Can Ladies Play Poker, Too?

Poker is undeniably a male dominated game. Think of the top casino movies and you will struggle to think of a female character that was depicted as the actual player rather than the distraction. With that in mind, can ladies play poker too?

In Casino Royale, James Bond is shown playing a game of poker, as the HM agent Vespa Lynd walks into the room, all eyes are on her and not the poker table. This stereotypical depiction of women and poker has meant that it has been difficult for women to be taken seriously as professional players. Some tournaments continue to discourage female participation.

However, with the rise of popularity in on line poker games it is becoming more common to see women feature among the higher ranks. This is because the internet provides women with the ability to disguise who they really are, with more men playing poker than women it would only be right to assume that the person you are playing against is a man right?

Men argue that women are not capable of playing poker well as they are too emotional and are unable to understand the technicalities of the game. Counter claims from women state that men are more likely to take higher risks and loose a lot more money because to their ego and belief they understand the rules of poker. Interestingly researchers claim that as there are more men then women who play poker, statistically this means that there are more bad male poker players than female.

Interestingly there are many professional male poker players (although they wouldn't admit it) who don't feel at ease when a woman is at the table. Some men say that women are not so easy to read; whilst others admit they become less ruthless and more gentlemanly. Some female poker players do admit to using their sex appeal to get them ahead in the game whilst others discourage such behavior and focus on refining their poker playing skills. Be prepared for the odd sexist comment and back chat unfortunately it comes with the territory as many men resent the fact that women is invading what they consider to be their territory.

This can sometimes put women at a great advantage when playing a game of poker, with men making assumptions about your ability to play you stand to be very successful providing you get enough practice. It's important that you learn the basics of the game, if there is someone you know that can teach you the basics even better. There are plenty of television programs and internet forums that are dedicated to improving your game of poker.

Many women prefer to play women only poker tournaments or organize poker nights with their friends for the same reasons. Such games usually require minimal penny bets. This also gives them an opportunity to have a break from their daily routine and catch up with friends. There are some poker playing clubs that have created women only poker nights which have proven to very successful.