Warren Lush: Why Devilfish is a lock for Poker Hall of Fame

There seems to be popular acclaim for Dave Ulliott – the Devilfish – to get into the Poker Hall of Fame, and consultant Warren Lush believes that this year it will happen.

Early this year legendary UK poker player Dave ‘Devilfish’ Ulliott passed away and there was much talk about whether he will be inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame. Knowing him well, I know this is something he wanted, and after investigating the process I think he is a lock to get in this year.

I am commonly asked why I think this, so I thought I would use this opportunity to explain why. I am pretty familiar with the process with working in the industry and being involved in calling for Mike Sexton to go in during 2009.

There is the public vote and there is little doubt in my mind that Devilfish will come out on top of this. Just looking at efforts of his friends and family, and the campaign by Dusk till Dawn and Simon Trumper, I cannot see how he fails to come out on top of this stage. Devilfish’s local newspaper was also campaigning and when the public vote opened for the Hall of Fame nominations, the only publicity surrounding it was a call for the Devilfish to be inducted. The top ten from the public vote go forward for consideration by the living hall of famers and the media panel. The Devilfish will be top of that top ten.

This is where it gets trickier to analyse what happens yet. My view is that from within the living members of the Hall of Fame, Doyle Brunson, Phil Hellmuth, Mike Sexton, Erik Seidel and Scotty Nguyen are bankers for Devilfish. This alone could be enough to take him through. I would guess that veteran tournament director Jack McClelland will say also yes to the Fish who spent all his Vegas time at Bellagio. Henry Orenstein invented the hole camera and will surely appreciate that Dave was the first poker star created when Late Night Poker in the UK preceded its first use on US television. His colleague, the legendary TV producer Eric Drache, could see it that way too.

I could continue to speculate on the voting intentions of living members of the hall of fame but there is only one tiny uncertainty for me; Dave could be a divisive character in the US. However I think that will in no way hinder his chances.

I have commonly seen the opinion that if Devilfish is such a lock for the Hall of Fame this year, then why didn’t he get in before or be a serious contender?

I think the whole process and its contents are very US-focused. There isn’t a European in the Poker Hall of Fame? Why? I have seen arguments for Bruno Fitoussi, who gave birth to European televised poker at the Aviation Club, Thor Hansen, Chris Bjorin, Terry Rogers, Liam Flood, EPT founder John Duthie, Marcel Luske and many others. They all have very strong cases.

Very prominent voices have made this observation over the last couple of years and I think the decision makers in the process will have this in the back of their minds – they need to put a European in. Thor Hansen and Chris Bjorin have been nominated before but not got through to the final stage. All may be worthy entrants, but do not really have the stature to be the first European in The Hall of Fame. Devilfish has that stature.

It’s totally unfair and a massive oversight that there has been no European inducted yet. It’s high time and Devilfish is deserving of that honour as he ticks every box of the committee’s considerations. It was weird at the WSOP without Devilfish this year – normally I would get this tap on the shoulder. I was kind of still expecting it to happen; it was so familiar.

How will the media panel vote? I suspect they will go for Devilfish. If the US members of the panel didn’t know that the Devilfish and the first use of the hole camera came before US televised poker and the impact he had on UK and European poker, then they certainly did after his death.

Thousands of tributes from fans, obituaries in every major UK newspaper, and reports on CNN and TMZ poured over the impact he had on the game. I know he was not everyone’s cup of tea but I would be truly shocked if he doesn’t make it in this year. Other names have been considered over the years but haven’t moved any further forward – unfortunately, it took Devilfish’s death for the focus to move squarely on to him.

If he doesn’t get in, then never mind. “I’m still the Fish, son,” he would have told us. That said, lock in those rings!

Photos courtesy of Assopoker