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Phil Ivey and David "Devilfish" Ulliot were picked to be the newest members of the Poker Hall of Fame out of the 10 nominees [3] - well deservedly so.
The 27 living Hall of Famers along with an 18-person Blue Ribbon Media Panel voted and made their choice which was announced last Friday: Phil Ivey and David "Devilfish" Ulliot will be the 53rd and 54th cardplayers to join the Poker Hall of Fame. The formal introduction happened during ESPN's coverage of this year's WSOP Main Event final table.
Phil Ivey seemed to be a shoe-in before the announcement and understandably so. One of the most well known names in poker, Ivey has won 10 WSOP bracelets - only Phil Hellmuth has more, 14 while Doyle Brunson and Johnny Chan also has 10 - and $23.9 million in live tournaments over the course of his long and successful poker career. The only reason he had to wait this long to be introduced to the Hall of Fame is because he just fulfilled the 40-year age requirement on his birthday this year in February.
“I want to thank the living members of the Poker Hall of Fame as well as the media who voted for me to be part of the Poker Hall of Fame,” said Ivey. “It’s an honor to be inducted alongside legends like Chip Reese and Doyle Brunson. I love the game of poker and the game has done a lot for me. I am one of the lucky people who has been able to make a living playing a game which was always my passion. Thankfully, I’m just as passionate about the game today as when I first stepped into Binion’s Horseshoe to play my first-ever WSOP. Thank you to my family, my friends, and all the poker fans across the world that supported me on this journey.”
[4]
"Devilfish" Ulliot received a posthumous honor by being picked - the British poker pro passed away in 2015 due to cancer at the age of 61. He had his nickname, Devilfish engraved on the only gold bracelet he won at the 1997 Word Series. His lifetime live tournament earnings are $6.2 million total, which include a 72nd place finish cash from the 2004 WSOP Main Event.
Devilfish was a regularly featured player on the TV show Late Night Poker that ran on Channel 4 in Britain, greatly contributing to popularizing the game of No-limit Texas Hold'em in the country.