How to Encourage More Women to Play Poker

I frequently hear commentary that the poker community needs more women players.

I don't have any real data in front of me, but as I understand it, in any setting, outside of women's only game and tourneys, women will compose about 3.5% of the players +- . For example, if the wsop main event has 6500 players, it would be reasonable to predict that around 225 +- players would be women.

In any case, there exists great disparity among men and women in poker.

One could argue why that matters? That the market is responding to the market need and the market suggests that women have limited interest. Is that true? I don't know.

The WSOP has placed the women's tournament on July 6th of this year, clearly a token gesture, at the back end of the schedule, but better to have a women's event than not have an event at all.

This is an example that expresses of the marginalization of women in the game - for better or worse.

The question distills down to mission of the poker community, which I will postulate as something like this: Grow poker. A mission like "Grow poker" can be measured by the number of tournaments, number of players in tournaments, number cash games, stakes of games, number of scandals, TV time, Ease of entry into home games, # of regional leagues, tournament play by gender, or age, general public perception of poker, etc.

All of these metrics, in aggregate, could tell the story and health of the game at large.

Arguably, having a mission for the community supported with objectives and strategy that support women's poker could help the proliferation of poker and its illegal status in the United States.

Fundamentally, there is no poker unless there exists players, right? Clearly there is significant interest even as the market in slow growth in not mature with out significant change.

To continue growth, where are the growth opportunities? Clearly poker advocates are pursuing expansionism of games and play by lobbying for State legalization.

Arguable it will be the community's job, if women are indeed a growth segment poker, to respond to the needs of women poker players.

I have direct experience in an activity where women participate at around 10% as compared to men. In that community, mostly men have set the rules, men define the community, men, on par have innate blind-spots that inevitably marginalize women. Growth in that community is in fits and starts.

So what to do?

Let's start with the premise of this statement:

Women poker players are an important growth segment for the poker community.

Now, let's break this into a good old fashioned SWOT analysis: Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats.

Let me contribute off the top of my head:

• Strength: Women would bring diversity to the game, Women would bring intrigue to new play strategy, Have the potential to make poker more accepting in society.

• Weakness: I really don't see a weakness. Maybe Women do not have enough interest in poker so why bother? I personally disagree as I think that observation has a historical self-fulfilling bias.

• Opportunities: More women in the game could help with the reverse the negative stigmatization of poker as gambling, a game of "sin." etc.

• Threats: Governance, marketing, servicing, might and likely would shift away from being male-centric to include a woman's perspective. Some men might be threatened by that.

Discussion welcomed. Go

I think more women playing poker would be great for the game. It would make the game better for everyone who plays.

Include a puppy as a prize.

freestocks said:

Include a puppy as a prize.

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That's a really special response. If you're a women, let's all laugh, self deprecating humor always welcome. If not, your comment is not funny nor welcome in a serious conversation. However it does exemplifies a likely problem: women have to deal with derogatory comments that often are demeaning like yours or sexist at the table.

The first step would be to teach her to play, but it would all depend on whether she really cares about playing poker, I think you can not force anyone to play if you do not care

In my area its about 4 women at table every week. Not the same as pro but its okayyyyy. lollll . Not all look like boeree.

I know many young girls who seemed to play poker.But to sit at the table with a woman I do not like,because female logic defies explanation.A woman is like a monkey with a grenade - never know where and when she would leave her..

I am glad that my wife was indifferent to the computer, and if it is more and learn to play poker - Farewell quiet life!

edcwy said:

That's a really special response. If you're a women, let's all laugh, self deprecating humor always welcome. If not, your comment is not funny nor welcome in a serious conversation. However it does exemplifies a likely problem: women have to deal with derogatory comments that often are demeaning like yours or sexist at the table.

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I just wrote what my girlfriend told me.

I have a lot of girlfriends that are decent poker players..I believe tha in the future a lot of women will shine..

poker sites ar missing out by not offering more women games ,even if the entry level is low ,i'm sure the word wud pass aroubd fasr

including some prize eg husbands do the house work LOL

but why involve women in poker?

psyho26 said:

but why involve women in poker?

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For one, more women involved increases the social acceptance of poker in the social fabric - call it legitimization in the public's eye where 99% consider poker as gambling, and not a game of skill.

Second, how about the potential increase in players for cash games and tournaments by having more women participating. Using the Main Event as an example, lets say that 2250+- entries were women instead of 225+-. Do you think that might positively affect the prize payout and the depth of payout?

I could go on, but let me put it in poker terms - value.

I also want to note that as best that I can tell, maybe two of the respondents to this thread are women.

