World Champions Tom McEvoy and Scotty Nguyen To Be Inducted Into Poker Hall of Fame
Back in Sept., 10 finalists eligible for induction into the Poker Hall of Fame were presented to 37 voting individuals — the 19 living Hall of Fame members and an 18-person media panel. Two men were selected for the Class of 2013 in 1983 World Series of Poker Main Event champ Tom McEvoy and 1998 WSOP Main Event winner Scotty Nguyen, both of who beat out the likes of Carlos Mortensen, Jen Harman, and Chris Bjorin.
McEvoy and Nguyen will be inducted the day before the 2013 WSOP Main Event final table gets underway at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.
“I would like to thank everyone for making my election to the Poker Hall of Fame possible,” said the 68-year-old McEvoy, who has four WSOP bracelets. “It was a very emotional day for me when I got the news. I consider this the highest honor a poker player can receive next to winning the Main Event of the World Series of Poker. I feel both deeply honored and humbled to be included with all the other poker greats. This is truly the frosting on the cake of my poker career.”
McEvoy, originally from Grand Rapids, Michigan, kicked off his career by winning the 1982 Amarillo Slim Super Bowl of Poker and has cashed every year since for a total of nearly $3 million in earnings. After leaving a career in accounting in the late 1970s and relocating to Las Vegas, McEvoy won a satellite into the 1983 WSOP Main Event, which he went on to win (the first satellite qualifier to win the tournament). McEvoy has also written numerous poker books, and is credited with leading the charge to prohibit smoking in poker rooms.
Here’s a look at McEvoy’s top five cashes:
| Date | Event | Place | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 1983 | WSOP Main Event | 1st | $540,000 |
| March 2005 | PPT Bay 101 Shooting Stars of Poker | 1st | $225,000 |
| May 1983 | WSOP $1,000 Limit Hold’em | 1st | $117,000 |
| May 1997 | WSOP $3,000 Pot Limit Hold’em | 2nd | $102,000 |
| April 1992 | WSOP $1,5000 Limit Omaha | 1st | $79,200 |
“Thank you so much, this is wonderful news,” Nguyen said in regards to his selection. “You work so hard, you put so much time in that you want and hope it will be recognized. This is something my grandkids will talk about. It’s awesome, baby, thank you.”
Nguyen, who came to the United States as an 11-year-old refugee from war-torn Vietnam, played his first poker cash game in 1991. Seven years later he made history when he won the 1998 WSOP Main Event by defeating Kevin McBride with the now iconic jib, “You call and it’s gonna be all over, baby!” Since then Nguyen, who is nicknamed “The Prince,” has amassed $11.7 million in career winnings including 19 WSOP final tables, eight World Poker Tour final tables, and five WSOP gold bracelets. Nguyen is also the only player to have won both the WSOP Main Event and the $50,000 WSOP Poker Players' Championship.
Here’s a look at Nguyen’s Top Five Cashes
| Date | Event | Place | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| June 2008 | WSOP $50,000 Poker Players' Championship | 1st | $1,989,120 |
| May 1998 | WSOP Main Event | 1st | $1,000,000 |
| January 2006 | WPT Gold Strike World Poker Open | 1st | $969,421 |
| July 2007 | WSOP Main Event | 11th | $476,926 |
| January 2005 | WPT World Poker Open | 4th | $336,282 |
Established in 1979, the Poker Hall of Fame was acquired by Harrah’s Entertainment along with the WSOP brand in 2004. It looks to recognize poker's most influential players and other important contributors to the game, an honor bestowed on 44 players to date (the most recent being 2012’s Eric Drache and Brian “Sailor” Roberts).
McEvoy and Nguyen where considered based upon the following criteria:
- A player must have played poker against acknowledged top competition
- Be a minimum of 40 years old at time of nomination
- Played for high stakes
- Played consistently well, gaining the respect of peers
- Stood the test of time
- Or, for non-players, contributed to the overall growth and success of the game of poker, with indelible positive and lasting results
An induction ceremony will be held Sunday, Nov. 3 at 5 p.m. in Rio’s Wine Cellar as apart of WSOP Main Event final table festivities.
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