Women Are Making Their Mark (cactus i.v.)

Women are making a bigger mark in the poker world everyday and don't think Binion's, home of Poker Hall of Fame, hasn't noticed the softer side of the game.

Women in Poker Hall of Fame (WiPHOF) will debut Saturday at Binion’s Casino in Las Vegas. The inaugural inductees include Barbara Enright, Susie Isaacs, Linda Johnson, and Marsha Waggoner.

Only members of the WiPHOF are invited to attend, but anyone (man or woman) can gain membership. A membership is $75 (20 percent is donated to the Breast Cancer Angels Foundation).

After the ceremony, there will be a $500 buy-in no-limit hold’em tournament at 2 p.m., which is open to the public.On Monday, members of the WiPHOF are invited back to Binion’s for a freeroll to win $1,000 in cash and prizes donated. The winner will also get a pass to a World Poker Tour Boot Camp.

Candidates for the WiPHOF must meet a certain criteria.

• A woman must have been active as a player or industry leader at some time during a period beginning at least 15 years prior to election.

• She must have contributed to the world of poker in some significant way, either by wins/cashes in major tournaments or by making significant contributions to the poker industry.

• She must be a proponent of women’s poker. While she is not required to play in women-only events, she must support its existence.

Enright was the first woman inducted in the Poker Hall of Fame. She is the first woman to win a major open World Series of Poker event (pot-limit Omaha in 1996), the only woman to make a WSOP main event final table and has won two WSOP ladies championships.

Isaacs has been playing poker since 1986. She won back-to0back ladies championships at the World Series of Poker in 1996 and 1997.

Johnson is known as the First Lady in Poker. She is a former publisher of Card Player magazine and current World Poker Tour announcer. She won a WSOP bracelet in 1997 in the $1,500 seven-card Razz event. She was a co-founder of the World Poker Industry Conference, the World Poker Players Conference and the Tournament Directors Association. She was the original chairperson for the Poker Players Alliance and still serves on its board of directors.

Waggoner, an Australian native who now lives in Los Angeles, has cashed in over 100 major tournaments, including 18 times in the WSOP. The Aussie moved to L.A. to support her family by playing poker.



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