet winner Phil Ivey, Daniel Negreanu and Barry Greenstein, would also make the Poker Hall of Fame.
Yet the selection panel felt differently and it was only Mike Sexton who received the endorsement of at least 75% of the members, which incorporates 15 independent media representatives and 15 living members of the Hall of Fame.
Sexton will become the 38th member of the of the Poker Hall of Fame when he is inducted on Saturday, November 7th at the Rio during the final table of the World Series of Poker main event.
The uniqueness of Mike Sexton – what makes him stand out from the other nominees – is the fact that he seems to be all encompassing in his efforts to promote poker as a game.
Sexton is a player in his own right, having won over $3 million in tournament winnings and tallying up 47 WSOP cashes over the years. He has won several top competitions such as the WSOP Tournament of Champions (2006) and a number of others.
However, Sexton seems to be just at home around the table as he is contributing to the game away from it. He has penned numerous articles for the Card Player publication, served as announcer for the World Poker Tour and doing all that he can to promote various charities through poker. Sexton is well known for his generosity and donated half of his Tournament of Champions windfall ($1 million) to worthy causes.
“Mike was the only candidate who met the 75-percent-of-votes threshold, thus why he is the only one who gets inducted this year,” said WSOP director, Seth Palansky. “However, it’s important to note that this year’s vote has no effect on the other nominees and their eligibility in the future. We stressed to the voters this year to focus on who is most worthy this year, and thus next year and beyond will always get a fresh look.”
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· Written by Matt W · Filed Under Poker News · Comments Off
