Why The Poker Hall Of Fame Made A Special Exception For Michael ‘The Grinder’ Mizrachi

The Poker Hall of Fame has faced increasingly louder criticism over the last decade for failing to address its antiquated voting process, which limits inductees to just one per year.

In fact, I’ve been running the same op-ed for three years straight, offering up several solutions to alleviate the logjam of overqualified poker players who have been left on the outside looking in.

While the Hall has yet to implement any of my suggestions, they did make a step in the right direction this summer with an unprecedented decision to induct Michael Mizrachi.

A Surprise Induction

Just minutes after he had won the World Series of Poker main event, and just a couple weeks after taking down his fourth Poker Players Championship, Mizrachi was joined on stage by several members of the Hall and informed that he was officially in the club.

Apparently led by a push from Phil Hellmuth and Daniel Negreanu, the 33 living members of the Hall of Fame held an “emergency vote” given the history Mizrachi was making on the felt. It was near unanimous, with one person reportedly abstaining and one unable to be contacted.

“The Grinder should have been in already,” Negreanu said the night before the big win. “The guy’s a legend and an icon. He’s exactly what poker needs. Someone who proves you can have fun, love the game, not take yourself too seriously, and still dominate. And he’s been doing that for decades.”

The Grinder Celebrates Historic Achievement

Although he had been nominated previously, the 44-year-old was not in the final 10 this summer, making it even more of a surprise. This year, the induction honor went to high-stakes crusher and commentator Nick Schulman.

I have to feel a bit sorry for the other nine nominees who are still waiting their turn, especially guys like Ted Forrest and Matt Savage who have been knocking on the door for a decade now, but this was still a home run decision by the Hall. Choosing to do it right after his main event win was also a classy move (and helped to extend an already short PokerGO broadcast.)

More Inductees Is Better

But let’s make no mistake. This induction, if done only in this particular set of circumstances, only opens the door for one additional player. The reality is that eight bracelets, POY wins, four PPC titles, and a main event is too big of a resume to forget or ignore, so Grinder was getting in next year anyway.

In order for this decision to really move the needle, it needs to happen again. And again. And often.

One shouldn’t have to win the two biggest tournaments of the year in order to cut the line, either. If the Hall wants to continue to reward those players who are racking up wins (and not just at the WSOP), then it should be able to induct whomever, whenever they’d like. It is their club, after all.

What if the Hall made four quarterly inductions annually, while reserving the summer vote for the public and media? Not only would this keep the Poker Hall of Fame in the headlines throughout the year and give each player their own time in the spotlight, but it would go a long way towards fixing the painfully-slow induction process.

The unstoppable force that is Michael Mizrachi managed to somehow find a way to barge into the Hall of Fame, but only time will tell if the door locked behind him. Let’s hope not. Poker is big, and the Hall should reflect that.