CUE Research · Study 18
Poker Hall of Fame
The legends of professional poker, inducted since 1979.
The question: Do the greatest poker players share numbers, signs or birthdays?
What stands out
No clear differences. Across every group of 50 or more and every measure, the numbers are within what chance produces.
All inductees: every birth quarter is within normal variation of random birthdays from the same years.
All inductees Expected, random birthdays 1837–1984 Clear difference Worth watching
See all 55 in “All inductees”
| # | Name | Born | Detail | Life Path | Sun | Chinese |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Barbara Enright | 1949-08-19 | 5 | Leo | Ox | |
| 2 | Barry Greenstein | 1954-12-30 | 7 | Capricorn | Horse | |
| 3 | Benny Binion | 1904-11-20 | 9 | Scorpio | Dragon | |
| 4 | Berry Johnston | 1935-09-25 | 7 | Libra | Pig | |
| 5 | Bill Boyd | 1906-01-27 | 8 | Aquarius | Horse | |
| 9 | Brian Rast | 1981-11-08 | 11 | Scorpio | Rooster | |
| 10 | Carlos Mortensen | 1972-04-13 | 9 | Aries | Rat | |
| 11 | Chip Reese | 1951-03-28 | 11 | Aries | Cat | |
| 12 | Chris Moneymaker | 1975-11-21 | 9 | Scorpio | Cat | |
| 13 | Corky McCorquodale | 1904-08-23 | 9 | Virgo | Dragon | |
| 14 | Crandell Addington | 1938-06-02 | 11 | Gemini | Tiger | |
| 15 | Dan Harrington | 1945-12-06 | 28/1 | Sagittarius | Rooster | |
| 16 | Daniel Negreanu | 1974-07-26 | 9 | Leo | Tiger | |
| 17 | Dave Ulliott | 1954-04-01 | 6 | Aries | Horse | |
| 18 | David Oppenheim | 1982-03-07 | 3 | Pisces | Dog | |
| 19 | Dewey Tomko | 1946-12-31 | 9 | Capricorn | Dog | |
| 20 | Doyle Brunson | 1933-08-10 | 7 | Leo | Rooster | |
| 22 | Eli Elezra | 1960-11-24 | 33/6 | Sagittarius | Rat | |
| 24 | Erik Seidel | 1959-11-06 | 5 | Scorpio | Pig | |
| 26 | Henry Orenstein | 1923-09-13 | 28/1 | Virgo | Pig | |
| 27 | Huck Seed | 1969-01-15 | 5 | Capricorn | Monkey | |
| 28 | Jack Binion | 1937-02-21 | 7 | Pisces | Ox | |
| 29 | Jack Keller | 1942-12-29 | 3 | Capricorn | Horse | |
| 30 | Jack McClelland | 1951-04-19 | 3 | Aries | Cat | |
| 31 | Jack Straus | 1930-06-16 | 8 | Gemini | Horse | |
| 32 | Jennifer Harman | 1964-11-29 | 6 | Sagittarius | Dragon | |
| 33 | Joe Bernstein | 1899-01-05 | 33 | Capricorn | Dog | |
| 34 | John Hennigan | 1970-08-10 | 8 | Leo | Dog | |
| 35 | John Juanda | 1971-07-08 | 33 | Cancer | Pig | |
| 37 | Johnny Moss | 1907-05-14 | 9 | Taurus | Goat | |
| 38 | Layne Flack | 1969-05-18 | 3 | Taurus | Rooster | |
| 39 | Linda Johnson | 1953-10-14 | 6 | Libra | Snake | |
| 40 | Little Man Popwell | 1912-06-01 | 11 | Gemini | Rat | |
| 41 | Lyle Berman | 1941-08-06 | 11 | Leo | Snake | |
| 42 | Michael Mizrachi | 1981-01-05 | 7 | Capricorn | Monkey | |
| 43 | Mike Sexton | 1947-09-22 | 7 | Virgo | Pig | |
| 44 | Mori Eskandani | 1956-01-29 | 33/6 | Aquarius | Goat | |
| 46 | Nick Dandolos | 1883-04-27 | 33/6 | Taurus | Goat | |
| 47 | Nick Schulman | 1984-09-18 | 4 | Virgo | Rat | |
| 48 | Patrik Antonius | 1980-12-13 | 7 | Sagittarius | Monkey | |
| 49 | Phil Hellmuth | 1964-07-16 | 7 | Cancer | Dragon | |
| 50 | Phil Ivey | 1977-02-01 | 9 | Aquarius | Dragon | |
| 51 | Puggy Pearson | 1929-01-29 | 33/6 | Aquarius | Dragon | |
| 54 | Roger Moore | 1938-04-10 | 8 | Aries | Tiger | |
| 55 | Sailor Roberts | 1931-03-07 | 6 | Pisces | Goat | |
| 56 | Sarge Ferris | 1928-12-01 | 6 | Sagittarius | Dragon | |
| 57 | Scotty Nguyen | 1962-10-28 | 11 | Scorpio | Tiger | |
| 58 | Sid Wyman | 1910-06-01 | 9 | Gemini | Dog | |
| 59 | Stu Ungar | 1953-09-08 | 8 | Virgo | Snake | |
| 60 | T. J. Cloutier | 1939-10-13 | 9 | Libra | Cat | |
| 61 | Thomas Austin Preston | 1928-12-31 | 9 | Capricorn | Dragon | |
| 62 | Todd Brunson | 1969-08-07 | 4 | Leo | Rooster | |
| 63 | Tom Abdo | 1894-04-12 | 11 | Aries | Horse | |
| 64 | Tom McEvoy | 1944-11-14 | 7 | Scorpio | Monkey | |
| 65 | Wild Bill Hickok | 1837-05-27 | 33/6 | Gemini | Rooster |
Context What explains it
With about fifty inductees, this group is too small to show a real pattern. It is a portrait of the game’s legends, not a test.
Source The data
- Poker Hall of Fame. Retrieved 2026-09-28. View source
- Every inductee of the Poker Hall of Fame (since 1979) recorded in Wikidata.
- Verification: 55 of 65 included. A person is included when Wikidata records one birth date at day precision.
- Expected values: every day of the years each group was born in, weighted by how many people were born in each year, run through CUE’s engine. Weighting matters for Chinese signs and Life Paths, which depend on the year.
- A difference is called clear only in groups of 50 or more and at least three standard errors from expected. Because each study tests about a hundred values, a clear difference needs 3.5 standard errors; 2.5 to 3.5 is only “worth watching”.
Left out: 10 people whose exact birth date could not be confirmed
- #6 Billy Baxter: Only the year or month is recorded
- #7 Blondie Forbes: Only the year or month is recorded
- #8 Bobby Baldwin: Only the year or month is recorded
- #21 Edmond Hoyle: Only the year or month is recorded
- #23 Eric Drache: Only the year or month is recorded
- #25 Henry Green: Only the year or month is recorded
- #36 Johnny Chan: Only the year or month is recorded
- #45 Murph Harrold: Only the year or month is recorded
- #52 Red Hodges: Only the year or month is recorded
- #53 Red Winn: Only the year or month is recorded
Reproduce it: the raw data snapshots and build scripts are in CUE’s code repository (scripts/data and scripts/build-*-study.mts).
Further reading
- Poker Hall of Fame