Who will be inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame in 2010?

In this column I’ll make an attempt to handicap each of the 10 finalists’ chances of adding their names to the very exclusive roster that makes up the Poker Hall of Fame -there are currently 37 Poker Hall of Fame members. Even though all of the final 10 nominees are extremely deserving of the honor, most likely only two of them will stand-up at the podium and be honored in November.

• Linda Johnson - Johnson is my early favorite for induction. The first lady of poker, as she is known, embodies everything the Hall of Fame is looking for. Although she is probably not well known for her poker playing, Johnson is a competent player, but has focused most of her poker career on being involved behind the scenes and as an ambassador for the game - She is the female version of Mike Sexton. Chances for Hall of Fame induction = Even Money
• Phil Ivey - Even though he is still wet-behind-the-ears in the poker world it’s impossible to overlook what Phil Ivey has accomplished. Chances for Hall of Fame induction = 3/2
• Erik Seidel - Seidel is an incredibly deserving nominee given his resume, but as a tournament specialist, with little contribution outside of his results and impeccable reputation, he will likely have to wait until next year. Chances for Hall of Fame induction = 3/1
• Chris Ferguson - Jesus is in the same boat as Seidel, although he has made some contributions to the poker world with his early involvements in online poker. Chances for Hall of Fame induction = 4/1
• Barry Greenstein - Greenstein is a top player in cash games and tournaments, as well as having penned a terrific poker book. He is also one of poker’s greatest philanthropists and a great ambassador for the game. However, Barry is still in his poker prime and will probably have to wait a few years before he is honored with induction. Chances for Hall of Fame induction = 6/1
• Jennifer Harman - Harman is a phenomenal poker player, one of the greatest of all-time, but her age - she is older than she appears, but is viewed as a younger player-and Johnson also being on the short-list makes her induction a long-shot this time around. Chances for Hall of Fame induction = 7/1
• Dan Harrington - Harrington is one of the top WSOP performers in history, but aside from that hasn’t accomplished all that much in poker. Perhaps his greatest fame comes from his Harrington on Hold’ Em book series, widely considered the seminal tournament poker primers in existence. Chances for Hall of Fame induction = 10/1
• Daniel Negreanu - Negreanu is one of poker’s most popular, successful, and marketable players, but he has two things working against him: His age, and his recent comments against Annie Duke. It’s quite likely the voting committee will take a pass on Daniel and let the controversy fade into history before Negreanu takes his place beside the game’s greats. Chances for Hall of Fame induction = 12/1
• Tom McEvoy - If there was veterans committee for the Poker Hall of Fame I’m sure McEvoy would be inducted. Unfortunately for the 1983 Main Event Champion and poker author he doesn’t have the resume to demand such an honor. It also doesn’t help that his books are now outdated. Chances for Hall of Fame induction 20/1
• Scotty Nguyen - Scotty has the poker chops for induction, but his behavior will keep him out for years. His lasting poker legacy should be his 1998 WSOP win, but right now it’s his behavior in the $50k HORSE tournament a few years back - A tournament meant to honor Poker Hall of Famer Chip Reese, a player beloved by the voting committee. Chances for Hall of Fame induction = 25/1