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WPT Information
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Women's Only Events
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Online
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Women Playing Poker....Where are they?
Monday, February 26, 2007
I have been playing poker online since about 2001 and playing live for just about as long. I dont have the luxury of living near a casino so my live play is very limited and subject to budget, time, work and kids schedules. I make it to Atlantic City at least twice a year and try to get to Foxwoods at least once. AC is a bit easier as I have family in Jersey and can hustle up a grand parent as a baby sitter for a day or two. Foxwoods is closer but my daughter is a little young to just drop at the neighbors house for a whole day. More often I get to the dog track about an hour away and play a week end tournament if I can.
Here is what is surprising. There are very few women who play in the live tournaments and even less at the cash tables. According to what I have experienced and what I have read, about 1/3-1/2 of online players are women. Where are they when I get to the casinos? I have met women standing at the rails and asked if they were playing. The conversations sound very much the same each time. "No, I'm not ready to play live yet." or "No, I'm just learning to play." or "No, maybe I'll play a little later; right now I am going to hit the slots/blackjack." And no matter how many times I hear those answers I am still surprised. I have asked countless women why they are not playing. I have asked women that I know and women that I don’t know what makes them fearful of the live tournaments. I am always met with the same answers. “I just don’t have the time to go and play.” “I don’t live near a casino.” “I am too nervous to play at the live events.” I know the answers, I just don’t understand the why part.
I know most women have busy and hectic lives. I have one myself. We have families, careers. We are college students and have lives outside of poker. I can understand that 100 % but don’t men face those same challenges as women do? Don’t they have the same commitments? The same issues outside of poker as we do? Then why can men find the time to play?
There are just as many men who live away from casinos and I would imagine those who don’t have ready access to a poker room don’t play live very often. But what about those women who DO live near a casino? I cannot believe that that many women do not have access to a poker room of some sort.
Afraid to play? That is not an answer it is an excuse. I don’t understand why those same women would put their money up against the house on a slot machine yet not wager their money on their own skills and intelligence. I’ll bet on myself any day before I wander into a Bingo hall or put one hard earned dollar on a roulette wheel.
Ladies, trust me you can do this. There is nothing to it. You buy in and sit and play poker. What is the worse that can happen? You go out first? There is no shame in going out first, going out on the bubble or anywhere in between. It doesn’t mean you can’t play poker it just means that you went out first. That is all. No one is going to think any better or worse of you or your poker skills. It happens to the best players and it happens to the worst. You just pick yourself up and try again. Like anything else you will ever try or do. Do we not start a new job or take a promotion because we are nervous? Of course not. We get over it and do what we need to do to make a living. Poker is the same. We just get over the butterflies and give it a try.
Just jumping into a mixed game might not be the answer. I myslef started in womens only events then gradually went to mixed events. The mixed events are no tougher than women's only events. No womens' only events in your area? Then talk to a poker room about starting one. And if that doesn't work. Just play the mixed events. Im not talking about jumping into a $3k buy in or even a $200 buy in event. Most casinos and card rooms offer small buy ins between $20 and $60. You can buy onto a cash table for $20.
The US is cracking down on us hard. Many are afraid to deposit to online sites. There is only one other place to take our game...onto the felt.
The other day on WPC there was a post about an episode of ER in which they portrayed a woman poker player as a loser and degenerate who ended up so far in debt she killed herself so her children could have the insurance money.
First, how dare they portray women who play poker in this manner?! This is not who the majority of us are. Most of us have families, jobs, careers. We are stay at home moms, college students, grandmothers, daughters and everything in between. We come from different countries. And we bond over a simple game. That is who the real women of poker are. We are successful women (regardless of what we do for a living) who manage our time and our money to be able to have it all. Most of us live with in our means so we can play poker take care of our families and ourselves just as any woman with a hobby or interests does. I, personally, probably spend less money per month on poker than my friend does on her gardening hobby.
Second, women did not have it easy getting into poker. It has always been a male dominated game and it took a long time for us to be accepted by the poker community. We are still struggling to stay in it and play with out sexist remarks, rude comments and remarks about how we play. I resent the hell out of the media and television giving us one more hurdle to conquer just to play poker.
Third, I see no one trying to show the good that poker can bring for women. Not just at the tables and not just monetary. I have seen women who learned to play poker just to play and got much more out of it than just poker skills. They gained confidence in themselves. They gained the ability to see themselves from a different view point. Poker requires reading people and to do that you have to look at yourself first. New players to the game and seasoned professionals spend much time learning as much about themselves as they do about the other players. It is part of the game.
