Huck Seed Newest Poker Hall of Fame Member, Hebert Wins WSOP Main Event’s US Leg

Posted on: December 31, 2020, 08:17h. 

Last updated on: December 31, 2020, 03:59h.

Steve Bittenbender Read More
Expertise: Legislation, Sports Betting, Horse Racing.

Huckleberry Seed, winner of the World Series of Poker Main Event in 1996, is the newest member of the Poker Hall of Fame.

Huck Seed Poker Hall of Fame
Huck Seed, left, shown playing at the 2014 World Poker Tour’s Seminole Hard Rock Open, is the newest member of the Poker Hall of Fame. (Image: SeminoleHardRockPokerOpen.com)

The player known by many as “Huck” turns 52 on Jan. 15. His resume features four WSOP bracelets and the 2009 NBC Heads-Up Championship. He also carries a reputation as a colorful character, thanks in large part to quirky wagers between him and other poker pros. Those include betting he could break 100 on the golf course using just three clubs for a round and not shaving for an entire year.

That combination of color and skill made him the top pick of the living Hall members. In a statement, Seed said the news made him reminisce to when it all began more than three decades ago.

“Hearing the news that I am being inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame this year brought back memories of my early poker days, walking into the Binion’s Horseshoe, about to start a poker session, admiring all the Poker Hall of Famers on the wall,” Seed said. “It feels good to be included with all the poker legends that I once idolized and competed against over the years. Thank you, everyone.”

Seed becomes the 59th member of the Hall. Besides him, there are 31 other living members. According to the Hall’s statement, 30 of them took part in a voting system that featured 10 candidates.

Each member received 10 points to allocate across the finalists. Of the 300 possible points, Seed earned 76 points. Matt Savage, a well-known tournament director, finished second with 51. Poker Stars co-founder Isai Scheinberg, one of three first-time finalists this year, earned 45.




Hebert Wins US WSOP Division, Plays for Bracelet Sunday

Earlier in the week, Joseph Hebert, a 38-year-old from Louisiana, won the American division of the 2020 World Series of Poker Main Event.

Hebert, who earned his entry into the $10,000 no-limit tournament by first winning a $300 satellite event, held a commanding lead going into Monday’s final table. That took place in person at the Rio in Las Vegas.

After two days of online-only play concluded two weeks ago, Hebert held nearly 13.1 million chips, a nearly 2.5-times advantage over second stack Shawn Stroke’s 5.3 million. He needed less than 100 hands to be the sole survivor and claim a $1.6 million prize.

Ron Jenkins, who started the final table in seventh position with 2.5 million chips, finished second. He also earned a $1 million payday.

Hebert will play Damian Salas in a head-to-head match on Sunday for the coveted bracelet and an additional $1 million. Organizers initially scheduled the final match to take place Wednesday. However, they rescheduled it for unspecified reasons.

COVID Test DQs DeSilva

Initially, nine players were scheduled to compete at the Rio in the US final table. However, the WSOP disqualified Upeshka De Silva after he testing positive for COVID-19.

According to De Silva’s Twitter account, the three-time bracelet winner tested positive for COVID-19 on Dec. 20.  After reportedly testing negative on Saturday, he tested positive during the WSOP’s official testing on Sunday.

De Silva, who finished the first day of online play as the top stack in the hybrid Main Event earlier this month, was in eighth place heading to the final table. As a result, he finished in ninth place and earned $98,813.