The Poker Hall of Fame will be expanded by two in the coming weeks as the WSOP announced on Thursday that Eric Drache and Brian “Sailor” Roberts were the latest inductees into the extremely exclusive club that includes such legendary players and poker personalities as Doyle Brunson, Phil Hellmuth, Johnny Moss, Wild Bill Hickok and Edmund Hoyle.
Eric Drache is a lifelong poker player and executive, having run many of the most famous poker rooms in Las Vegas while playing the highest stakes Seven Card Stud games offered. Drache is credited with helping Benny Binion create the World Series of Poker. Drache is also credited with inventing “satellite” tournaments, helped establish the Hall of Fame he will now join, and was the WSOP tournament director for over 15 years.
Drache was extremely humbled by the honor, saying, “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.”
Brian Roberts, better known simply as Sailor, was one of the early road gamblers, accompanying Amarillo Slim Preston and Doyle Brunson in the sojourns across the south and southwest looking for poker games. Roberts, who passed away in 1996, was one of the best players of the era, and will finally be honored and take his place alongside his longtime travelling companions, Slim and Doyle.
While not particularly known for his tournament play, Roberts won the 1975 World Series of Poker, which released the following statement about his posthumous induction:
“To anyone who knew him, Brian ‘Sailor’ Roberts was truly one of the ‘good guys’ of the game. Along with his poker skill, Roberts’ wit, charm and reputable integrity served him well in cementing his place as one of poker’s legends. A gambler at his very core, the 1975 WSOP Main Event champion grew up in the small town of San Angelo, Texas, where at age 12 he made his first winnings shooting dice while working as a caddie. After serving in the Navy during the Korean War, Roberts returned home to Texas, where he met Doyle Brunson and Amarillo Slim. The three traveled throughout the south and Midwest in search of poker games and became known as the famous “Texas Rounders,” whose exploits have been romanticized over the years in both film and literature. A pillar of poker’s old guard, Roberts was beloved by his fellow gamblers. The two-time WSOP champion also finished eighth in the 1982 WSOP Main Event won by fellow Hall of Famer Jack “Treetop” Strauss. Roberts passed away in 1995.”
Drache and Roberts were among 10 finalists for the Poker Hall of Fame Class of 2012, beating out a number of other worthy finalists including Jennifer Harman, Tom McEvoy, John Juanda, Scotty Nguyen, George Hardie, Chris Bjorin, David Chiu, and Thor Hansen.
The criteria for induction is fairly loose, but it has become apparent in recent years that the voters are favoring the elder statesmen of the game, even if players like Jennifer Harman and John Juanda are highly deserving –the prevailing mindset is that these players are still in their prime and will get their chance a little farther down the road.
Criteria for Poker Hall of Fame induction:
• A player must have played poker against acknowledged top competition
• Be a minimum of 40 years old at time of nomination
• Played for high stakes
• Played consistently well, gaining the respect of peers
• Stood the test of time
• Or, for nonplayers, contributed to the overall growth and success of the game of poker, with indelible positive and lasting results.
Poker Hall of Fame members:
• Johnny Moss
• Nick “The Greek” Dandolos
• Felton “Corky” McCorquodale
• Red Winn
• Sid Wyman
• James Butler “Wild Bill” Hickok
• Edmond Hoyle
• Blondie Forbes
• Bill Boyd
• Tom Abdo
• Joe Bernstein
• Murph Harrold
• Red Hodges
• Henry Green
• Walter Clyde “Puggy” Pearson
• Doyle “Texas Dolly” Brunson
• Jack “Treetop” Straus
• Fred “Sarge” Ferris
• Benny Binion
• David “Chip” Reese
• Thomas “Amarillo Slim” Preston
• Jack Keller
• Julius Oral Popwell
• Roger Moore
• Stu “The Kid” Ungar
• Lyle Berman
• Johnny “The Orient Express” Chan
• Bobby “The Owl” Baldwin
• Berry Johnston
• Jack Binion
• Crandell “Dandy” Addington
• T.J. Cloutier
• Billy Baxter
• Barbara Enright
• Phil Hellmuth
• Dewey Tomko
• Henry Orenstein
• Mike Sexton
• Dan Harrington
• Erik Seidel
• Linda Johnson
• Barry Greenstein
