Why Don’t More Women Play Poker? Leading Poker Ladies Unite for Change



Quick – close your eyes and imagine people sitting around a poker table. Most, if not all, of them are men, right? Historically, poker has primarily been a "man's game" but perhaps, as the game continues to evolve, it's time for some common poker conceptions to change.

Quick – close your eyes and imagine people sitting around a poker table. Most, if not all, of them are men, right? Historically, poker has primarily been a "man's game" but perhaps, as the game continues to evolve, it's time for some common poker conceptions to change.

Statistically speaking, women's participation in live poker is still very minimal, not even close to comprising 10% of either tournament fields or cash game seats in poker rooms all over the world. Nonetheless, particularly since the 2003 poker boom, more and more women have been showing up to play live poker. A steadily growing presence at the felt, more women than ever are also beating the games, successfully grinding away at cash tables and notching wins in prestigious tournaments. Notable though these advances and achievements may be, however, the still-dominant male presence in poker carries with it the potential to breed a sexist and unwelcoming culture, which sadly sometimes materializes.

Many poker media outlets have long been calling to grow the game via more active participation of women in poker. For poker to grow, however, it has to be marketed to both men and women more successfully.

Trailblazers Have Paved the Way, but There Are Still Roadblocks

Poker Hall of Famer Linda Johnson has been dubbed the First Lady of Poker for having pioneered the way for other women to make names for themselves at the felt. She has publicly spoken numerous times about the abuse she and other women had to endure at the tables back in the 1970s and 80s from men who resented having women "intrude upon their territory". Back then, she was the rare woman who dared even step foot into a poker room. These days, well into the 21st century, despite plenty of active female poker participation, a good amount of cultural maturity, and much progress in terms of rules and their enforcement on poker floors, chauvinistic attitudes can prevail nonetheless.

Many of poker's most successful women are quite dissatisfied with the status quo. While it's only a minority of male players out there who still espouse sexist views and attitudes, many women in poker felt the need to call for a permanent adjustment to the attitudes, language, and actions of this minority as well as reinforce positive changes slowly taking place among poker room and tournament staff. Importantly, these leading ladies of poker speak not from a place of anger or resentment, but rather out of a desire to see the game of poker be more inclusive and grow stronger as a whole.

Welcome to the Ladies Poker Roundtable
A number of poker's leading ladies have heeded the call and gathered (figuratively speaking) to share their experiences, voice their concerns, and call for change. Joining us here, to discuss the myriad issues surrounding women in poker and how they could potentially be resolved are Linda Johnson, Vanessa Selbst, Kara Scott, Danielle Moon-Andersen, Lauren Billings, Lori Kolstad, and Katie Stone.

While a nice-sized group of women participated to help compile this feature piece, it's important to note that no single one of them, nor all of them combined, can speak for all women in poker. Each woman poker player dresses differently, has her own opinions, and is as introverted or outspoken as they choose to be – just like men who play poker. Common to all poker players though, is the desire for a healthy poker economy and industry.
Here's Why Women Prefer Playing Poker Online
Danielle Moon-Andersen; made a living playing poker online
Though both are nominally called "poker", there are certainly a number of differences between live poker and online poker. Many men and women are drawn to online poker over its live counterpart for a number of the same reasons.

For example, not having to get dressed up or commute are big plusses in the online poker column for many poker players regardless of their gender, as is the fact that you can see far more hands per hour. So, too, is one's ability to practice different types of poker games and understand cash game and tournament mechanics for lower stakes before playing for higher stakes in a live setting.

A number of other reasons for preferring online poker seem to be more common to women though. Many of the women I spoke to, for example, cited "being intimidated" as a big deterrent to playing live poker. Katie Stone, for instance, said that playing online "allows players the comfort of making mistakes and not being judged". Linda Johnson echoed those sentiments, saying "you can make mistakes and no one knows who you are so it is less intimidating." Vanessa Selbst went a step further, positing that "because women don't actually see the gender of the people all around them when playing online, we don't feel like outsiders as much."

It's human nature that most people are most comfortable in settings where they are not a minority... women ARE the minority in live games. This is going to naturally be a deterrent for other women to join in.

Others, like Kara Scott, noted that online poker allows women not to "have to worry about standing out like a sore thumb. It's not easy to jump into something where you stand out as 'other' so clearly." Danielle Moon-Andersen added that "It's human nature that most people are most comfortable in settings where they are not a minority... women ARE the minority in live games. This is going to naturally be a deterrent for other women to join in."