Fourth, there is a social aspect to poker that is evident in very few places other than a poker table. I have many friends that do not play poker. We have normal friendships in which we spend time together, we support eachother and we have children, jobs, and personalities in common. I find the same with the women I have met online and in person playing poker. In the years I have been involved in poker I have met many women who dont have the outside support of family and friends that I do. These women found those same things in forums and in poker rooms all over the world. How can any one dare say that we close ourselves off from the rest of the world........in my opinion we open ourselves up.
If it is money and going broke that the media is worried about.....portraying women poker players this way is not the answer. Read any poker magazine, book etc... and there is always at least one section about managing money and playing with in your means. There is not one professional player that I have met or interviewed that didn't advocate staying with in what you can afford to play with.
Don't tell me what is good for me in a TV show or how poker is sure to bring me to at the very minimum financial ruin. It is not accurate and it just pisses me off. I am an intellegent woman; most women who play are. There is some type of intellegence and skill necessary to play poker.
Don't call my home in the pretense of getting a real picture of what women in poker are really like and then ask me whether or not I spend time with my kids or play poker all day. Or whether I have taken out second, third mortgages on my home to play poker. (This has not happened to me but it has happened to others that I know).
Try looking at the other side of poker. For me poker has been and continues to be a series of great experiences. I have been writing since I was a kid. I am now writing for a magazine, been published in a book, have a blog and write and research daily for WPC. This is due to poker. Many women's careers have skyrocketed due to the opportunities that poker created for them. So many have started small businesses, work with online casinos and land based casinos. Hell, the VP of the Wold Poker Tour is a woman. She came from a sucessful business background but poker gave her the opportunity to be more and get more out of her career and her life. Another woman made a decent living making jewelry, she has now gone from small online sales to creating and manufacturing her jewelry and selling to a huge market.
My final comment.......yes, there are some women (and men) who let poker take over their lives but it is not necessarily about poker itself. If not poker it would have been something else. An over abundance of ANYTHING is not good for you.
They say “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas” and now I know why.While there were many things that will be fond memories of my first visit not all of it should be shared. In other words there was drinking and gambling and some things that I couldn’t explain why or how they happened. Like how we ended an evening with one of us riding a mechanical bull at some ungodly hour of the morning BUT, there is a ton of stuff that should not remain in Vegas.
I started out my trip in Albany, NY at 7:30 AM which meant I had to get up at 4:00 AM. Yes, as in morning. I am normally up and about by 6 or so, but fit for people? Not on your life. My kids and husband don’t even talk to me when I get up with out at minimum a snarl. I haven’t bit anyone yet but I’m sure I have threatened to.Now I had to play nice nice with the baggage handlers who literally lifted my check in baggage five foot in the air and dropped it on the conveyor belt as well as the evil security people who invade my space. Not that I am opposed to security in airports, I think right now they serve an invaluable service to the safety to our country but standing in line and having to exploit all of my belongings at 6:00AM is NEVER on my list of things to do.
My plane landed in Philadelphia where I had a three hour layover. Now I had a problem. I am a smoker and I wanted a cigarette. I wanted one NOW. I mean like right NOW. Lighters are no longer allowed in baggage. This presented a huge problem. Finally I managed to get myself out of the airport which was no easy task by itself, locate a lighter and regale in the smoke. In the mean time I call my friend Judy. We had by coincidence ended up on the same flight out of Philadelphia. She told me she was on her way. I don’t know about you but when someone says they are on their way I always think they are actually driving. Not Judy. Judy was sitting in her car in her DRIVEWAY. We finally meet in the airport and head off grab a bite to eat. After lunch we just strolled to the gate and stand behind three other people for a few seconds. At which point we hear them giving away two seats to stand by passengers. Those were OUR seats. In our lack of haste we neglected to realize that our flight was boarded and ready to leave the gate!!! Luckily we made it and off we went!!! The flight itself held little action and little event. Which I guess is a good thing. I found my car right away and off we went to get the luggage or lack there of. Yup, you guessed it. No luggage. Now this presents a problem. You have to remember, we are on our way to an event that is sponsored by Woman Poker Player as well as our annual WPC Showdown. This means we are responsible to bring some of the stuff with us. So in my luggage were also poker pins for WPC members, plates cups etc… for our meet n greet as well as 300 chocolates (ok, so it was more like 290…I couldn’t help it)for the UPC event. The luggage people have no clue but said that IF they found it they would forward it to the hotel. We get to the hotel and now they cannot find my room. HUH?? I was tired, I was cranky and my ass was numb from sitting for so long, and now I had no room. I will say however Binions’ staff came to the rescue for the first time but certainly not the last time and fixed it fairly quickly.
