The Only Poker Blog
That Matters PokerJunkie.com

Yesterday, I gave my thoughts on five of the ten finalists for the 2011 Poker Hall of Fame class.

Today I will round out my predictions and tell you who I think the other person that will be inducted this year.

If Johnson is inducted, she will become only the second woman in history to be inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame

Annie Duke – This nomination surprised me, but yet it didn’t surprise me. Nobody can deny her track record.

She is third on the Women’s All-Time Money List with $4.27 million in earnings. Also, she has one WSOP bracelet and won the 2010 NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship.  She also won the 2004 WSOP Tournament of Champions for $2 million, the largest prize won by a woman in poker to that date.

Her cash-game play has not been as high profile as say Jennifer Harman, but she has been known to do well in the higher limits. I don’t think she will have enough of a track record to get past others on this list.

Prediction – Annie will probably have to wait a couple of years to get inducted, but she will be inducted at some point.

John Juanda – Juanda was just barely eligible after turning 40 in July. You can’t argue his stats in tournaments.

$11 million in earnings along with five WSOP bracelets and six WPT final tables. Juanda has done it all just about in both tournaments in cash games.

If this class was not as strong as it is, I think he would be inducted this year. However, I think he will have to wait.

Prediction – Juanda gets in next year most likely.

Marcel Luske – While Luske has nearly $4 million in tournament earnings, there isn’t a lot on his resume outside of the 2004 WSOP Main Event final table to crow about.

Zero major titles also does not bode well for him. He has had some success coaching other players and has done some work away from the felt, but not enough to garner enough votes to get into the Hall of Fame.

Prediction – Next-to-no shot and I would be surprised to see him on the finalist list next year.

Linda Johnson – There has seemed to be a push to get Linda Johnson into the Hall of Fame for a couple of years now, or at least that is what it feels like to me.

She has made an impact in the game both at the table and away from the felt. She helped  found the Tournament Directors Association, served as the publisher for CardPlayer Magazine for 8 years, and helped setup PokerGives.org.

While her career earnings may not be up to par with the likes of most on this list, her contributions to the game have impacted all of us. Like Harrington last year and Sexton the year before, I believe Johnson will be the player/contributor inducted into the Hall of Fame this year.

Prediction – Linda Johnson becomes the second woman in history to be inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame.

Jennifer Harman-Traniello – Jennifer becomes my new Barry Greenstein. Had Barry nor Linda been on the list, I think she gets in this year. (Juanda may leapfrog her, but it’s a coin flip.)

Two WSOP bracelets, two WPT final tables and $2.6 million in lifetime earnings is strong for someone that doesn’t play a large number of events. Of course, her bread and butter is the high-stakes cash games.

She is one of the most feared cash-game players in the world and clearly had that consideration covered. Sadly, she won’t get in this year, but she will soon.

Prediction – Harman will be inducted in either 2012 or 2013.

So there you have it.

Barry Greenstein and Linda Johnson will be inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame later this year.

What do you think?  Feel free to comment and let me know.