Two players join Poker Hall of Fame

(PRESS RELEASE) -- The 2018 Poker Hall of Fame (PHOF) Class has its newest members as first-time eligible John Hennigan and noted poker television production executive Mori Eskandani enter poker’s elite club.

Hennigan and Eskandani become the 55th and 56th individuals to be inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame.

They were nominated by the public, vetted by the PHOF Governing Council and voted in by the 28 living Poker Hall of Fame members and an 18-person Blue Ribbon Media Panel, it was announced today by the Poker Hall of Fame Governing Council.

Hennigan and Eskandani were inducted officially on Thursday, 12 July as part of the live World Series of Poker Main Event final table coverage on ESPN (6 p.m. PT).

With over $8 million in career tournament winnings and five WSOP gold bracelets, Hennigan has been a force in poker for more than two decades, with an ability to excel in all variants of poker. He’s already cashed ten times at the 2018 WSOP, including a first, second and three seventh place finishes, and currently leads the WSOP Player of the Year race.

“I’m very excited by this news and grateful that it came at a point in my career when I was mature enough to be honored by it, because I am,” said Hennigan upon learning the news. “Thanks to everyone who voted for me!”

Eskandani is renowned in the poker industry for his production of the leading poker programming on television the past two decades. From the World Series of Poker on ESPN to the NBC Heads Up Championship, Poker After Dark and High Stakes Poker, Eskandani has helped bring the game of poker to the masses and ensure the game is always front and center with the public from a television medium standpoint. The one time poker player, Eskandani saw the growth of poker coming twenty years ago, and used his expertise of the game to create captivating programming in the poker genre to provide television audiences a steady diet of exciting fare.

The Poker Hall of Fame Governing Council would like to recognize and congratulate the other 2018 finalists, all whom remain eligible for future induction: Chris Bjorin, David Chiu, Bruno Fitoussi, Mike Matusow, Chris Moneymaker, David Oppenheim, Matt Savage and Huckleberry Seed.