Make Way For The Poker Ladies
Published: Tuesday, May 09, 2006 Online-Casinos.com
MAKE WAY FOR THE POKER LADIES
Winner in Star City poker tournament could take home GBP 100 000
Britain's first live all-women poker championship is being held this summer
with an estimated prize of GBP100 000 and a promise of "celebrity status
in the poker world". The tourney is backed by the well established Stanley
Leisure group, and has received wide coverage in the UK media.
The Telegraph News took the angle that increasing numbers of women players are
being seen at land tournament, and that many of these first acclimatised themselves
to the competitive environment by playing online.
"The talents required of a poker player are traditionally male traits: aggression,
the ability to lie and hide your emotions, the newspaper opined. "But women
are finally breaking into the world of poker and some are beating the men at their
own game." The newspaper goes on to examine the poker experience and success
of several young women and quoted a recent YouGov poll which showed that women
made up 30 to 40 percent of online players. In casinos, the proportion of women
is estimated to have increased from one to five per cent of players.
Mark Ross, the director of Star City in Birmingham, Britain's largest casino,
where the women's championship final will be held, said: "Women's championships
started in America three or four years ago and we felt it was time to start them
here.
"A lot of women are starting online and then deciding they want to play with
real people. I think women who have never been in a casino before but have played
with friends or online will enter the championship."
