The Ladies Event kicked off today at the 2011 World Series of Poker and as seems to almost be a tradition every year, about a dozen or so men have decided that it would be cute to try and play in the event.  They try and hide behind discrimination laws that says that the WSOP cannot exclude them, and for now they are right.  Many wonder why men put themselves through the ridicule associated with playing the Ladies Event.  Let’s take a look at some of the primary reasons.

Perceived Soft Field

Many men that sit down in women’s events do so because they think that they hold a significant advantage over the other women in the event.  They go around boasting that women’s events are +EV and are super soft.  While it is true that there are many women playing a live event, or even at the WSOP, for the first time in the Ladies Event, to say that the field is soft can be misleading.

If you look at the field from Day 1 of this year’s event, some names that stick out at you are Kara Scott, Karina Jett, Women’s Poker Hall of Famer Susie Isaacs, Maria Ho, Melanie Weisner, Vicky Coren, Liv Boeree, Jan Fisher, Leo Margets, Cyndy Violette, Jennifer Tilly, Maria Mayrinck, Evelyn Ng, Vanessa Selbst and Barbara Enright.  Enright is the only woman to be inducted into both the Ladies and Professional Poker Hall of Fame.

Does that sound like a soft field to you?

Taking a Stand

One of the biggest reasons that men claimed to play in last year’s Ladies Event was that they were “taking a stand against discrimination.”  They claimed that an event that bars one sex or another should not be allowed in poker and that they played the event in protest.  What a pile of crap.  I saw Sean Deeb’s video from last year, and I thought it was one of the fakest statements I have ever read.

If people are really that upset over discrimination in poker, why aren’t they registering for the Seniors Event when that comes around?  Why are there no “age discrimination” protest?  Simple, they think they can beat a field of women easy and when they get called out on it, they hide behind the law to cover their tails.

It’s Funny

There are a few men that play in the event because they think that it is funny for men to play in the event.  They dress up in a dress and may even make themselves up and play the event.  A few years ago, this may have been funny.  That was because it was a one time thing and the parody was clear.  Now, it is just in poor taste.

The end is near for men playing in the Ladies Event at the WSOP.  Nevada recently passed a low that permits casinos to legally exclude men from women’s poker tournaments.  However, this law does not go into effect until January 2012.  So for at least another year we will have to tolerate men in the Ladies Event.  Next year, the only men at the poker tables will be the dealers.

Tags: Age Discrimination, Barbara Enright, Boeree, Cyndy Violette, Deeb, Discrimination Laws, Evelyn Ng, Hall Of Fame, Hall Of Famer, Jan Fisher, Jennifer Tilly, Karina Jett, Pile Of Crap, Poker Hall, Professional Poker, Taking A Stand, Vanessa Selbst, Vicky Coren, Weisner, World Series of Poker

This entry was posted on Saturday, July 2nd, 2011 at 3:58 am and is filed under Poker News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.