Another week, another poker tournament shrouded in controversy! The latest to hit the headlines is that a man has won a Ladies Only tournament in the US.
Greg Sessler, earned his in a tournament that was part of a series of “circuit” events affiliated with the World Series of Poker. A 22-year-old male won a “Ladies Poker Championship” over the weekend in Stateline, Nev. The winning hand that earned him top prize of $9,932 was a pair of queens.
Every year more and more women are taking up the game of poker in an effort to win money. And many of them choose to use ladies-only events as a good starting place for their career.
Ninety-six players entered at a buy-in of $300. That included four males. Sessler was the lone male to finish in the money (top nine). He claimed he wanted to participate because he had the day off, and was looking for somewhere to play poker, however many women players are becoming frustrated after more men are entering Women’s only tournaments because they think it is a softer field.
“Me playing in this tournament really had nothing to do with trying to take advantage of the ladies or thinking it was a softer field,” Sessler said.
With Sessler’s victory, and Abraham Korotki winning a Ladies No-Limit Hold’em event in September, many people are starting to question the appearance of men in women’s events.
The World Series said it “hopes that by offering and supporting ladies-only poker tournaments and providing an event for which there is considerable interest (by women), others (namely men) will respect and understand the spirit of competition.”
“While the WSOP makes a sincere effort to promote women in poker and offers quasi-exclusive tournaments designed to increase female participation in the game, officials generally do not turn away those who want to play in the event, based solely on gender.”
“The WSOP isn’t a political organization and can’t be expected to get involved in debates about sexism, discrimination, or other polarizing issues which may be applicable to poker tournaments,” the World Series of Poker said in a press release.
Even with this statement, many will still be questioning why Korotki, Sessler, and others are allowed to play in these female tournaments.
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