WiPHoF Past Years

2014 Women in Poker Hall of Fame and Celebration Tournament

The glitz was not spared at this wonderful celebration to honor these two amazing women, Allyn Jaffrey Shulman and Deborah Giardina.  The house was filled with some of poker’s biggest leaders as well. Our MC Jan Fisher, WiPHoF Inductee and TDA Founder and Board Member entertained all with her quick wit and personal stories.  Our Keynote Speakers were Nolan Dolla, Media Director for the WSOP and Mike Sexton, Commentator from WPT.

Thank you to our generous sponsors bestbet Jacksonville and Triton Poker Chips for helping to make this event possible.

The ceremony was followed by a WiPHoF Bounty Tournament where each member of the Hall had a prize bounty on their heads.  We had donations from many vendors and sponsors.  Thank you to you all for your generous support!

Our very own Margie Heinz, Director of Poker Operations at El Dorado Casino and WiPHoF Inductee won the tournament!!

Such an amazing USLPC weekend with great poker, amazing ceremony and fun for everyone! If you missed the Women in Poker Hall of Fame Ceremony, then you need to plan to be there next time. It was fabulous and truly an event to remember in poker history!  Read about the event here, a blog from Nolan Dalla, Media Director for the World Series of Poker. And a special tribute from one of the LIPS hubbies, Hal Coblentz for this great video!

Special thanks to the sponsors for this fabulous weekend, Poker Stars.net, Golden Nugget Casino, Lord Griffon, Venetian Casino, Fun World Technologies, Shuffle Master, Winning Hand Design, OnNit.com, Zynga Bingo,  FaceUpGaming.com, Joy Colbentz, Lori Averett and LasVegasPokerSource.com.

Margie Heintz, Kristy Gazes & Phyllis Caro

In a beautifully decorated and sold out ballroom, the Women in Poker Hall of Fame sponsored by Lord Griffon Jewelry produced a memorable and fitting tribute to these well accomplished women. Kicking off the event was a hosted cocktail party and silent auction benefiting PokerGives.org. Lisa and Mark Tenner hosted the cocktail hour in support of Congresswoman Shelley Berkley’s run for 2012 US Senate. Congresswoman Berkley opened the ceremony with remarks about her support of poker players and our right to play online poker. She gave praise to our honorees for paving the way for other women in the industry to make a mark as well.

Fellow Hall of Famer herself, our Mistress of Ceremony Jan Fisher kept the audience in stiches with her personal stories and fun pokes at the inductees.  She even dug up footage of Kristy Gazes who used to produce a blog from her bathtub for our enjoyment. If you would like to take a look, here is the link http://youtu.be/63j5GBWDBxo .

Annie Duke, Commissioner of Epic Poker League was the keynote speaker. She shared her stories of her childhood and the competitive nature of her family. She felt that spirit of competition and a mother who believed so strongly in her was the platform which allowed her to enter and succeed in the poker world.  She also issued a challenge to women poker players. Women are only 3% of the playing field at the World Series of Poker main event. That number hasn’t changed in 10 years.  So, in order to show solidarity in women poker players she challenges us to enter into an open event collectively to raise the percentage to prove women are here to compete at this level of the game.

Each inductee took the stage and shared a bit about their careers as well as giving thanks to their families and friends who have supported them along the way… if you weren’t there to hear it? YOU MISSED IT! So fun, entertaining and moving for sure! The evening wrapped up with the inductees receiving the “Dion Award” which represents the Women in Poker Hall of Fame. Then it was time for some dancing, photos and fun!

The 2010 Women in Poker Hall of Fame ceremony was a night to remember. With Mistress of Ceremony Jan Fisher at the helm, we were guaranteed a laugh… she was an entertaining spotlight to a memorable event.

Also there to lend his support was former World Series of Poker Commissioner Jeffrey Pollack, who joined in the celebration amid the summer’s busiest weekend for women’s poker in Las Vegas.

Our 2010 Inductees included Jennifer Harman, Kathy Liebert & the posthumous induction of Billie Brown who’s daughter Kelley O’Hara accepted the award.

WiPHoF Board and 2011 Inductees

Jan Fisher sharing some inside stories about Kathy and Jennifer

Room Full of Supporters

To a sold out crowd, this year’s Women in Poker Hall of Fame ceremony was fantastic! With MC Mike Sexton orchestrating the evenings events, he opened with a proclamation sent to the event by Las Vegas mayor Oscar Goodman, who declared June 5th, 2009 to be Women in Poker Hall of Fame Day.

Also there to lend his support was World Series of Poker Commissioner Jeffrey Pollack, who joined in the celebration amid the summer’s busiest weekend for women’s poker in Las Vegas.

Each one of the inductees was introduced by one of the inaugural class members, Field, instrumental in the creation of several poker publications including CardPlayer, was the first of the three to take the podium. The second new member was Fisher, a Vegas poker veteran who has excelled in a wide variety of poker roles over the last three decades. Last of all came Violette, whose playing career now spans some 27 years and who is known within the world for her ultra-healthful lifestyle in addition to her poker excellence. The three received awards and gifts in recognition of their long-term participation in the poker world.

This was a fabulous and memorable event for all who attended. Our friends in the media were in full force and have done a fine job covering the festivities as they happened. Here is an article by Lizzy Harrison of Cardplayer Magazine:

The Women in Poker Hall of Fame (WiPHOF) is the brainchild of the Ladies International Poker Series (LIPS), and it can be found in the legendary Binion’s Gambling Hall and Hotel in Downtown Las Vegas. The four inaugural inductees were honored this past weekend during a ceremony held in Benny’s Bullpen. The goal of the WiPHOF is to celebrate and enhance the awareness of contributions and achievements of women in poker as recognized by respected representatives of women in poker. The WiPHOF is sponsored by Card Player.

The initial members are Barbara Enright, Linda Johnson, Marsha Waggoner, and Susie Isaacs. The master of ceremonies for the induction was World Poker Tour commentator Mike Sexton, with Jan Fisher acting as the keynote speaker.

To be considered for induction into the WiPHOF, women must meet certain criterion. Firstly, they must have been a poker player or industry leader for fifteen years prior to their election. They also must have made significant contributions to the poker industry. The last element that all women in the WiPHOF must share is that they have to support women in poker. Even if they do not play women’s tournaments, they must support their existence.

The WiPHOF board is made up of quite a group of women, and they made the final decisions in regards to the inductees. The founder of LIPS, Lupe Soto, is one of those women and during the ceremony she pointed out that, “It’s definitely time for the women in poker to have their own hall of fame to recognize their amazing contributions to the poker world.”

Card Player’s own Allyn Jaffrey Shulman is also on the board. The other members are professional poker player Karina Jett, professional poker player and industry leader Maureen Feduniak, and the director of marketing for Ocean’s Eleven Casino Suzanne Carter.

The induction ceremony this past Saturday was followed by a $500 buy-in tournament at Binion’s. The open event (meaning both men and women played) was appropriately won by Enright.