To answer the question, if she were more active or more willing, Barbara Enright. Failing that, Linda Johnston.
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Originally Posted by Namdogger
Such an interesting thread, thanks for posting. I'm gonna go out on a limb here or maybe a tangent and say what I think people won't say about Vanessa Selbst. What freaks them out is:
a) she is a killer player. She's as good, if not better than many male top pros and the way she thinks about and plays poker is tough to play against. It's easier to bitch about her play than it is to beat her. Most people take the easy route, rather than improve their own game to have a better chance. Good luck with that, btw.
I'm guessing you're generalizing on purpose, but I make absolutely no bones about it -- just as surely as she is a much better player than I could hope to be, she also has an odious, obnoxious personality that has no business in the game. It has nothing to do with what's easier or what's harder. Irrespective of my talent level in poker, players of both gender with Selbst's temperament need to clean their act up.
And yes, I say the exact same thing about Hellmuth or any other male player with similar 'issues'.
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b) she doesn't look like most of the top (and certainly sponsored) top female pros. I would wager everything I owned on this - if she LOOKED more like Maria Ho or Liv Boeree or Kara Scott, she would own the industry. Period.
You are absolutely correct, and I don't suspect anyone would take that wager.
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I don't know what kind of contracts or network she has within the industry behind the scenes, but as with anything (and certainly for women, in particular), looks matter. It ain't right, it ain't fair, in fact it's total bull**** (I mean, for real - socks and sandals? the comb over? the aw shucks lumber jack persona? - guys get away with murder when it comes to the "looks" double standard!), but it's the way of this world. For now, anyway.
The thing is, the "looks" double standard works both ways. The same double standards that work against talented female players without "the looks" work in favor of less talented female players who DO have it, and an equally talented, equally hot female will universally exceed an equally talented, equally handsome male player in terms of endorsements and industry domination -- which you alluded to in your post re: Kara Scott vs Negreanu.