Watching the WSOP on ESPN every year, the show makes a big deal about the few remaining women in the event. Maybe one or two women make a deep run, but a woman has been at the main event since the final table, Barbara Enright in 2005.
Why?
Here are my thoughts:
1. Before Poker became popular on TV, the game was played by men. So men have an edge experience situs casino.
But … Women can gain a lot of experience playing online and live events today, and a few big events to win through. Annie Duke, Jen Harmon and Kathy Liebert are the top players and probably the other women in the game.
2. Poker tournaments are a numbers game. There may be a 90% / 10% split between men / women entrants.
There are so many more men, that it stands to reason that men will win more events. Today, when I heard the WSOP announcers were calling almost every player was a pro. I don’t have a clue what constitutes a pro. I guess it’s someone who says they have a lot of poker and don’t have a full time job.
3. Poker tournaments are often won by the aggressive players. Men may be more aggressive by nature. Heck, the fact is that men are more aggressive than women in biology and our environment.
4. Women-only tournaments may be holding the women poker players back. The game is not about physical skills – we are not comparing the NBA to the WNBA. The game is about people, chips, betting patterns, cards, etc. To improve your poker game you need to play against the players who are better than you, not the only women players who are better or worse than you.
Women Players Should Win More Events
My experience against women poker players is that most women play ABC poker. They are a tough aggressive or tight passive game – both of which are really easy to take advantage of in the long term.
However, I also find that when I play against a good women poker player it is much more difficult for me to get a say. It may be that women are bluff less, they are more predictable and therefore, I don’t pay much attention to their game. My guess is that most men do the same when it comes to women.
In fact, I know that men try hard to muscle women out with their raises. (The only exception is cash games – where guys are suckers to women who are eye candy, and a guy who doesn’t make that extra raise or he just tells her to beat up and save her money. I’ve done this once or twice …)
Overall, I believe that the next great tournament poker player should be a woman. This is also why I believe with just a little coaching I can turn a woman into a great poker player.
Maybe the next great poker TV show should be where you get a dozen aspiring women poker players, and how they get to the highest levels of play. Maybe you lock them up in a house for 30 days, and one audience gets to vote for them.
Suggestion
If you are a women poker player, think about the game from the standpoint of winning players. Analyze your game more. Get out of your comfort zone. You have an edge that many people dismiss. Men will try to force you to fold. Men will also believe in your pre-flop raises and big bets. Use that knowledge to your advantage.
What do you think
Mitchell Cogert is the author of “Tournament Poker: 101 Winning Moves.” This is the only reference book to uncover. Daniel Negreanu, Erick Lindgren, David Pham and other top pros. The book is highly rated 4.5 out of 5 stars on amazon and a # 1 best seller in its category.
For more information go to Tournament Poker, or his blog Win at Poker. Follow me on Twitter: Mitchell1969.
