Linda Johnson Named as First Recipient of the First WPT Honors

Posted by Gerry Poltorak on Feb 25, 2017 Posted in Poker News | No Comments »

linda-johnson-f5_orig_f5The WPT recently awarded Linda Johnson with the first WPT Honors award. This prestigious award is in recognition of Linda’s achievements in the world of poker, with those being recognized for legendary status, having won virtually every award that can be won in poker. The list of trophies she has achieved will grow by one once she is personally given her Honors award.

Chief Executive Officer of the World Poker Tour, Adam Pliska, stated: “We are proud to present Linda Johnson with the inaugural WPT Honors Award.” Further lamenting on this prestigious award, Adam spoke in detail about what this award characterises and how it allows the WPT to recognize the crowning achievements of its most successful players.

Linda played an integral role in the shaping of the WPT and symbolizes exactly what the World Poker Tour represents and stands for. It is her contributions that have assisted to make poker an international success, and as a player, she has left an enduring impression that will remain with the game forever. In her humbleness, Linda stated via Facebook that “I am extremely honored to receive this award” and added “Have I said lately that I LOVE poker? Thank you, WPT!”

The WPT Honors award

The Honors award is meant to reward those who have made a lasting contribution to the poker community and the world of poker. Johnson was the first tournament director for the WPT, and as one who acted in an announcer’s role, she was responsible for the poker circuit being created. Many of those tournaments are WPT staples, and it was Linda who joined Steve Lipscomb, the WPT founder and Lyle Berman, a casino mogul, with those casinos that host the WPTs largest events.
While that along places Johnson into an elite membership, her accolades and contributions go well beyond that circuit itself as she is a bracelet winner and was the owner/publisher of CardPlayer Magazine prior to selling the business in 2001. CardPlayer Magazine has gone onto being considered the preeminent magazine for the poker industry.
Additionally, Linda was instrumental in the Tournament Directors Association being created to put an end to player and dealer abuse. Today, it is that same organization that now oversees all WPT tournaments and is responsible for the rules that apply to tournament players. Other accolades Johnson has achieved include being the Poker Players Alliance chair and as a member of its Board of Directors, recipient of the Women in Poker Hall of Fame award in 2008, and recognized as a member of the Seniors Poker Hall of Fame.

While the WPT, in 2004, created its Walk of Fame at the Los Angles Commerce Casino and saw first-year inductees include James Garner, Gus Hanson and Doyle Brunson, it has failed to catch on and has since fallen to the wayside, however, with the Honor’s Award, the organization can once again honor those like Linda who have made an impact on its reputation, growth and continued success.

While the success of the WPT circuit is well documents, its impact online has also been felt through online poker games. The televised events helped propel the online industry of poker into the forefront and created many new winners to the live events as a result, which of course, with Linda’s contributions being integral in that success.

The success of the WPT has spurned many of the nets best online poker casinos and this continues to help shape young players and those new to poker in general. The ability to gain knowledge in this game of poker is paramount and with online poker, the sheer volume of played hands allows players to master the game quickly, and is sure to lead to future Honor Award recipients as a result.

Congratulations Linda on all your achievements and this wonderful honor! We are sure February 27th will be a wonderful and memorable day that will last a lifetime!



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