A debate in poker is now related to men participating in womens events.
A Florida man drew criticism after he entered and won a poker tournament meant for women. Fox News reports that Dave Hughes, 70, entered the $250 no-limit Texas Holdem event that was supposed to be exclusively for women.
There were 83 entrants in the tournament, 82 women, and Hughes was the last entry. However, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, he ultimately won the game and took home the $5,555 first-place prize.
Anti-discrimination laws exist, so womens tournaments in Florida cannot bar men from participating. The Las Vegas Review-Journal noted that many Las Vegas casinos have the same anti-discrimination rules. For example, The World Series of Pokers Ladies event has a $10,000 buy-in. However, women receive a 90% discount to enter the tournament in hopes of discouraging men from joining.
Fox News reports that a video of Hughes playing in the tournament appeared on Twitter. Some commentators on Twitter put a bounty on Hughes to get him knocked out of the game. A bounty is a cash reward paid to a player that hits Hughes out of the game. However, the prize went unclaimed since Hughes went on to win the entire game.
The woman in the video says:
Good luck, not really.
The fact that a man was playing in a womens tournament engendered much debate among people on Twitter and elsewhere.
Poker Hall of Famer Linda Johnson spoke with Poker News and said the following: I love ladies-only poker tournaments. I would have no problem with them having a mens only. And I wouldnt enter it as I would not qualify for it, and followed that up with: I would have no problem if they had a tournament for 26-year-old, motorcycle riding, Mohawk-haircut seniors, and I wouldnt enter it because I wouldnt qualify.
She continued by saying the following: I dont think men should play in ladies-only tournaments. That said, [I think] there is a total overreaction to the few [man] (sic) who do enter. They [are] usually looking for attention, so why [give it] to them? Maybe we should [just] ignore them and play our best. [This] is just my two cents, and you are welcome to your [own] thoughts on this.
Charlie Carrel, a British poker player, also gave his commentary on the situation and said the following about it: It pokes fun at the idea that anybody can identify as a woman and be allowed to enter womens spaces.
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