Dan Harrington Inducted into Poker Hall of Fame
As the November Nine dwindled its way down to the final heads-up showdown between Jonathan Duhamel and John Racener – a rigorous battle in which Duhamel finally won the 2010 WSOP Championship Bracelet – there were other festivities taking place. The Poker Hall of Fame was preparing to induct its latest legendary poker players into the esteemed hall of fame.
Among them was Dan Harrington, a career poker player whose efforts have netted him $6.6 million in live tournament earnings alone, plus countless dollars in cash game winnings. Harrington has all but disappeared from the poker circuit these days, but his past accomplishments are celebrated to this day.
Dan Harrington was the 1995 WSOP Champion, taking down the coveted championship just after winning a WSOP bracelet in the $2,500 NL Hold’em preliminary event. He followed this up with four more final table finishes in future World Series of Poker Main Events. In doing so, Harrington accomplished something few professional poker players can claim. He made the WSOP Main Event final table two years straight, in 2003 and again in 2004, just when poker was hitting its big boom in popularity.
Dan’s impressive career continued as the years went on. He unleashed an imposing $1.6 million dollar victory in the WPT Title awarding Legends of Poker tournament in 2007 at the Bicycle Casino in Los Angeles.
Clinching his worthy position in the Poker Hall of Fame was his multitude of contributions to poker edification. His series of poker books, Harrington on Hold’em, have been recognized as some of the most influential literature on the subject during the big poker boom of the early and mid 2000’s.
Not everyone is meant to be a teacher, but Harrington’s ability to break down the many aspects of poker methodologies into an understandable range of chapters has helped countless beginner poker players jump-start a career in professional poker.
During his induction speech, Dan Harrington explained, “This all started many years ago when I was seven years old. I was introduced to a game called Go Fish.” He went on to explain how his card gaming education continued on through college, where he picked up Stud and Draw Poker games.
One of Harrington’s most interesting comments involved him playing poker once with Microsoft giant Bill Gates. They attended Harvard University together. He never played Texas Hold’em until he traveled to Las Vegas for his first trip to the World Series of Poker. He spoke comically of his early days in the big tournament where his bankroll suffered multiple hits before he truly understood the Hold’em concept.
Dan Harrington’s induction speech was highlighted by his story of the legendary Jack Binion. Years ago, Dan was given the opportunity to play one on one with the fearsome high stakes poker pro Stu Ungar. Dan declined, having trepidations regarding the stakes of the game, and doubting his skills against the infamous Ungar.
Binion told Harrington, “Dan, if I had your ability, I’d play higher and higher.”
Harrington retorted, “Jack, if I had your money, I wouldn’t play at all.”