When I asked if it took extra courage for women to play live poker for the first time, I got a mixed bag of answers. For instance, Stone said that she wished she'd had known better "how to use being a woman to my advantage," and that only after years of practice was she able to become more comfortable and confident rather than try to prove wrong the men at the tables who underestimated and targeted her. Selbst, on the other hand, had a lot of experience playing organized sports with boys growing up, so "it wasn't anything out of the ordinary to sit in an all-male environment, but that's definitely something I take for granted." Kolstad, for her part, transitioned to live poker after Black Friday, but never really hesitated, feeling that being a woman gives her a couple of small edges. On the one hand she felt "able to maximize value in hands against recreational players because many seem to think they can outplay a girl", while on the other hand Kolstad has been in plenty of situations where her male opponents have folded, saying "I would call anyone else here, but I like you" or "let the little lady stay in. I fold."

Andersen, whose online poker career was famously chronicled in the documentary feature Bet Raise Fold, related that she was terrified the first time she sat down to play at even a low-stakes live poker table ($2/4 limit) despite a full year of successful $5/10 no limit online poker under her belt. "I fumbled with the chips, acted out of turn, kept forgetting to post my blinds, etc. It was an entirely different experience than playing online and I felt all eyes were on me, judging. The experience was made worse when I beat a 'gentleman' in a couple pots and he started berating my play."

Recalling her first experiences playing live poker back in the 70s, Johnson said that "it would have been easier if there had been a TDA and penalties for abusive behavior like there is today. Nonsmoking rules would have made it a lot better too."

If we want to make poker more welcoming to new players, it has to be a less scary place to be. This is even more important for female players because they're not just facing being the newbie, but because they may be the only female at the table, too.

Scott, who as a poker presenter speaks to and interviews many new players, said that often their biggest fear is "not knowing some kind of live etiquette, doing things wrong and getting yelled at. If we want to make poker more welcoming to new players, it has to be a less scary place to be. This is even more important for female players because they're not just facing being the newbie, but because they may be the only female at the table, too."

So Should Women Avoid Live Poker Altogether?
Vanessa Selbst, poker's all-time female tournament money winner

After internalizing these firsthand accounts from some of the most successful women in poker, it becomes clear that while men might not necessarily give a second thought to strolling into a land-based poker room and taking a seat, it's just usually not as mentally simple for women to do so – even if they already boast plenty of poker experience from online play. While women could thus not be blamed for avoiding live poker, according to the game's top women players, these women are certainly missing out on plenty of the advantages and enjoyable parts of live poker play.

Johnson's decades of live poker experience have led her to believe that women who play exclusively online "are missing out on the interaction with others. They miss out on the chance to make friends and have social interaction." Scott agreed, saying that "there is a lot of fun to be had in live poker. Playing live can mean meeting others who love the game and who understand your love of the game in a way that non-poker players can't." Even Andersen, whose bread and butter is online poker, admitted that "there are some benefits to physically sitting at a table with others. I'm a people person. I want to meet others and learn through their experiences. You never know who's going to be seated next to you with an unbelievable story to share at a poker table."

Ego sometimes makes it very difficult for some men to fold. I think I receive many more calls with marginal holdings in a live setting than online, as something just won't let some of these guys fold to a girl.

Lori Kolstad, grinding the cash games on the Gulf Coast

Selbst, for her part, conjectured that "I do think women often have better intuition and ability to understand people, so their skills may actually be better suited for live poker." This seems to be true of Kolstad at least, who opened up a bit about how she learns from others at the table, saying "As a student of human behavior, playing live allows me to add to my arsenal of experience things like body language, inflection or just chat that can tell you a lot about a person." Based on what they reveal to her, for example, from a random conversation about their workday, Kolstad finds that she's able to make the right poker moves to win their stacks away from them. "That's information that is difficult to get online as there is very little social repartee that happens when you sit at online table." She also indicated that women may have a slight advantage in live play as "ego sometimes makes it very difficult for some men to fold. I think I receive many more calls with marginal holdings in a live setting than online, as something just won't let some of these guys fold to a girl!"

Initiating Change from the Top-Down
Lauren Billings, enjoying live poker in Vegas

Feeling intimidated is not something that's going to give more women the courage to walk into land-based poker rooms. After all, if you were likely to get berated, mocked, and harassed by male players at the table, wouldn't you want to stay home, too? Clearly, for more women to consider dipping a toe into live poker, a more inclusive, welcoming poker culture is needed. Poker room tournament directors, dealers, and floorpersons are uniquely positioned to take the lead on enacting change in that regard.

