by Diane McHaffie
I’m frustrated and upset! I know Mike is too, because he argued against me writing this column.
Many poker people have been inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame since 1979. With all of Mike Caro’s contributions to the poker world, he still isn’t in.
Criteria. The main criteria for the Poker Hall of Fame are as follows:
• A player must have played poker against acknowledged top competition
• Played for high stakes
• Played consistently well, gaining the respect of peers
• Stood the test of time
• Or, for non-players, contributed to the overall growth and success of the game of poker, with indelible positive and lasting results.
Mike played poker successfully for 14 years as a pro. He is often called the greatest draw poker player alive, including by Doyle Brunson, in his book Super/System–A Course in Power Poker. He’s certainly played for high stakes.
Although he tends to avoid tournaments, he has played against prominent players in the World Series of Poker, World Poker Tour, NBC National Headsup Championship, and Poker Superstars. He has demonstrated his personal brand of fun, psychologically amazing poker that is unlike anything the world had seen before. He definitely has the respect of his peers, so check that one, too. More important, he has worked tirelessly for 30 years to protect the honesty and integrity of poker. Mike said I’m, “beating a dead horse.” He says there are forces angry with him, because of his efforts to keep poker clean. Because his massive contributions have changed the face of poker, he has “stood the test of time.” The last requirement, “contributed to the overall growth and success of the game of poker with indelible positive and lasting results” leaves Mike’s resume overflowing.
Contributions.
1. Author of 11 books, including Caro’s Book of Tells (still among the mostread poker books today.) Cited within more than 100 poker books.
2. Pioneered poker seminars.
3. Appeared alone on the cover of seven magazines, including Card Player (four times) and Poker Digest.
4. Created the world’s first artificially intelligent computer poker player in 1984, called Orac (Caro spelled backwards). It competed on national TV and at the WSOP.
5. Founder of Mike Caro University of Poker.
6. First well-known poker personality to break ranks and endorse an online poker site (Planet Poker) in 1997. He argued correctly that it would actually help, not hurt, real-world poker.
7. Numerous TV and radio appearances promoting poker including: ESPN, World Poker Tour, Poker Superstars, and NBC National Headsup Championship. He’s also promoted poker on Hard Copy, Discovery Channel, Science Channel, Travel Channel, BBC, “Ripley’s Believe It or Not?,” a Maverick rerun marathon, Learning Channel, and even the Dating Game (as a non-participant guest).
8. He was the original editor-in-chief for Poker Player Newspaper in the 1980s and remains a regular contributor.
9. Revolutionized poker strategy through years of analysis and computer research, based on his own programming and “Mike Caro’s Poker Engine.”
10. He has been referenced in dozens of mainstream publications as being “the world’s foremost authority on poker strategy, psychology, and statistics” – a slogan that has remained with him for over 30 years. Mike Caro meets all of the criteria! I sincerely hope that you will take the time to nominate him this year, reaffirming to the board how important Mike Caro, the Mad Genius of Poker, has been to the poker world. Can I count on you?
Nominate. Nominations take place between May 26-July 2. http://www.wsop.com/pokerhalloffame/halloffamevoting.asp
As Mike says, “Poker is frustrating and often unfair.” How true! But, if you play your best game all of the time, eventually you’ll be rewarded. Maybe this will be Mike’s year!
Diane McHaffie is Director of Operations at Mike Caro University of Poker, Gaming, and Life Strategy. She has traveled the world coordinating events and seminars in the interest of honest poker. You can write her online at diane@caro.com.
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