This is one of the longest questions we've received in awhile, for which we figured we were going to present one of the shortest answers, but it got longer as our investigations deepened.
Finding out anything at all about the World Series of Poker and any associated events always turns out to be a headache, which we don't understand, since so many people write about poker and the WSOP has its own fully-fledged website. But simple answers never seem to be forthcoming and we always end up having to try to speak with actual humans.
Such was the case in this instance, since Binion's own (pretty rudimentary) website makes no mention of the induction and, while the official WSOP site at least has a (buried) page about the Poker Hall of Fame, it does little more than list the previous 46 inductees (only 21 of whom are still alive) and inform readers that the nominations for 2014 are closed (although some of the page evidently hasn't been updated since 2012!) Aside from that, it explains that to even be considered as a nominee, a player must have: played poker against acknowledged top competition; played for high stakes; played consistently well, gaining the respect of peers; and stood the test of time. For non-players, of whom there are a few in the HoF, they must have contributed to the overall growth and success of the game of poker, "with indelible positive and lasting results" -- hence the inclusion of both Benny and Jack Binion, for example.
While the WSOP site references, in seemingly hushed and reverent tones, the "enshrinement ceremony" (which makes it sound as if some human sacrifice might be involved), there's not even any confirmation of this year's two long-since publicly acknowledged inductees. Kudos to whomever submitted this question for managing to track down the the event's location and time; the most we found specifically about the induction ceremony was courtesy of pokernews.com, which states:
"McClelland and Negreanu will be inducted officially on Sunday, Nov. 9 at 7:30 p.m. at Binion’s Gambling Hall, which is where McClelland served as tournament director and Negreanu won his first bracelet. The Poker Hall of Fame Gala kicks off the November Nine festivities, taking place a day before the 2014 WSOP Main Event final table gets underway at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino."
Having otherwise drawn a blank online, we reverted to old-school tactics and actually called Binion's, where we were connected to a very helpful person in the poker room. He, however, knew as much (or rather as little, and perhaps even less) than we did at this point. He did, however, offer to find out what he could if we'd call back in a half hour, which we duly did.
It turned out there wasn't much more to know, the salient point being that this is a by-invitation-only event that is not open to the general public. As our helpful poker-room employee put it, "If you were invited, you'd know the details by now," leading us both to conclude that neither of us had made the guest list. Still, if you happen to be in the vicinity of Binion's around 7 p.m. on Sunday, it's probably worth your while loitering somewhere near the Longhorn Room (upstairs), if you'd just like the opportunity to pay your respects or try to bag an autograph or two from one of the many poker luminaries likely to be in attendance. Follow the signs, because from their Facebook page, we can see at least that the casino has done some decorating in honor of this auspicious night.
Meanwhile, the good news is that the final table is still open to the general public, with seats at the Rio's Penn & Teller Theater allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. We've gathered a little additional information since we last tackled this subject in a recent QoD (9/20/2014). Tickets to watch the "November Nine" battling it out for this year's WSOP Main Event grand prize of $10 million are free, hence the expect the lines of hopefuls outside the theater to begin forming early Monday morning (by 8 or 9 a.m.) The doors don't open until 3:30 p.m., however, while the cards go in the air at 4:48. That’s a long day even before the actual event gets underway, so competition for seats may not be that stiff, but we can't guarantee.
Hence, here's another tip to bear in mind. While the theater will be packed at the start, it will stay that way only for the first couple hours. After that, and especially as players are eliminated and their supporters leave, large blocks of seats open up and new people are allowed in. If you want to be there from the start, plan on making a day of it (bring snacks and sweaters and wear comfy shoes!). Otherwise, show up around 7 p.m. and you'll likely get to see plenty of action without having had to wait half the day in an interminable queue.
