No. Many women have publically voiced their feelings about womens' events. Annie Duke in particular found them offensive. Many of my female poker friends feel the same way, there have been others in this thread too. So no, I provided 'testimony' just as much as you have, it's just not my personal testimony. But again, just because YOU personally aren't offended, doesn't mean it's not offensive.

Huh? I'm not manufacturing outrage. When people have strength in their convictions and stand up for what they believe in, they often like to speak out about things they consider wong, whether it personally affects them or not. Personally, I don't really care if some bint thinks that men are too <insert insult> to play poker with, but that doesn't mean that other men would feel the same, and it doesn't change the fact that she is propogating a negative stereotype. If I only fought for things that personally affected me then it's not about morality is it, it's just me being a selfish ****?

If you saw someone giving a black man on the street **** for being black, would you just walk on by, because it doesn't affect you personally? Or would you be outraged at the fact that the despicable discrimination is actually happening, regardless of that it's not directed at you? :P Personally, I would defend the guy. But that's just me... maybe I'm weierd like that :|

a) This isn't about comparitive rights. It's about social attitudes and stereotypes, which are damaging.

b) Even if it were about comparitive rights, you'd still be wrong, because women ARE being afforded a tournament where men are actively discouraged from entering, and are publically crucified in the media if they do enter, as we have witnessed by the hateful pokernews article linked above. Men would NOT have this opportunity. If men were to try to hold an equivalent tournament, it would be a legal nightmare, and any woman who tried to enter would be viewed as a hero. You can label this a strawman argument all you like, but the riding assumptions are hardly a stretch of the imagination.

I'm Black. African American - born and raised in the South. My great-great grandparents were slaves. I've had the N word yelled directly in my face. On more than one occasion. It has affected me personally. And yeah, I guess I was outraged but I did pretty much just walk on by.

ugh. Your cockeyed, misguided political correctness is so overwrought and holier than thou. You're just so sure you've got the moral high ground. And you're such the hero in all of your "what if" hypotheticals.
I sincerely hope you do get the opportunity to play in a ladies event one day. I'm sure you'll feel like a regular Rosa Parks.

When it comes to inequality in live donkaments, I am a woman! Hence I can play these events...IMO.

Um ... at some places where they have Women's only events, they DO hold Men's only events as well.

In fact, there was one run by the LIPStour recently in California ... no litigation, and unlike some ladies events, as far as I know, the women respected the fact it was a Men's only event, and let the guys have their day.

I also think that (in addition to the cost factor) having women only events does bring in more women into the Poker World who might not even give it a try otherwise.

I know that Annie Duke who now HATES women's only events, has publically stated, that she got her start at the WSOP Ladies event. I find it quite ironic that now that she's a big name poker player, she's decided that Ladies events are now too 'Demeaning' for women for her to play in it. Personally, I think there are two REAL reasons she doesn't play them.

1) She can make more money in the mixed events.
2) She can't use her female wiles/tricks on her fellow women like she can the men (in other words she can't beat the woman in a women's only event, like she can the men in a mixed event).

As for the fields being soft ... being a woman and having played in a few of these, I will say that's truly not the case.

It's actually harder to play in, especially as a woman, because I don't care what my fellow gender says, women *DO* indeed play differently then guys do, especially when you get a bunch of them playing at the same time.

If you can't adapt to that factor, then you'll be slaughtered.

Personally, while I don't begrudge ladies only events, I prefer to play against guys ... they are much easier to play against ... at least in my opinion ... if for no other reason, then the fact they play in a much more predictable fashion, then a woman poker player does ... and I've found that they are much easier to fool as well.

Just my two cents on the matter.

lololol crystalallen. You're clutching at straws now, and I can only assume deliberately ignoring the pieces of my posts which you could have no coherent response to.

Yes, I'm "holier than thou" for wanting to defend against prejudice in cases where the prejudice doesn't affect me. I should just mind my own business right? lol. That sort of thing might fly in divisive and inherently self-centred cultures like the US has, but in more evolved cultures it doesn't. You might be amazed at what can be achieved when everyone isn't just thinking about themselves.

Which is funny, because this is exactly what decent players say all the time about playing with donks. "I'd rather play with decent players than donks because they play a bit more predictably". :P The donks don't know what they're doing, so you can't know what they're doing either.

About the LIPS tour you posted though... that's interesting, thanks for the link. This would definitely be illegal if they did in fact stop any men from playing, but they're pretty clever too. Slotting it in amongst a ladies tour was never going to ruffle many feathers :P I'd say this would be a completely different case if such an event were proposed for any WPT festival or the WSOP etc..

I didn't know this! ha I love it.

Did it happen? I went looking for results but I couldn't find them. This really good piece came up while I was looking though:
http://www.cardplayer.com/cardplayer...ips-are-sealed

This joke is perfection:
""I'm on a heater." "No, that's just menopause.""
lol

There is no such thing as racism or sexism. There is only speicieism. We are all humans, and to do to one is to do to all, including oneself. We are all better off just not acknowledging people who want to start a drama. Especially someone who if he believed he was a real man, wouldn't have entered a ladies only event when there are 1000s of other regular tournaments. He should pay his winning back and apologize for his unmanly act.

listen the guy donated ALL his winnings plus $5K....

she was only willing to donate $1k of her winnings....

didn't the better person and better player actually win here?

Winners in this whole circus
Borgata - got TONS of press
Ladies tournaments in general - will get better turnouts as a result of the press
Cancer research - got 27K from this guy
Abraham - got tons of press, and did a great thing

Losers
Nicole Rowe - only won 11K???? and got more money donated to "her" cause

*I can't with a straight face and a clear conscious even classify her as a loser here.

I don't see the harm here.

and FYI to whomever said if he dressed like a woman would it be ok? apparently it was OK, THERE WAS A TRANSVESTITE. How is nobody hearing this point? Evidently, only MEN who dress like MEN are the real problem here!!!

gg nh sir.

FYI ... he said he was willing to donate SOME of his winnings (from what I understand, he didn't donate them all).

Also, the person that you claim was a Transvestite ... that's incorrect. There was a Transgendered person there, and there is a (HUGE) difference.

Someone who is transgendered, is someone born into the body of one gender, but is in reality, actually the opposite gender. Many transgendered persons have surgery to correct this fact, to make themselves physically and legally into the Gender they identify as.

Where as someone who is a transvestite, is someone who identifies as the gender they were born to, but simply likes dressing up in the opposite gender's clothing.

+10 Love your comments here as well as your avatar.
Long live the WaWas

I think it's actually good that he won the event - it brings additional attention to the issue of discrimination - against women or men...same thing! How can women cry foul at the impression in the poker community that men don't treat women with respect and equally if a whole field of women can't beat one guy? I am embarrassed! LOL

If a venue wants to run a women's only event, they need to think about a guy trying to prove a point could win as a possibility. I guess their PR people would be happy that at least people are talking about them...good or bad.

I don't think it is necessary for the winner to donate anything to the cancer charity, but it is certainly nice of him to have done it. I hope he wasn't pressured to do it though - while it is trajic and sad to hear what she is battling, the point she made of having some time that was "cancer free" is less compelling if the talk of donating a portion of the winnings to charity was prominent. Every person has a sad story in them...me, you, the guy next to you that is being a beligerant drunk...that isn't the point of the game though...it is just a game of cards afterall.

Congrats for the win regardless...but I hate to say that your buddies may discount the value of it, given the field...and truth is they may be right (yikes, as a woman, I doubt this will be a popular sentiment).

you would be wrong, he donated ALL of the winnings, plus $5K of his own money.