Poker And The Battle Of The Sexes

09.26.2007 | 10:29 pm | Poker, Poker Stars

The age old debate about one sex Poker competitions was blown wide open last week when a group of well known male Poker players demanded entry into an all ladies Poker tournament, under the threat of discrimination.  It appears that a battle of the Poker sexes is brewing, but what is it really all about?

The ladies Poker player industry has been well represented by the Ladies International Poker Series for some years, and while they were not the first to push for ladies only tournaments (the first ladies only tournament took place in 1977) they have been amongst the most vocal in their support.  While the winners pot for ladies Poker tournaments has yet to reach those for the mixed tournaments, it has been slowly moving up over the years. 

It seems that money is not the problem with the male Poker players, it is the principle that they have been routinely slaughtered by the press for their historic male only games (which are now a thing of the past).  Mixed sex games are all the rage now, with the added edge of “the battle of the sexes”, and while the men often hit the headlines, there have been a number of very high profile female winners of mixed tournaments.

It will be interesting to see where the latest developments lead, as there has long been an under current that the men only tournaments of the past had been harshly treated.  Will we see a merge of the men’s and ladies associations? Will we ever see a head to head against the men’s and woman’s champions?

A head to head of the two champions would be a sponsors dream, potentially attracting massive interest from both areas of the game.  Watch this space!