Poker’s Rulemakers Celebrate 25 Years at Summit, but TDA Founder Still Can’t Get a Hall of Fame Vote

^{Matt Savage co-founded the Poker TDA in 2001 with three colleagues. It's been 25 years, and he's yet to be inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame. (Photo: courtesy of Matt Savage)}

LAS VEGAS – The Poker Tournament Directors Association is celebrating its 25th anniversary and will be holding its semi-annual summit at the PokerGO Studios at the ARIA on June 29 and 30.

Matt Savage, WPT Executive Tour Director, has always been passionate about standardizing tournament rules across the country. He met with resistance in the industry until he connected with Linda Johnson and Jan Fisher at the World Poker Industry Conference in 2001. 

Johnson, a WSOP Bracelet Winner, and Jan Fisher, an esteemed poker jack-of-all-trades, are both Women in Poker Hall of Famers who agreed with Savage's vision. The three then reached out to respected tournament director Dave Lamb, who agreed that a common set of rules is a necessity for poker ...and so the Poker TDA was born.

Bad Calls that Break the Internet

As recently as last week, rules have been called into question at the WSOP. Patrick Leonard, a British poker professional, pushed back against a call where a hand against him was declared “dead,” but the player was able to call seconds after the declaration. The entire hand was on video, but the player’s call was upheld.

The incident generated over half a million views on X and sparked debate over whether players should be allowed to use video footage in disputes at the poker table.

The Original Poker Influencers

The TDA is a voluntary organization. Its semi-annual Poker TDA Summit has grown from its first running with 24 participants to this year’s event, with over 200 people from more than 30 countries signed up to attend.

This will be the 12th Poker TDA Summit, and the last one was held in 2024. 

In its 25-year history, the TDA has grown from its initial four members (Savage, Johnson, Fisher, and Lamb) to more than 2,500 members in 63 countries. Most major tournaments around the world use their rules. Board members include WSOP SVP of Poker Operations Jack Effel, poker pro Kenny Hallaert (with over $9 million in live earnings), and Toby Stone, the European Poker Tour's Tournament Director and winner of the 2023 Global Poker Index Award for Best Tournament Director.

Setting the Poker Agenda

On the agenda for day one are seven themed sections covering 64 debate topics, with key issues being discussed that affect the poker industry. Savage told Casinos.com that the top items to be discussed will include electronic devices, action out of turn, changing to not allow aggressive action, how to handle one chip behind, and mixed game procedures. 

It’s not all work, though, since the day ends with a $200 poker tournament hosted by ARIA and their Tournament Director, Paul Campbell, also a TDA Board Member.

Day two will kick off with the awarding of the TDA Tournament Trophy, followed by a discussion of mixed-games rules and procedure, and a final ruling on all key issues from the summit. Surprise guest speakers and a discussion on new ideas for poker with a Q&A segment will round out the day. The summit will be livestreamed on YouTube by Rob Perelman.

One of the questions sure to be addressed is the rise of camera-equipped AirPods that allow Siri “to see,” as well as Meta's addition of face-recognition code for smart glasses. If it's up to Savage, this could lead to headphones being banned at the table, which could be a sore spot with players.

Another issue that’ll be discussed is when players act out of turn. Savage asked people on X what their opinions were on what the solution to this might be.

Membership in the TDA is open to anyone, and registration is available online. After joining, you can earn your Poker TDA Certification by taking the Poker TDA Level One Exam, which consists of 40 questions with a 90% score necessary for completion.

Sponsors for the Summit include Poker Atlas, Gorilla Gaming, ClubWPT, Luxon Pay, and Chipco Gaming Chips.

Savage Snub?

Savage’s contributions to poker and the TDA's influence have made him a yearly consideration for the Poker Hall of Fame. However, when the list of finalists for 2026 came out last week, Savage’s name was not on it. 

Poker pros and players responded quickly. 

“Matt Savage has been one of the most important guardians poker has ever had,” poker player Joey Gargiulo wrote on Facebook. 

Current Hall of Fame member Linda Johnson added, “Matt Savage and Jack Effel have devoted countless hours and work so hard to improve our poker world.” 

Effel, of course, is the WSOP’s longtime most senior tournament official.

“It is a travesty that they are not already in the Poker Hall of Fame,” Johnson said.