ShareThe late, great Layne “Back-to-back” Flack has been inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame, the 6-time WSOP bracelet winner becoming the 61st member of the elite club.
Flack died tragically at the age of 52 last year from an accidental drug overdose in his Las Vegas home, but will be remembered as one of the all-time greats of poker, that recognition cemented this week with his induction into the Poker Hall of Fame.
Edged out in last year’s voting process by Eli Elezra, this year saw Flack nominated again and reaching the shortlist of ten, Mike Matusow, Kathy Liebert, Josh Arieh, Brian Rast, Bertrand ‘ElkY’ Grospellier and Michael Mizrachi among fellow players.
PokerStars founder Isai Scheinberg, WSOP commentators Lon McEachern and Norman Chad, as well as WPT Director Matt Savage were also in the mix for one of the greatest honours in poker.
Rapid City, South Dakota-born Flack amassed winnings and titles dating back to 1994, the majority of them at the WSOP and WPT, although his nickname “back-to-back” came from wins in consecutive days at the 1999 Legends of Poker series in Los Angeles.
His six WSOP bracelets span a decade, from his 1999 $3k PLHE title to the 2008 PLO bracelet, with two No Limit Hold’em, one Omaha Hi-Lo Split, and a Limit Hold’em Shootout title sandwiched between them.
Flack’s induction into the Hall of Fame was announced by the WSOP this week: “Today, the World Series of Poker enshrined Las Vegas poker professional Layne Flack into the 2022 Poker Hall of Fame. The highly anticipated commemoration was held in tandem with the Final Table of the WSOP Main Event® and the Hall of Fame Bounty Tournament at Bally’s & Paris Las Vegas.”
Derick “Tex” Barch, a close friend of Layne’s and a fellow WSOP bracelet winner, spoke in his honour at the commemoration.
“He (Flack) was an amazing friend, more like a brother. Through good, bad and all his mischief - Layne had your back!” said Barch.
He added: “Layne was close to my children. He would come and spend weeks at our house. Always entertaining them, taking them places and making sure it was all about them. When my daughter died this past January, one thing that brought comfort to me was to know that Layne would be there to greet her, and they could laugh together, in eternity.”
