I made this reply to the article based upon my own experience with two or three ladies events that were designed to attract new players. Sadly these didn't follow my suggestion, of course they didn't ask me beforehand.
"Running tournaments for new players is an excellent idea! The first few times at a tourney table can be very intimidating no matter what gender the player might be. In addition to worrying about the actual play of the game, charging too high an entry fee might turn off a novice as well. If I were a poker room operator I'd run these beginner tournaments at the lowest possible cost, in order to make them as attractive to as many people as possible.
The fee should be set so it covers the cost of the dealers and floor staff and provide a minimal prize pool. After all, the purpose of these events is to make things as attractive as possible in order to increase the number of regular players. That will increase the profits of the poker room operators. I'm seen this strategy work in the world of shooting sporting clays, and there is no reason why it shouldn't work for poker as well."
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