Shulman and Giardina Selected for Induction to Women in Poker Hall of Fame
The Women in Poker Hall of Fame (WiPHoF) have announced that respected poker player and industry professional Allyn Jaffrey Shulman and industry professional Deborah Giardina have been selected for induction in the Class of 2014.
Current WiPHoF members and select media partners selected Shulman and Giardina from a list of nominees that included Donna Blevins, Debbie Burkhead, Ruth Hall, Esther Rossi, and Jennifer Tilly.
Shulman has been in the poker industry, both as a player and businesswoman, for many years, during which time she amassed more than $1 million in career tournament earnings and topped a field of 4,128 players to win the 2012 World Series of Poker Seniors Event for $603,713. She followed that up by winning the 2013 Venetian Deepstacks $5,000 Championship for $293,966. Shulman is also a part of “Poker’s First Family,” who along with her husband Barry and son Jeff, helped bring CardPlayer Magazine to prominence.
Shulman, a former board member of the Poker Player Alliance and the WiPHoF, is also one of the world's leading experts on online gambling law. Having been a practicing criminal defense attorney for over 30 years, her expertise lies in the area of complex legal analysis, issues of constitutional magnitude, police and judicial misconduct and contempt of court.
As for Giardina, she is an accomplished industry professional that started her career in Colorado as a dealer in 1990. Within six months, she rose to the position of Assistant Table Games Manager, and then took a position at Lyle Berman's Grand Casino Gulfport in Biloxi, Mississippi where she was appointed Cardroom Manager within the first year.
In 1999, Giardina opened the cardroom for Canterbury Park in Shakopee, Minnesota, and five years later became the Director of Poker Operations for the new Wynn Las Vegas Poker Room. Giardina currently serves as Vice President of Poker Operations at bestbet Jacksonville in Florida.
To honor both women, the WiPHoF will host a Gala Luncheon on Wednesday, June 25, 2014 at the Golden Nugget Casino in Las Vegas. The luncheon is open to the public (tickets are $40 if purchased in advance at womeninpokerhalloffame.com and $50 at the door) and allows guests to enjoy cocktails, music, and lunch. A silent auction will open at 11 a.m. with all proceeds going to WhenCharityWorks.org and PokerGives.org.
There will also be a $125 Buy-In WiPHoF Celebration No-Limit Hold'em Tournament in the Golden Nugget Grand Ballroom at 5 p.m. that evening.
The prestigious WiPHoF was founded in 2008 by the Ladies International Poker Series (LIPS) and is designed to honor women in poker who have acquired prominence and have made contributions to the poker world. There are currently 15 Inductees in the Hall, meaning Shulman and Giardina will make 17.
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