Lauren Billings wants to see floor staff and dealers take responsibility for the game to be less male-oriented. "Gender really should not matter in a game like poker. Keep it polite for all customers and don't discriminate on weight, race, gender, handicaps, etc. The casinos as a whole should encourage this environment."

I think not treating women differently than men is important, i.e., don't be condescending toward women and use fairness as a guide when making decisions.

In that vein, Selbst wants to see people running tournaments be "more conscientious of the language they choose. So often I hear 'ante up, gentlemen,' or 'good luck, gentlemen' at the start of a day; 'may the best man win,' or something like that. It would help foster a more welcoming culture if they would try to use more inclusive language where possible." Johnson concurs: "I think not treating women differently than men is important, i.e., don't be condescending toward women and use fairness as a guide when making decisions."

Scott is of the opinion that often it's just a bad apple or two at a table causing problems and that others at the table will put the offender in their place. "Generally, I've found that if someone really steps out of line during a poker game, the players let them know it," she says. As such, she doesn't "think that there's any need to add new rules or set up penalties for sexist language or harassment. The rules are already there to prevent harassment against all players. They just need to be enforced."

That said, players can't always effectively police themselves, so "poker room staff and dealers need to be a lot more aware and active when it comes to situations involving men acting or saying inappropriate things to women at the table," says Stone. Recounting to me plenty of instances of the last decade where dealers or floor staff in poker witness something rude or inappropriate and doing nothing about it, Stone feels that "this nonchalant attitude does nothing to bring more women into poker or casinos. If a man is inappropriate towards me at the table, I want to know it will be dealt with so that I am not made to feel unwelcome or uncomfortable."

To that end, Johnson feels that "women should speak up when they are not treated properly" and that, in terms of enforcement, "if necessary, card room personnel should have to take remedial training if they don't interact properly with women and/or with men."

How Do Ladies Events Fit Into the Picture?

Linda Johnson, with her WSOP bracelet

It's not as though nothing at all has been done in the past to try and get more women to play poker. Ladies Events are an institution in their own right and have often acted as a gateway via which women not only get introduced to live poker for the first time, but also eventually overcome any initial intimidation factor to play live poker more regularly.

Our panelists were pretty much unified on this issue. "I think women's events are very good for poker! Many female players got their start in ladies only events," said Johnson. "Many ladies feel like it is less intimidating to play with women than to play in open events. The atmosphere is more fun too." Selbst agrees and takes it a step further: "I think ladies tournaments are great – they are much more fun than other tournaments and they bring tons of women into casinos to play live poker where they might otherwise not have much incentive to do so."

Billings touched upon the historic significance of Ladies Events, saying that they "are a cherished pastime of many a poker wife and poker girlfriend. They represent a time when the red carpet was rolled out for the ladies of poker to have their day in the sun." Scott feels that they're certainly still relevant and good for women and for poker, saying "I truly hope that they encourage more women to play live and test the waters. It does provide a place that is more welcoming for women in the game initially."

Any presumption that the ladies tournaments exist because women can't compete elsewhere is completely fabricated.

Andersen accurately summed up the panel's feelings, saying that "I absolutely think 'ladies only' events are good for poker and I will continue to support and attend them as much as possible. It's not really arguable that these tournaments create a more comfortable environment for women to learn and enjoy the game. The fact is, poker has been around forever but it wasn't until relatively recently that it was socially acceptable for women to participate. You can't just expect to go from having non-existent female participation to equal numbers without taking steps to encourage the process. Introducing and making women more comfortable with the game through ladies events is just a step in that process."

Kara Scott, poker player and TV presenter

A couple panelists were quick to note, however, that promoting Ladies Events didn't marginalize women and create an underlying presumption that they can't compete with men. As Selbst made clear, "any presumption that the ladies tournaments exist because women can't compete elsewhere is completely fabricated." Scott added that, in her opinion, they're primarily "a tool for helping to encourage more players."

Beyond staging Ladies Events, the panelists suggested that a number of additional promotions be targeted towards women to help draw them to live poker rooms, as they believed it would do wonders for growing the player pool as a whole. Some specific suggestions that would also be likely to reduce the initial intimidation factor included:

Ladies nights
Discounts on rake for women
Gender-specific leaderboards during tournament series
Instructional classes, clinics, and seminars for women given by professional female players
Short buy-in cash games with capped betting (which would tame the aggression factor a bit)
Highlighting the performances of top women players in each local poker room
In Stone's opinion, measures such as these would not only encourage other women to participate, but also demonstrate that room managers care about women and are aware they are playing the game by trying to make it as pleasant an experience as possible.

To view the complete story from cardplayerlifestyle.com, click here.


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