I've seen the lack of engagement in other unbalanced by gender communities. Please women in Cardschat, if you care, offer your insight - pros and cons.

Maybe the status quo is just fine, and it is representative of market demand. But if a barrier exists to entry where the community at large is blind for an irrational reason, let's find out.

There a lot of my friends here at home, who just do not understand the attraction to the game. Taking into account, they do not really care for games, period. Poker is a game to me and I thoroughly enjoy games/sports, of all kinds.

For the women who do like games, they just do not have the time to invest in learning and really, one does need/want to put effort into knowing how to play. It's really hard to pin down any one reason why there are not more women involved with poker, but from what I do see there are definitely more women stepping into the bigger arenas over the past years. Other than offering more 'women only' options, I don't know what else could possibly encourage women to play.

My 2 cents.

shells_bells_53 said:

There a lot of my friends here at home, who just do not understand the attraction to the game. Taking into account, they do not really care for games, period. Poker is a game to me and I thoroughly enjoy games/sports, of all kinds.

For the women who do like games, some or most just do not have the time to invest in learning and really, one does need/want to put effort into knowing how to play. It's really hard to pin down any one reason why there are not more women involved with poker, but from what I do see there are definitely more women stepping into the bigger arenas over the past years. Other than offering more 'women only' options, I don't know what else could possibly encourage women to play.

My 2 cents.

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Thank you for your response

Live tournaments should have special prizes for best placed women. I'm actually surprised with the fact that such a practice hasn't already started...

shells_bells_53 said:

attraction to the game. ... do not really care for games.... I thoroughly enjoy games/sports..

...do not have the time to invest in learning ... hard to pin down any one reason why there are not more women involved ..

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Let me first speak to the competitive nature of poker vs the social nature of poker. In my experience, my personal self-reference aside, men/boys become accustomed and socialized to competitive systems/events of all kinds most likely beginning at a very young age. Certain cultures may have unique socialization patterns that moderate competition, but I think that is a pretty fair global assessment that men are more competitive by nature.

From an anthropological point of view - why? simply, the male is trying to demonstrate superior genes to pass along - chest thumping. In the case of poker, intelligence, guile, cunning - gamesmanship.

In my experience, I have postulated that woman compete among themselves in a hard to define social-game of communication and perception among each other. that has it's own unique set of rules for interaction. I'm doing my very best to not be sexist or misogynist in my statement. Help me ladies if I trend towards the line.

Now, more than ever, society accepts the equanimity between a man and woman's intelligence. Science has proven that for a very long time, as if that wasn't obvious in the first place.

Still, women face the glass ceiling, lower pay by 25%+- on par with that of men.

Speaking to the superior social and communication experience of women over men, is there an opportunity in poker to present and position poker as a positive, interesting, modern, sophisticated social experience?

The perception that poker is not a game of skill persists in the minds of the public and in my opinion lends to the characteristic unfavorably in terms of legalization that poker is gambling with all of the sorted associated behaviors: alcohol, cheating, and worse.

If true....Then the venue matters. Is there an opportunity disassociate poker from "gambling" venues like casinos, or from dive bars, to social rooms? To something like a tea-society, and for that matter, with day care.

And further, to use poker, not unlike using chess, as a game of strategy and skill to teach children math, probability, etc.

What I'm getting at is - at large social acceptance broadly throughout society.

Woman look really cool. I wish more womans played pokers.

Poker takes a lot of time, especially tournaments. And housework is always there (cooking, cleaning, kids, husband), friends also want to talk to. By the end of the day so tired that you can't spend a lot of time behind the monitor.

Poker is just like football it's a man's game.

i think women feel uncomfortable sitting at the table, and being a part of the game with men at the table feeling their be judged, and trust me women can be very competitive they would want to win. and i feel there would be a lot of great female players. if they offered more ladies nights events, where women can play with other women i feel it would encourage more female players in the long run.

SweatPea said:

i think women feel uncomfortable sitting at the table, and being a part of the game with men at the table feeling their be judged, and trust me women can be very competitive they would want to win. and i feel there would be a lot of great female players. if they offered more ladies nights events, where women can play with other women i feel it would encourage more female players in the long run.

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Let me ask, what do you mean by judged? in what way? about appearance? about style of play? Something else? Your answer suggests that woman in particular have greater sensitively to their self-worth than that of a man. I would argue that men can be equally insecure about their self-worth, concern about being judged, but isn't that a potential characteristic of an individual rather than a class by gender?

What do you think of the WSOP holding what appears to be a token event at the end of the schedule?

It would seem like more women would be involved in poker. All the women that I know enjoy a challenge.