LIPS and the Future of Ladies-Only Poker Tournaments

Poker has always been a game dominated by men, but the percentage of women entering poker tournaments is growing faster than any other gaming demographic. The biggest organization continually assisting this growth is the Ladies International Poker Series (LIPS), whose main goal is to provide women with the opportunity and support needed to enter the poker realm. The controversy that occurred last weekend at the California State Poker Championship - where six men, including former baseball player Jose Canseco, demanded entry into the ladies only event - resurfaced the issue concerning women-only tournaments.

The first major ladies tournament, according to Card Player archives, was introduced at the 1977 World Series of Poker. It was a $100 buy-in seven-card stud tournament. This event continued as a mainstay in the preliminary event schedule while the buy-in gradually increased to $1,000. As the popularity of hold'em grew, so did the interest of poker among women. In 2000, the ladies event changed to a mixed seven-card stud and limit hold'em event. For the next couple of years, the number of entrants hovered around 100.

Then, just as the poker boom was getting started, the World Poker Tour introduced the world to Ladies Night, an invitational sixhanded winner-take-all event. Six accomplished and talented women competed for big money on the main stage. Clonie Gowen won the first event, and the show gave viewers a broader view of women who played poker. It essentially opened the gate for ladies to get into the game.

In 2005, the WSOP ladies event became no-limit hold'em and featured a record number of entrants, at 601. It nearly doubled the next year to 1,128. The growth of women in poker and the popularity of ladies-only events did not come without controversy or resistance.

A few top female poker professionals say that they oppose women-only tournaments because they are not necessary since women can compete on a level playing field in poker. However true this may be, a large percentage of women say that they feel more comfortable playing with fellow ladies, according to LIPS CEO and founder Lupe Soto.

"We are here to provide venues for women to get into the sport. They can come to our events and gain experience in tournaments that they either are less intimidated by or just prefer," said Soto. "I know women can compete equally with men in poker, which is unlike other sports that take physical strength into account, but it is about preference, learning, and choice."

LIPS is one of the biggest components in providing such choice for women. The growing organization has partnered with about 35 casinos across the country to host events that feature a mid-level buy-in to provide women poker players with a friendly, comfortable, and competitive environment.

"The First Lady of Poker" Linda Johnson admits that she was not supportive of women's tournaments at first but has come to realize that they are a great tool to introduce the game to ladies who might not otherwise play.

"Although women do take poker seriously, the atmosphere at a WOE (women-only event) is often more lighthearted, fun, and non-intimidating than that of an open event," Johnson said in a recent column for Card Player magazine.

The numbers are staggering, and the demand of women's tournaments is high. The Canseco incident was a reminder of the biggest threat related to women-only events. If men want to enter, they must be allowed.

According to Card Player's own legal council, Allyn Jaffrey Shulman, California law states that all business establishments must provide all services and advantages to customers without discriminating against age, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, disability, medical condition, or gender. Therefore, the Commerce Casino was unable to deny access to the tournament because of gender.

"While I am sure that, technically, the ladies-only tournaments may be illegal," said Jan Fisher, a prominent female poker player and former Card Player columnist, "it is such a wonderful stepping stone for ladies who may be too timid to play in open events to get their feet wet."

Although rare, this is not the first time men have entered a ladies event. Phil Gordon, along with a few other "Tilt Boys," dressed in drag and played in an otherwise all-woman field at Bay 101, the act of which caught some media attention. However, there are many men in the poker community who support such events.

"I think these guys are hindering something that is very serious for some women." said poker professional Chad Brown. "On the heels of the World Series of Poker Europe, where the young woman, Annette Obrestad, won the main event, many more women will be encouraged to get into poker, and we should all be supportive of ways that make that possible."

Men entering ladies events dangers the very existence of women-only tournaments, but LIPS is determined to continue to provide a place for women to play. The next LIPS event is the California Ladies State Poker Championships at the Ocean's 11 casino in Oceanside, California, where the organizers hope women will be able to compete in an all-female field.

LIPS also provides the opportunity for women to create their own Ladies Night Poker League in their hometowns in which the winner (or winners) will win their way to the LIPS Tour Grand Championship at the Orleans Casino in Las Vegas. At the last Grand Championship, 289 women from all over the country competed. An even bigger turnout is expected for 2008.

"The future is bright," said Johnson. "Women know how much fun poker can be and how profitable, as well. Women definitely have the temperament to be great players and will continue to enter the poker world in huge numbers."

For more information and a complete schedule of upcoming events, find the LIPS link on the CardPlayer.com homepage or click here.