Howard Lederer congratulates both Erik Seidel and Dan Harrington on their induction into the Poker Hall of Fame, but writes about his strong opinion on Poker Hall of Fame eligibility. "When looking at the list of this year’s ten nominees and seeing the two inductees, I must ask, “did the best player get voted in?” Objectively, I have to say no and I don’t think you’d get an argument from either Erik or Dan", Lederer writes in his recent blog entry on Full Tilt Poker website.

"Anyone who has even casually followed poker over the last ten years knows that the best and most accomplished poker player on this year’s list was Phil Ivey. He has won eight WSOP bracelets, a WPT title, many other major titles, had multiple deep runs in the WSOP main event and he’s dominated the biggest cash games, both live and online", Lederer continues.

When the question about why Ivey was not inducted to the Hall of Fame arises, Lederer has a clear answer: it wasn't the right time. In Lederers opinion, a poker player’s induction into the Poker Hall of Fame should be a special occasion, remembered for years - just like in baseball or football.

"I had the opportunity to speak to Phil after he had been nominated this year and he made his feelings very clear. In fact, he wondered if he could respectfully decline if he was inducted. He didn’t want to insult the voters, but he feels like his career is just getting started — a scary prospect for all of us but likely true. He also said, in no uncertain terms, that he didn’t want to be elected at a younger age than Chip (Reese)", Lederer writes. Chip Reese was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame in 1991, at the age of 40. He was the youngest inductee, by a large margin.

"I’m sure Phil is pleased that the members of the poker media and the living members of the Hall of Fame got it right this year. But the message that he has been passed over for induction into the Hall of Fame should be avoided. This could be accomplished by formally recognizing one of the explicit criteria for Hall of Fame selection: that the player must stand the test of time", Lederer concludes.

Read the blog entry in full by clicking here.

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