Is Antonio Esfandiari a Hall of Famer?

Published on June 24th, 2019 12:15 am EST

Earlier today, the finalists to be inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame in the 2019 class were revealed by the World Series of Poker.

There is one new finalist this year, and that is Antonio Esfandiari. Esfandiari became eligible this year after recently turning 40.

All of the other finalists have been nominated at least once before - here is the complete list:

Chris Bjorin
David Chiu
Eli Elezra
Antonio Esfandiari
Chris Ferguson
Ted Forrest
Mike Matusow
Chris Moneymaker
David Oppenheim
Huck Seed

This is certainly an interesting list, as it contains some very controversial names (Chris Ferguson, Eli Elezra), as well as some names that have, without a doubt, had a major impact on the game of poker in general (Chris Moneymaker).

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When you look at his resume, Antonio Esfandiari would certainly seem to qualify for the Poker Hall of Fame.

After all, Esfandiari has 3 World Series of Poker bracelets, 2 World Poker Tour titles and over $27.7 million in total lifetime tournament cashes. In addition, when you look at the list of criteria to gain entrance into the Poker Hall of Fame, Esfandiari would certainly seem to qualify - he has played against acknowledged top competition, he has played for high stakes, he has played consistently well over time, he has the respect of his peers, and he has stood the test of time. Esfandiari has his first million dollar cash 15 1/2 years ago, so he has certainly been playing consistently well for a long period of time against top competition.

The second choice for the Poker Hall of Fame would be much trickier.

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Daniel Negreanu and Phil Ivey are recent examples of players who were immediately inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame when they turned 40 years of age.

Will Antonio Esfandiari be next on the list?

Source: WSOP.com - Ten Finalists For the 2019 Poker Hall of Fame Unveiled

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Filed Under: The World Series of Poker