Caesars Entertainment officials announced on Thursday that Eric Drache and Brian "Sailor" Roberts (pictured) will be inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame on Tuesday, October 30 at 3:30pm PT at the Rio in Las Vegas. The ceremonies will precede the finale of the 2012 World Series of Poker Main Event, which begins one hour later at 4:30pm PT and will be beamed around the world on ESPN, ESPN3.com, and WSOP.com on a 15-minute delay.Drache told Caesars officials in a press release distributed on Thursday, “I'm not only surprised and honored to have been selected, I'm also a bit embarrassed considering the other nominees. When Jack Binion and myself worked on creating the Hall of Fame, I never considered myself a potential candidate. I'm particularly happy for the family of Sailor Roberts. Sailor, by everyone's account, including my own personal observations, was a great player and played many games very well."
Roberts passed away 17 years ago, but current Poker Hall of Fame member Crandell Addington gave a comment on his behalf.
Addington remarked, "In a time 50 years ago when poker players relied on luck, Sailor was developing sophisticated strategies that would enable him to make his own luck. At a time in which professional poker players were viewed as outlaws and poker was illegal, he formed a partnership with Doyle and Slim and they traveled across the country from poker game to poker game. They deployed advanced strategies unknown at the time that featured playing their opponents' hands on many occasions rather than their own hands. More often than not, they got the money."
PocketFives can also exclusively reveal that Addington will be delivering Roberts' acceptance speech at the Rio in front of a packed house at the Penn and Teller Theater.
It's appropriate that Drache (pictured with Doyle Brunson) was elected to the Poker Hall of Fame considering the Hall was his idea in the first place. However, that isn't his only legacy. According to Caesars, "His legacy likely will be the creation of satellite events… This Drache creation greatly expanded the ability for players to enter events, thus increasing player pools and their bankrolls."Roberts won WSOP bracelets in 1974 and 1975. The first came in a Deuce to Seven Draw tournament, while his 1975 hardware came by virtue of winning the Main Event. He also took eighth in the 1982 Main Event.
The 2012 Poker Hall of Fame class was the second one to be subjected to the so-called Chip Reese Rule, which states that a player must be at least 40 years of age, the age Reese was inducted, in order to be enshrined. In addition, a nominee must have played poker against top competition, played for high stakes, played consistently well, gained the respect of peers, and stood the test of time.
Non-players can also make their way into the Poker Hall of Fame by "contributing to the overall growth and success of the game of poker." Last year, Barry Greenstein and Linda Johnson were inducted. There are now 44 members, with the first class being named in 1979.
Those considered for the Hall this year, but not granted entry by its current membership and a panel of media, were Chris Bjorin, David Chiu, Thor Hansen, George Hardie, Jennifer Harman, John Juanda, Tom McEvoy, and Scotty Nguyen.
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Pictures courtesy Gaming UNLV.
