The 2026 Poker Hall of Fame always feels special at the WSOP. This time it feels bigger than a normal annual vote because the ballot is stacked and the system has finally changed in a meaningful way. This year’s eight nominees are Shaun Deeb, Jason Koon, Isaac Haxton, Chris Moorman, Justin Bonomo, Scott Seiver, Mike Matusow, and Isai Scheinberg, a group that blends first-ballot stars, long-discussed veterans, and one of the most influential builders in poker history.
For years, the Hall of Fame had a backlog problem. Too many worthy names were squeezed into a one-winner framework, which often made the process feel more restrictive than celebratory. In 2026, the WSOP responded with a new format that gives the Hall a better chance to reflect the depth of modern poker achievement.
- Read more: 2026 WSOP Daily Updates
Hendon Mob Snapshot
| Candidate | Hendon Mob live results | Why the case stands out |
|---|---|---|
| Shaun Deeb | $18,027,807 in total live earnings. | Eight WSOP bracelets and two Player of the Year titles make him one of the strongest first-ballot cases. |
| Jason Koon | $77,032,156 in total live earnings. | One of the defining high-stakes tournament players of the modern era. |
| Isaac Haxton | $65,340,450 in total live earnings. | Elite high-stakes résumé backed by deep peer respect. |
| Chris Moorman | $11,621,152 in total live earnings. | Online legend known as “Moorman1” who also built a major live record. |
| Justin Bonomo | $65,611,097 in tracked live earnings. | One of the biggest online and live winners in tournament poker history. |
| Scott Seiver | $27,524,420 in total live earnings. | Widely respected as one of the best all-around players of his generation. |
| Mike Matusow | More than $10,284,405 in live cashes. | Poker boom-era star with lasting name recognition and results. |
| Isai Scheinberg | Limited live results; nominated on industry impact. | PokerStars founder whose impact goes far beyond tournament totals. |
The Process Change
The biggest story surrounding the 2026 Hall of Fame may be the new voting structure. Public nominations were accepted from June 11 through June 20, after which the field was narrowed to eight finalists for the living Hall of Fame members to decide. There are 33 living Hall members, and each can now vote for up to four candidates rather than effectively being forced toward a single choice.
To be inducted automatically, a nominee must appear on at least 22 of those 33 ballots, which is a two-thirds majority. If more than one candidate clears that mark, all of them get in, and if nobody does, the highest vote-getter becomes the sole inductee. The result is a system that can finally handle a deep class without pretending only one person deserves recognition.
- Read more: WSOP Eurosport Deal: Poker’s Global Breakthrough Moves to Eurosport, TNT Sports, and HBO Max
Shaun Deeb
Deeb’s candidacy is about more than simply being a newly eligible name. He enters the conversation with $18,027,807 in total live earnings listed according to Hendon Mob, and his official WSOP profile adds eight bracelets, two rings, and more than 150 WSOP cashes to the picture. That is already the résumé of a Hall of Famer before even getting into his broader reputation as one of the game’s toughest mixed-game players.
What makes Deeb such a natural first-ballot candidate is the completeness of his profile. He has produced results over a long period, excelled in multiple disciplines, and piled up enough signature achievements to leave very little room for debate.
Jason Koon
Koon’s Hendon Mob figure, reflected through PokerNews, sits at $77,032,156 in total live earnings, which places him among the biggest tournament earners in poker history. That number alone signals scale, but it is the quality of his résumé that really drives the case. Koon has been a constant force in elite high-roller fields, where the buy-ins are massive and the lineups are brutally difficult.
His Hall of Fame case also benefits from longevity. He is not just a player who had one or two giant years, but one who has remained relevant and dangerous at the top of the game for a sustained period.
Isaac Haxton
Haxton’s reported Hendon Mob live total of $65,340,450 gives him one of the strongest numerical cases on the ballot. Yet his reputation among fellow players may be even more valuable in a Hall of Fame setting, where peer respect remains one of the defining criteria.
For years, Haxton has been viewed as one of the most technically gifted tournament players in the world. He combines huge results with long-term consistency, and that balance makes him an especially compelling first-year nominee.
Chris Moorman
Moorman’s Hendon Mob total is listed at $11,621,152, a strong live number that complements a career already famous for online excellence. He became one of the defining online tournament players of his era, and unlike some internet legends, he also translated that success into a meaningful live résumé.
That combination makes him a historically important candidate. Moorman’s presence on the ballot helps the Hall reflect a fuller version of poker history, one that includes the online tournament boom as a central part of the game’s evolution.
Justin Bonomo
Bonomo arrives with $65,611,097 in tracked live earnings, which puts him firmly among the greatest tournament winners the game has ever seen. His career has been built in the highest buy-in events, and he has repeatedly turned up in the biggest spots against the strongest opposition. Bonomo had controversy early in his career where he paid a price for multi-accounting online, where he mainly played under the “ZeeJustin” screenname, but as this was nearly two decades ago with a clean record since, this shouldn’t be held against him by the voting committee.
There is also a sense that Bonomo has been Hall-worthy for years, with age eligibility being the only thing keeping him off earlier ballots. Once his name became available, he immediately became one of the most obvious selections in the field.
Scott Seiver
Seiver’s live earnings figure stands at $27,524,420 through Hendon Mob data, and that total is only one part of his appeal. He has long been admired as one of the best all-around players in poker, a reputation built on success across variants and respect from elite peers.
In Hall of Fame terms, Seiver’s candidacy is especially strong because it does not depend on one metric. His case is built on versatility, intelligence, sustained results, and the kind of reputation that often matters most when great players are evaluating other great players.
Mike Matusow
Matusow’s boasts $10.3 million in live tournament results according to The Hendon Mob, while his WSOP resume includes four bracelets and a long record of series success. That is the statistical foundation of his candidacy, but it only tells part of the story.
Few players are more closely tied to poker’s televised boom. Matusow became one of the game’s defining personalities, and his visibility helped make him one of the most memorable figures of that era. His Hall case blends results, recognition, and cultural relevance in a way that is very different from the modern high-roller nominees.
Isai Scheinberg
Scheinberg is the outlier on this ballot because he is being judged primarily as a builder rather than a tournament player. His live Hendon Mob footprint is relatively modest, though he has posted results including a UKIPT high roller win, but that is not what puts him in this conversation.
His real case is PokerStars. As the company’s founder, Scheinberg helped build the platform that transformed online poker, expanded the global player pool, and shaped the ecosystem that produced many of the stars who followed. In terms of pure impact on poker’s growth, few nominees have ever matched him.
Why This Year Matters
This is exactly the kind of ballot the new Hall of Fame system was built for. It includes modern superstars, respected all-format players, a poker boom icon, and a builder whose influence changed the game at a structural level. Under the old system, many of those names would have been forced into an artificial one-winner conversation.
Now, the Hall has room to be more honest about greatness. If multiple candidates clear the 22-vote threshold, the 2026 class could become one of the most significant in years and perhaps the clearest sign yet that the Hall of Fame is finally catching up with poker history.
