The Poker Hall of Fame has two new members.
On Monday WSOP officials announced that Jennifer Harman and John Juanda are the 2015 inductees to the Hall of Fame.
For the first time this decade both inductees were enshrined based on performance on the felt and not outside factors as some contributors in the past.
Harman Becomes Third Woman Inductee
Harman officially becomes the third woman in the history of the game to be inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame. Barbara Enright and Linda Johnson are the other two.
Harman is a two-time WSOP bracelet winner with over $2.7 million in live tournament earnings.
Harman is also considered one of the best high-stakes cash-game players and has been a fixture in Vegas high stakes games for decades.
Following the Poker Boom Harman's star rose as she became a role model for aspiring female players around the world.
In addition to success on the tournament circuit Harman was prominently featured on several televised poker programs including High Stakes Poker and Poker After Dark.
Harman's induction has been years in the making. She's been on the finalists list each year since 2010. Doyle Brunson and Daniel Negreanu both praised the induction and said they voted for Harman.
Juanda Had Best Pedigree Among Finalists
John Juanda seemed a lock from the onset of voting in 2015 as he had the best pedigree among the finalists. The five-time WSOP bracelet winner is also an EPT champion with $17.25 million in live tournament earnings.
The Indonesian-born poker pro currently resides in Tokyo, Japan and has a poker resume dating back to the late 1990s. He's also been a model of consistency, only falling below six-figures in annual earnings once in the last 19 years.
In addition to his tournament success Juanda is a well known high-stakes pro having played successfully against top competition from around the world. He was also part of the prestigious Full Tilt Poker pro team during its online poker heyday.
HOF Nominees Applauded by Brunson
Doyle Brunson may have said it best when he tweeted that his faith in the HOF process was reaffirmed this year with the selections of Harman and Juanda.
He continued stating that both actually met all the criteria of nomination, something that could not be said about half of the inductees in the past.
It is Brunson's belief that if you don't meet all the criteria, you shouldn't get in.
Many have spoken out regarding the HOF process in recent years, stating that it needed to be modified to catch up with the modern era of poker.
However, for this year at least, the committee got it right and the two most deserving candidates will be inducted.
The HOF induction ceremony and dinner will be held on November 6 at 7 p.m. inside Binion's Gambling Hall in downtown Las Vegas.