Women Only Events

It all started with Annie Duke’s alleged negative views on WOE’s. Women poker players all over the place took a stand and there are some pretty good arguments out there. In general, there seem to be two viewpoints, on one side you get the women who argue that we (women) were fighting for equal rights so long, and given that all things are supposed to be equal, there is no need for segregation at the poker table. They also argue that male poker players are not superior to women poker players, and that we should not be treated like second class poker citizens. And I agree with all that.

But – on the other side we have the group that argue that WOE’s are necessary for beginners to get their feet wet, for women who like the socializing at the poker table and so forth. And that makes sense too.

I see the validity of both sides, however, when I actually sat down and thought about it, I realized that I play ladies only tournaments because of the fact that more beginners are playing those, and the games seem softer and they are easier to beat. Don’t misunderstand me, there are definitely really great players in WOE’s, but they are easy to spot and I can adjust my play accordingly when they are in a hand.

I was also wondering – where do beginner male players ‘get their feet wet’? Why do we (women) need a special place for that, especially if we want the guys to respect us as poker players, isn’t it kind of an acknowledgement that beginner women players are not ready to play with ‘real’ poker players, but beginner men are? Aren’t we just adding fuel to the fire when it comes to the thinking pattern of the old school male poker player? (You know - the kind who believes women are supposed to be in the kitchen in front of the stove, not at the kitchen table playing poker with the men)

If it’s about the social aspect, then I fully support the idea of membership-only tournaments. Because that takes out the ‘women only’ idea, because for the same price it can be a ‘red-head only’ tournament, if you don’t fit the requirements of the membership, then go find or start your own group. (Though I don’t think a ‘bald-head only’ tournament should be allowed, the glare might be too much for the cameras *grin*)

I don’t play WOE’s so much for socializing and I seek out the company of women poker players because I found that strong female players are so much better than their male counterparts, and I learn a lot from them. Probably because we don’t have testosterone-driven ego’s we need to feed constantly and we are able to channel that energy differently, where it really matters.

Now let’s get Hillary to be president. Or Oprah. Or Annette_15.