Women are not good at poker. Oh Really? Have you heard of Vanessa Selbst who sits on a pile of $10,614,397 of live earnings with 3 WSOP bracelets or Kathy Liebert who has been at the felt for 2 decades with earnings totaling over $6 million.
The time has gone when poker was considered to be a game of men vying at the card tables of a noisy poker room or casinos. Over the years, the opposite gender has also grown a passion for this game of skill and reached the upper echelons in the poker world. Moreover, cards on the poker table do not distinguish whether the person holding it is a man or a woman. What matters is the reasoning ability of playing those cards to the best of situation and interpersonal skills like patience which women are known to possess and exhibit in many other fields.
Now let’s talk about the numbers. Generally, men have always dominated in terms of participation at poker events and tournaments. The average ratio of male and female entrants stands 8 to 1 in major poker events around the globe. However, the numbers have improved in recent years with women joining the poker tables from every nook and corner of the world. Be it an Astro- Physicist turned poker player, Liv Boeree (England), a Red Dragon title winner Celina Lin (China) or the young poker sensation or a Team Spades pro now, Muskan Sethi, all of them have inspired an infinite number of female poker players, nationally and internationally, to play this skill game professionally. Therefore, the number of women playing at poker events and tournaments has increased tremendously in the last few years.
When it comes to the style of playing, women are known to be tight and less aggressive players at the poker table. They do not rush into risky pots and try to keep the momentum going by playing naturally. Although men believe that women players are not good at bluffing but the truth is women can hide their emotions better than men which ultimately helps them in bluffing effectively. Do you know women poker players are smart enough to utilize this misconception of male players at times to bluff them and scoop big pots? Women are also good at reading their counterparts which again act as a big advantage for them at the poker table.
The way poker has hit the popularity charts in the past 5 years, the number of poker grindettes from every level of society have started playing this game. The advent of online poker has made it feasible for anyone to learn and play poker from the remotest corner of the world. Along with online poker, the resources (video tutorials and expert notes) available online to learn this skill game has eased the way a woman can master this game of skill.
So, ladies keep playing poker. The world is awaiting more Vanessa Selbst, Liv Boeree and Muskan Sethi in years to come.