Back in early June the 10 finalists for the 2012 Class of the Women in Poker Hall of Fame were announced, and this past weekend two deserving players were announced as having met the induction criterion and will be honored at a soirée at the Golden Nugget Casino on August 31st, and join the ranks of Women in Poker Hall of Famers.

The 10 finalists this year included a mix of players and poker industry members, and in the end it was one from each category that would receive the nod from the selection committee, JJ Liu and Kathy Raymond. This is the first year that only two women have been inducted (four were inducted in the inaugural class of 2008, and from 2009-2011 three women have been inducted each year) which is based on a criteria established by the WIPHOF.

Joanne “JJ” Liu is one of the top female tournament players in the history of the game, having racked-up an impressive $2.5 million in career tournaments, good enough for 7th on the All-Time Women’s Money-List. Liu has finished 2nd and 4th in World Poker Tour events, as well as winning the 2006 WPT Ladies Night tournament. Liu also has five WSOP final tables under her belt.

Kathy Raymond spent 14 years in the trenches at Foxwoods, first as a dealer and eventually working her way up to Director of Poker Operations. After Foxwoods Raymond went to work for the Venetian Poker Room and has presided over that casino’s poker turnaround.

Here is a look at all 10 finalists from 2012, many of whom will likely be inductees themselves in the coming years:

* Debbie Burkhead – Poker Player /Industry Professional

* Victoria Coren – Poker Player /Journalist

* Nani Dollison – Player / Industry Professional

* Annie Duke – Poker Player / Author

* Deborah Giardina – Industry Professional

* Karina Jett – Poker Player / Industry Professional

* Bonnie Leinhos – Poker Player / Industry Professional

* JJ Liu – Poker Player

* Isabel Mercier – Poker Player/ Industry Professional

* Kathy Raymond – Industry Professional

Here is a look at the previous inductees into the Women in Poker Hall of Fame:

* The Class of 2008 – Marsha Waggoner, Susie Isaacs, Linda Johnson, and Barbara Enright

* The Class of 2009 – Cyndi Violette, Jan Fisher, and June Field

* The Class of 2010 – Kathy Liebert, Jen Harman, and Billie Brown

* The Class of 2011 – Kristy Gazes, Margie Heintz, and Phyllis Caro

* The Class of 2012 – JJ Liu and Kathy Raymond

Congratulations to both JJ Liu and Kathy Raymond on their induction into the WiPHOF!

You can find out more about the WiPHOF by visiting their website at www.wiphof.com

 

Tags: Annie Duke, August 31st, Class Of 2008, Foxwoods, Giardina, Golden Nugget Casino, Hall Of Fame, Inaugural Class, Industry Members, Industry Professional, Isabel Mercier, Karina Jett, Ladies Night, Poker Hall, Poker Player, Poker Room, Selection Committee, Time Women, Victoria Coren, World Poker Tour

This entry was posted on Friday, July 20th, 2012 at 8:48 am and is filed under Poker Industry News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.