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WSOP 2022 Poker Hall of Fame Nominee: Layne Flack

The World Series of Poker (WSOP) has just gotten bigger and better with each passing year. Every year, the annual poker series rewards new players who have what it takes to prove their mettle in the card game. Every player dreams of having at least one WSOP title to their credit and once you’ve got one, you crave for more. But what after having multiple bracelets? The WSOP then has a Poker Hall of Fame for poker pros who have exceptional skills and who go beyond the felts for the growth of the game.

The World Series Of Poker inducts one person from the global poker community into the coveted Poker Hall of Fame. This year, WSOP has revealed a list of 10 nominees, one of whom will be inducted into the WSOP 2022 Poker Hall of Fame. We already discussed why Josh Arieh made it to the list of Poker Hall of Fame 2022. In this article, we will discuss one more nominee – Layne Flack.

Who is Layne Flack?

Layne Flack was born on 18th May 1969 in Rapid City, South Dakota. This professional poker player resided in Montana and Nevada. Flack began playing cards with his grandparents, however, his interest in games started while he was working at a casino. 

In 1987, Flack moved back to Rapid City in order to pursue higher education. While pursuing his education, he worked as a dealer in Deadwood, South Dakota. After working at a casino he would go to another casino to play poker regularly. It was there that he discovered his poker skills and decided on making a career in the game. The pro eventually progressed as a Night Manager at his job, but he quit later because he was spending too much time playing poker and could not continue working full time. 

Flack with his family settled in Bozeman, where he assisted in opening a card room at a local casino. In the early days of his poker career, Flack got acquainted with some of the most popular names in poker. One of them was Huck Seed, who mentored Flack and suggested he play in Las Vegas. With this advice, Flack moved to Las Vegas in 1997.

On 19th July 2021, Flack was found dead at his home. The poker pro passed away at the age of 52, however, the cause of his death was stated as unknown. 

Why is Layne Flack nominated for the 2022 WSOP Poker Hall Of Fame?

In Vegas, Flack met poker legend Johnny Chan, who helped him get better at the game. Chan also encouraged Flack after the latter faced a big loss, to ensure that he had enough rest before the next tournament. Later it was Ted Forrest, who took Flack under his mentorship, thus allowing him to play some of the biggest games in the world. 

Flack has six WSOP bracelets to his credit. Additionally, he has 58 in the money (ITM) finishes at the WSOP. According to Hendon Mob, he had $5,081,152 in total live tournament earnings. His highest-ever cash stands at $577,725, which he won after winning the $1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha event at the WSOP 2008. Additionally, he also has a World Poker Tour (WPT) title under his belt. He made it to three WPT final tables and has nine ITM finishes at the WPT (lifetime). Flack ranks 277th in the All-Time Money List.

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ALSO READ: Layne Flack, Six-Time WSOP Bracelet Winner Passes Away At 52

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The late poker player clinched his first bracelet at WSOP 1999 in Event #12: $3,000 Pot-Limit Hold’em for $224,400. In the same year, in August he shipped the Legends of Poker $330 7-Card Stud tournament for $15,600. The very next day, he won the $330 Limit Hold’em Shootout event and took home $19,320. This winning streak earned him the name ‘Back-to-back Flack.’

This winning streak was replicated again when he won two bracelets, one in WSOP 2002 and another in WSOP 2003. In 2002, he first clinched the $2,000 No-Limit Hold-Em event for a payday of $303,880. Later, he took down the $1,500 No-Limit Hold-Em event for $268,020. 

In 2003, he clinched the $2,500 Limit Omaha Hi-Lo, cashing $119,260, and then shipped the $1,500 Limit Hold’em Shootout event for $120,000, which took his bracelet tally to five bracelets. Back-to-back Flack wouldn’t stop there. He went on to win his sixth bracelet at WSOP 2008 in $1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha event, where he pocketed his career-best $577,725 in prize money. 

His other notable cashes include his runner–up finish to Eric Brenes at the WPT 2004 Aruba for $500,000, fourth-place finish at the WinStar River Poker Series Main Event 2016 for $225,190 and a second-place finish at WPT 2002 World Poker Finals, where he lost to Howard Lederer for a payday of $186,900. 

Flack’s untimely death in July last year, came as a shock to the poker fraternity and especially his poker buddies like Phil Hellmuth, Mike Matusow, Doyle Brunson, and Scotty Nguyen, to name a few. 

Several players took to social media platforms to mourn the death of their beloved friend:

I lost a friend and poker world lost a friend: RIP Layne Flack. @themouthmatusow will do a LIVE show remembering Layne. Sean Chaffin will have an article out about the legendary—6-time @WSOP winner—w tributes from some of us. Mikey, Matt Savage and I on 3-way w tears in our eyes pic.twitter.com/CAn1D3x0Kl

— phil_hellmuth (@phil_hellmuth) July 20, 2021

Brunson, also went on to say “He might be the sharpest mind outside Stu Ungar that I’ve ever seen.” Though the poker legend is no more among us, he has left a poker legacy that will be remembered and looked up to for years to come. And this legacy makes him a suitable candidate to be inducted into the WSOP Poker Hall of Fame.

Poker has lost a legend!
RIP Layne Flack. We go way back and I know that he would want us to share the laughs and not the tears. There has never been one time that you haven’t put a smile on my face. I will miss you.

— Jennifer Harman (@REALJenHarman) July 20, 2021

About 2022 WSOP Poker Hall of Fame

The WSOP inducts one player into the Poker Hall of Fame (PHOF) every year. This year 10 players have been nominated. One player will be inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame on the 10th July 2022 which will coincide with the final table of the WSOP 2022 Main Event at Bally’s and Paris Las Vegas. The winner will be selected via a ballot, wherein the 32 living members of PHOF will cast their votes on a ballot of 10 points. 

For more news and updates about WSOP, keep reading GutshotMagazine.com. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Telegram.

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