2011 Women in Poker Hall of Fame

A few nights ago, Lupe Soto hosted a meeting of the Board of the Women in Poker Hall of Fame (WiPHoF) and some of the past inductees, including me. All board members were present except for Karina Jett and she is very pregnant and in the middle of a move. Both, great excuses for missing anything! Gyla Whitlow joined us from Texas via Skype. Gyla is the production manager of the WiPHoF "show" every year and she does a bang up job. We had a close race this year between a couple of the new inductees - within 1% of the public vote and the board! We also voted to change one of the critiques to be nominated from 15 years in the poker business to 10. That will really open up the field for 2012 nominees. If you have never attended a WiPHoF ceremony, you have missed a very entertaining and moving evening, not to mention a great dinner, and dancing. It is a celebration of women in poker and recognizes women who have made great strides in the poker world and for women in poker. You can get tickets at the http://www.wiphof.com/. The news release went out today. It is as follows:

Gazes, Heintz and Caro to be Inducted into the 2011 Women in Poker Hall of Fame

Las Vegas, Nevada, August 4, 2011 – The fourth annual Women in Poker Hall of Fame (WiPHOF) will induct Kristy Gazes, Margie Heintz and Phyllis Caro to its prestigious ranks on September 2nd, 2011, at the Golden Nugget Casino in Downtown Las Vegas. “These exceptional women possess qualities that are worthy of their place in history” said Lupe Soto, Founder of the Women in Poker Hall of Fame, “And we want to thank the public for the overwhelming response to the voting process.” She added.
Kristy Gazes, professional poker player, ranks in the top 20 female earners in poker with over 1 million in tournament wins. She also had an impressive run cashing in two events in this year’s World Series of Poker. She has been playing professionally for almost 20 years and is a huge supporter the poker industry.
Margie Heintz, Director of Poker Operations for El Dorado Casino in Reno, Nevada holds an interesting piece of history. She was the first woman ever to deal the World Series of Poker in 1977 and went on to deal the televised final table as CBS’s Wide World of Sports covered the event.
Phyllis Caro, Director of Poker Operations for Hollywood Park Casino in Los Angeles, California, has had a long career since 1979 holding every position one can hold in poker operations. She has also assisted in the writing of several poker books some of which include Mike Caro’s Book of Tells, Poker for Women, Caro on Gambling, and the Mike Caro Quiz Book.
The WiPHoF festivities take place on September 2nd and are open to the public. Tickets may be purchased for $75 which include the dinner, ceremony and dance at http://www.wiphof.com/. Special room rates are available at Golden Nugget Casino with the room code LIPS11.
ABOUT WOMEN IN POKER HALL OF FAME - The Women in Poker Hall of Fame, founded in 2008, honors prominent women who have made significant contributions to the poker world. Board members include, Karina Jett, Suzie Lederer, Gyla Whitlow, Jacqueline Britton and Lupe Soto. Visit http://www.womeninpokerhalloffame.com/ for more information.