Poker Hall of Fame Candidates Announced

Poker star Tom Dwan was dropped from the list of nominees at the last minute.

The candidates still in position to enter the Poker Hall of Fame have been announced by its governing council.

This year's nominees to receive the prestigious accolade are Mike Sexton, Phil Ivey, Daniel Negreanu, Dan Harrington, Tom McEvoy, Men Nguyen, Barry Greenstein and Erik Seidel, who all met the Hall of Fame's stringent criteria.

Two 15-person voting panels will make the decision and the winners will be announced in Las Vegas on November 7th at the final table of the 2009 WSOP main event.

Controversially, the 23-year-old online poker star Tom Dwan was originally listed on the ballot for this year's prize, but was removed by the voting committee.

In a statement, the Governing Council said: "With all due respect to Mr Dwan, one of the game's most exciting young players, he does not currently meet the criteria for the Hall of Fame selection."

Since its inception in 1979, the prestigious prize has been awarded to 37 gamblers, ranging from the American professional Phil Hellmuth to Edmond Hoyle, who wrote a book on poker in 1742.