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A man has won a woman's poker tournament.
Greg Sessler, a 22-year old student at UC-Davis, has won the latest Ladies Poker Championship at Harvey's Lake Tahoe.
This year's ladies championship attracted a strong field of 96 players, generating $27,396 in prize money. Three other men besides Sessler entered the tournament.
From Nolan Dalla of Pokerati.com:
How is this possible, you may ask? Easy. The WSOP isn't a political organization and can't be expected to get involved in debates about sexism, discrimination, or other polarizing issues which may be applicable to poker tournaments. While the WSOP makes a sincere effort to promote women in poker and offers quasi-exclusive tournaments designed to increase female participation in the game, officials generally do not turn away those who want to play in the event, based solely on gender. In short, the WSOP hopes that by offering and supporting ladies-only poker tournaments and providing an event for which there is considerable interest (by women), others (namely men) will respect and understand the spirit of competition.
Alas, there is some controversy as to whether "ladies-only" tournaments are really necessary in poker. Those who object, including some women, correctly point out that poker is a gender-neutral game. That means women are equally capable of playing and winning, just as men.
Ace King, Gambling911.com
