Las Vegas, NV (November 14, 2022) – The Women in Poker Hall of Fame announces Angelica Hael, Terry King, Vanessa Selbst, and Jennifer Tilly as the Class of 2022 inductees.
Having skipped a year of induction due to the pandemic and with very few votes separating the top four women, Hall members chose to make an exception and induct all four women to the Class of 2022. An unprecedented 54 women were nominated in the public nomination process, with seven making the ballot. Voters comprised of living Hall Members and invited Media/Industry Members, who then cast their vote from this group of seven
The WiPHoF Celebration & Induction Ceremony is Wednesday, December 14 at 10 AM at the PokerGO studio in Las Vegas.
More about the Class of 2022:
Angelica Hael – Vice President of Global Tour Management at World Poker Tour and is now in her 12th year with WPT. She oversees the overall management of World Poker Tour and WPT-branded events. Beyond her duties at WPT, Angelica has made it a mission to develop the WPT Women’s Poker Initiative, which has launched serious conversations around women in poker throughout the industry. This year, World Poker Tour has committed to a first-ever $200,000 Guarantee Women’s Championship, which will be filmed for television. Angelica is a visionary and has created a platform for women and all poker players worldwide. She is the 2019 Global Poker Awards Poker Industry Person of the Year winner.
Terry King – Terry King is one of the pioneering women in poker. She arrived in Las Vegas in 1972 and watched her friend play poker until she had the nerve to sit at a table on her own, after which Terry fell in love with the game. In 1978 she won the WSOP Ladies’ event bracelet and was one of the first women to deal in the $10,000 WSOP Main Event. Terry was a prop player and eventually moved to California to work at the Bicycle Club, now known as Parkwest Bicycle Casino. She also helped open Hollywood Park Casino and was a shift manager there for five years. Terry has been a poker player and industry person for over 50 years. She is also widely recognized as a Poker Historian, documenting stories from the early years of poker. She continues to share the game’s history in a popular Facebook group with over 4,000 members.
Vanessa Selbst – For over a decade, you couldn’t open a poker publication without seeing Venessa as a top-ranked player on poker leaderboards. Her ascent to stardom started at the 2006 World Series of Poker, where she managed to make the final table of the $2,000 No-Limit Hold ’em event, finishing in 7th place and banking $101,285 for her performance. In 2008 Vanessa won her first WSOP bracelet in a $1,500 PLO event, netting over a quarter of a million. Then in 2010, Selbst took down the North American Poker Tour Main Event, winning the prestigious title and the $750,000 first-place prize. She then went back to back, winning the same event the very next year, this time to the tune of $450,000. She also won the Partouche Poker Tour Main Event in September of 2010 for her biggest career win of over $1.8 million. To add to her long list of accomplishments, in 2012 and 2014, Vanessa won two more WSOP bracelets, becoming the only female player with three bracelets in open events. Although Vanessa has left poker professionally to pursue her career as an options trader, she still plays on occasion, which allows her to enjoy the game more than following the professional circuit. Vanessa has nearly $12 Million in tournament earnings, double the second highest-ranking person on the GPI Women’s All-Time Money List.
Jennifer Tilly – Although she may be best known for her long career in the entertainment industry, many don’t realize that Jennifer has been in poker for over 25 years. She is often the first to break out a deck of cards on a Hollywood set in between acting duties, and will often teach the crew how to play just to have people to play with. In 2004 she attended the WPT Celebrity Invitational at Commerce Casino in Los Angeles. The tournament combined poker with charity fundraising, but also gave Jennifer the opportunity to connect with other poker players with whom she could play live poker with in the future. It was at this event that she met Phil Laak, a professional poker player who has become her life partner. In 2005 she attended the WSOP and entered the Ladies Championship, winning her first WSOP bracelet and a $158,335 cash prize. Shortly after that, she won the WPT Ladies Night invitational event. She still plays ladies-only tournaments when possible because she enjoys the camaraderie. Jennifer has over $1 Million in tournament winnings and is a regular in high-stakes cash games.
The celebration is presented by Playtika LTD. and PokerGO Studios and is open to the public. “PlayWSOP and the entire Playtika team are proud to sponsor the Women in Poker Hall of Fame as we honor each inductee for her tremendous achievements and influence in advancing the game,” said Guy Ceder, general manager of playWSOP. “The skills developed playing poker can be applied to all aspects of life, and playWSOP is committed to making poker accessible and inclusive for all.”
Other sponsors include the World Poker Tour, Women’s Poker Association, Poker Power, Women in Poker, Faded Spade, Game On Chip Co, Poker Queen Studios, Dreams & Queens, Tierra Fox, Aria Resort & Casino, The Venetian Las Vegas, bestbet Jacksonville, Ladies International Poker Series and Misfits Poker League. The WiPHoF celebration benefits Poker Gives, a non-profit charity serving the homeless and families in need in our community.
The WiPHoF Ceremony can be enjoyed either in person or on the PokerGo YouTube Channel livestream. “Having the Induction Ceremony LIVE streamed globally through the generous support of the PokerGO Studio elevates the Hall, the celebration, and its standing in the Poker Industry. We couldn’t be more humbled and appreciative of Mori Eskandani and his team for their support!” said Lupe Soto, Hall Member and Founder of the WiPHoF.
Tickets are open to the public to attend this historical industry event. To purchase tickets, or learn more, please visit www.WiPHoF.com
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About the Women in Poker Hall of Fame – The Prestigious Women in Poker Hall of Fame, founded in 2008 is designed to honor women in poker who have acquired prominence and have made contributions to the poker world.
About Playtika® – Playtika Holding Corp. is a leading mobile gaming company with over 35 million monthly active users across a portfolio of games titles. Founded in 2010, Playtika was among the first to offer free-to-play social games on social networks and, shortly after, on mobile platforms. Headquartered in Herzliya, Israel, and guided by a mission to entertain the world through infinite ways to play, Playtika has 20 offices worldwide including Tel-Aviv, London, Berlin, Vienna, Helsinki, Montreal, Chicago, Las Vegas, Santa Monica, Newport Beach, Sydney, Kiev, Bucharest, Minsk, Dnepr, Vinnitsa, Lausanne, and Warsaw.
About PokerGO® – PokerGO is home to the largest subscription-based poker streaming service in the world, changing the way global poker enthusiasts consume the game by giving unparalleled access to pre-eminent events. PokerGO is the only platform where members receive 125+ days of live poker broadcasts each year, including the World Series of Poker, Super High Roller Bowl, Poker Masters, High Stakes Duel, and more. Subscribers also receive 24/7 on-demand access to thousands of hours of shows, including a growing collection of WSOP programming and every season of High Stakes Poker.
Dan is the founder of PokerLiveUpdates, a veteran poker tournament reporter who can be found wandering somewhat aimlessly through tournament arenas worldwide. As a founding member of FunTour2.0, he searches for the best in craft beer at all locations in the poker world.
