Lost in the spectacle of Koray Aldemir’s World Series of Poker Main Event win on Wednesday was that the Poker Hall of Fame revealed its latest inductee, which was announced prior to the final table.
The newest poker player to be enshrined is four-time WSOP bracelet winner Eli Elezra, who was selected by a committee of existing Hall of Famers.
Elezra thanked Chip Reece and Doyle Brunson for making Elezra the poker player that he is today. “To Chip and Doyle, I cannot thank you enough for teaching this fish to swim with the sharks.”
Israel’s Elezra was picked from a group that included Antonio Esfandiari, Chris Ferguson, Layne Flack, Ted Forrest, Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier, Mike Matusow, Michael Mizrachi, tournament director Matt Savage and PokerStars founder Isai Scheinberg.
Elezra’s first WSOP bracelet came during the $3,000 World Championship 7 Card Stud Hi/Lo in 2007, the $2,500 2-7 Triple Draw Lowball in 2013, the 2015 Seven Card Stud and the 2019 Seven Card Stud. Elezra also has 74 WSOP career poker cashes to his name, including seven during the 2021 World Series.
Elezra first recorded live tournament cash was in 1996 with his first WSOP cash happening in 1999 when he came in 7th during the $2,500 Limit Omaha event. Since then he has amassed nearly $4.6 million in cashes.
In addition to his four bracelets, Elezra also earned a World Poker Tour title when he took down the 2004 Mirage Poker Showdown. Elezra is also well known for his cash game prowess, being a frequent participant in “The Big Game” as well High Stakes Poker and Poker After Dark appearances, which have made him a familiar face amongst casual poker fans.
Requirements for poker players to be considered to the Poker Hall of Fame include:
Elezra joins a diverse selection of poker personalities varying from Wild Bill Hickok to Doyle Brunson to Jack Binion to Daniel Negreanu. Of the 59 members of the Poker Hall of Fame, 32 of them are still living and get to take part in the process of selecting new inductees after nominations have been narrowed down.
| wdt_ID | year | Inductees |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1979 | Johnny Moss, Nick Dandolos, Felton McCorquodale, Red Winn, Sid Wyman, Wild Bill Hickok, Edmond Hoyle |
| 2 | 1980 | Blondie Forbes |
| 3 | 1981 | Bill Boyd |
| 4 | 1982 | Tom Adbo |
| 5 | 1983 | Joe Bernstein |
| 6 | 1984 | Murphy Harrold |
| 7 | 1985 | Red Hodges |
| 8 | 1986 | Henry Green |
| 9 | 1987 | Walter Clyde Pearson |
| 10 | 1988 | Doyle Brunson, Jack Straus |
| 11 | 1989 | Fred Ferris |
| 12 | 1990 | Benny Binion |
| 13 | 1991 | David Reese |
| 14 | 1992 | Thomas Preston |
| 15 | 1993 | Jack Keller |
| 16 | 1994 | none |
| 17 | 1995 | Julius Oral Popwell |
| 18 | 1996 | none |
| 19 | 1997 | Roger Moore |
| 20 | 1998 | none |
| 21 | 1999 | none |
| 22 | 2000 | none |
| 23 | 2001 | Stu Ungar |
| 24 | 2002 | Lyle Berman |
| 25 | 2003 | Johnny Chan, Bobby Baldwin |
| 26 | 2004 | Berry Johnston |
| 27 | 2005 | Jack Binion, Crandell Addington |
| 28 | 2006 | TJ Cloutier, Billy Baxter |
| 29 | 2007 | Barbara Enright, Phil Hellmuth |
| 30 | 2008 | Dewey Tomko, Henry Orenstein |
| 31 | 2009 | Mike Sexton |
| 32 | 2010 | Erik Seidel, Dan Harrington |
| 33 | 2011 | Barry Greenstein, Linda Johnson |
| 34 | 2012 | Bryan Roberts |
| 35 | 2013 | Tom McEvoy, Scott Nguyen |
| 36 | 2014 | Jack McClelland, Daniel Negreanu |
| 37 | 2015 | Jennier Harman, John Juanda |
| 38 | 2016 | Todd Brunson, Carlos Mortensen |
| 39 | 2017 | David Ulliott, Phil Ivey |
| 40 | 2018 | Mori Eskandani, John Hennigan |
| 41 | 2019 | Chris Moneymaker, David Oppenheim |
| 42 | 2020 | Huck Seed |
| 43 | 2021 | Eli Elezra |
| year | Inductees |
David Lappin commented on how Elezra’s induction to the hall of fame meant that he now had a bounty on his head during the Poker Hall of Fame tournament.
Some people see poker Hall of Famer @elielezra1.
I only see $2021. pic.twitter.com/EIME37i1VV
— ???? David Lappin ???? (@dklappin) November 18, 2021
Congratulations to the newest member of the Poker Hall of Fame, @elielezra1! #wsop pic.twitter.com/SySNYauTR9
— Dara O’Kearney (@daraokearney) November 18, 2021
The 2021 Poker Hall of Fame inductee is @elielezra1! Well deserved! His speech and ceremony at #WSOP was very special. His parents were in attendance and so happy! What a moment! Congrats Eli! pic.twitter.com/RrkxH1qC2z
— Chad Holloway (@ChadAHolloway) November 17, 2021
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