The meet and greet was kind of short but went well. It was nice to be able to put faces with the people that I have talked to for so long via forums and email.
Off we go to try our luck at the tables in a satellite to the UPC. I had a great time BUT…….with all my distractions my appearance at the table was short and sweet to say the least. While disappointing it was not the end of the world at the time. I really wanted to talk to the members and catch up with everyone. More importantly I wanted to find my freaking underwear and my chocolate. Finally I gave up and went to the room. Though not before several drinks with the ladies and lots of laughs (these are many of the things that should stay in Vegas!)
Day two brought more poker and more new friendships. I met so many women from all walks of life it was incredible. Satellites ran most of the day. I played in the super satellite with about the same results as the single table satellite. The good thing of day two in Vegas was that my luggage arrived. YESSSS!!! I had clean underwear and CHOCOLATE!!! The first thing I did after my caffeine fix was to check the desk for my bags. And sure enough it was there. A big thump on the head to Philadelphia Airport and a big thanks to the Binions’ staff AGAIN for helping me out and putting up with me!!
The magazines arrived about a half hour before tournament time so it was a bit of a rush to get them out but out they went and seemed to be well received by the ladies. At 4:00 PM on Friday, February 8, 2007 Woman Poker Player Magazine sponsored its first televised women’s only tournament. I cannot explain the feeling when the tournament manager announced “Shuffle up and Deal!”The tournament itself yielded more than expected, by me anyway. We had 201 women and a 40000.00 prize pool.
I hear many men and even some women say that women’s only events are a social gathering and poor play. I beg to differ. The play was exceptional. There were the occasional bad beats and the occasional disagreements on how hands should be played. But that is what poker is about. If we all played the same top ten starting hands there would be very little to hold anyone’s’ attention for very long. Was it a social gathering? Well there was a lot of that too but not about what most men think it’s about. It was about poker and analyzing hands not what you find at your local tea party. Finally the end of the night came and the final 7 were left. Two friends of mine made the televised table. I cannot tell you how proud I am of both of them. Congratulations to them both!!!!
On day three we held our WPC tournament early in the morning so it did not conflict with the UPC taping. We had about 50 women playing and it was a great event. WPC tournaments are always good. It doesn’t matter whether we have 9 women or 100. The attitude is always the same. We love to play and laugh and just have a good time. My play at that one reflected the same as all the other tournaments. Eh.
The taping went very well. The diversity on the table was the first thing that caught my eye. The seven women all had different looks, different playing styles and very different backgrounds. It has always been the bond between women players that gets me. I am amazed at how very little we seem to have in common but come together to play and support each other. That might be the single biggest difference between the way men and women play. I don’t care if a woman gave me the worst beat ever. I will still support her efforts in poker and in the rest of her life. And most that I have met feel the same as I do. It was indicated by the tournament staff that they heard horror stories about women’s events. That woman bitch more and play less. The compliments that we got from that same staff really hit home. There are always going to be some who will grumble and criticize regardless. But I heard more complaining from the men at the cash tables and the surrounding tournaments than I ever heard at a women’s only event. Honestly, we just want to play.
My last day in Vegas I played some poker in the morning but spent most of my day with a few meetings and relaxing with the friends I have made.
Most of this trip will remain in Vegas. I don’t think I could even start to explain the laughter and the excitement of my very first visit to Vegas. I realized how strong the friendships I have made through poker have become so these times will stay in my memory for a long time. And no matter how many times I go back in the future nothing cancompare to this trip because “We go this way but once.”
It has finally happened; Woman Poker Player is sponsoring our very first live tournament in conjuction with the Ultimate Poker Challenge . So off I am to Vegas in less than a week. I cannot believe that it is here already. It seems like yesterday I was debating on whether or not I should go and all of a sudden its here!!! This will be my first trip to Vegas and I am looking forward to meeting the group from WPC as well as all the other women who are coming out to play!!
The big question is....what am I going to pack? I've started, well kind of. I have the basics packed like toothbrush and hair stuff. But I haven't even begun the parade of the closet yet. I tend to be a bit of a pain in the butt when it comes to packing. I can easily pick out what I NEED to wear but what I will WANT to wear when I am there is another story. If I were just playing poker and hanging out with the girls it would be pretty easy. But we've got a few meetings set up on the strip and a trip to Hold 'em radio planned so I need dressier clothes than I would just play poker in.
A while ago Maryann was approached by a publisher to put together a book of stories by women who play poker. They were looking for stories from some of the professionals as well as some amatuers that would center around poker but not necessarily be a poker "guide" of strategies and what is in the mainstream for poker books. It was a great opportunity for her and naturally she accepted.
I was working like crazy at that time. The hours I put in at my other job ranged from 50-60 hours per week. Plus home plus kids. She suggested that if I had the time she would love to include me but she understood that the demands on my time were very heavy. I told her that if she ran into a jam to let me know and I would try here and there to at least start something. She eventually called in a harried state and told me two of the authors had to back out due to other commitments. We crammed names like crazy looking for someone who could come up with something respectable in very little time. The publisher wanted the first draft with in the next two days.
I told her to give me over night and I would see if I could come up with anything that resembled a story about women in poker. Anyone who writes for a living can attest to the fact that sometimes writing is very easy and the ideas just come....other times it can be a nightmare especially when it comes to crunch time. Your mind freezes and all the ideas you had rushing around your head just seem to vanish. It seems that your mind sees "deadline" and the imagination runs for the hills.
My first thought was to write about Womens Poker Club. I have had several live meetings with many of the members . The group of us could play and talk strategies and analysis and the state of the poker world for hours....and believe me we have. There are a million stories in those live meetings. But, someone had already written about the club and what it means to play live for the first time etc... There was no way the publisher would allow more than one. It would be overkill no matter how great the group is.
Alot of times if I have a block of any sort when I write. I just start writing. I write ideas about everything related to the subject. It might be one sentence about one thing and two about another. I just type and hope that something in there sparks. All of a sudden I realized that not only had I produced the amount of words that they wanted per chapter but it made sense. And on top of that, I was in time for the deadline! Which Maryann can tell you almost NEVER happens.
Off the chapter went to the publisher. I didn't give it much thought after that. Between WPC, Woman Poker Player and all the other fun stuff in between I lost sight of it I guess. UNTIL the advanced copy arrived at my door. I went crazy when it came. I am not only published in a Magazine, I am published in a real book! By my own thinking this makes me a real author! Me! I never thought that I would ever do anything of significance that would be grouped with such accomplished poker authors like Amy Calestri and Barbar Connors. I have the book sitting on my desk and every time I look at it I have to pinch myself to make sure that it is real!
The most unbelievable thing is that the day of release Women's Poker Night was sold out on Amazon. It is already set for reprint. So not only am I a published author, people are reading it! The feed back so far has been great! Anyone looking to order can go to the links section of my blog and order from Amazon. It can also be found in book stores across the U.S.
Hello, welcome to Zupko's Life! I am just getting started in this so please be patient with me. I am not sure of all the ins and outs of blogging yet but I'm sure that I will get the hang of it eventually. I hope you enjoy it!
About Me: I'll start with a little bit about me. Im a wife and mother of two boys (18 and 15) and one girl (6 going on 19). I work for a small local store where I am considered some type of management. I say "some type" because there is a manager there and an assistant manager but I still run my own departments and still have the same responsibilities but in the end I dont have to listen to any guff from corporate. I love my job on most days but really wish the hours were different and the pay was a lot more. Im sure during course of this blog you will hear more about my job and I am sure more about my family. It might not be all poker but the majority of women who play poker also face the same challenges of balancing career, family and poker every day. Pretending it does not exist does more harm than good.
My real job as a writer is much more exciting and definitely much more glamorous. Well, I think so anyway. I write for Woman Poker Player Magazine as a staff writer. I do most of the cover interviews and occassionally smaller articles. How much I write depends greatly on how much time I have. Finding Woman Poker Player Magazine has been just an amazing experience. I have been able to talk to and meet people that I never dreamed of talking to. Watching players like Annie Duke, Daniel Negraneau and Liz Lieu is one thing...actually getting the chance to talk to them in depth is quite another. The chance to work with the likes of Barbara Enright is what dreams are made of and thanks to Maryann Morrison, I get to live that dream.
Some of my favorite places on the internet: Womens Poker Club Sorry guys this is just a site for the women! A great place to meet and talk with women of all walks of life that have one common passion...poker! My name there is zupko2001. I am a moderator there so if you have any questions or comments be sure to let me know.
