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On a recent Saturday evening, the World Poker Tour (WPT) $3,500 Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown was taking place in the main ballroom of the Seminole Hard Rock in South Florida. Meanwhile, across the hall, the Event #48: $250 Ladies No-Limit Hold’em tournament was also underway. This event attracted 83 entrants and boasted a prize pool of $17,430. Regrettably, one of the competitors, a man named Dave Hughes, participated and eventually won the event, pocketing $5,555.
Florida state law prohibits management from barring a man from entering a ladies’ event, and thus Hughes was allowed to compete. Ebony Kenney chronicled the entire situation on her Twitter account. Additional individuals, including Jeff Platt, Michael Berk, Jake Ferro, Frank Stepuchin, and even Hughes himself, contributed to the bounty. Kenney described the atmosphere as enjoyable despite the unusual circumstances.
However, Kenney also reported that Hughes started the heads-up match with a 6-to-1 chip lead, then requested the return of his $100 bounty contribution. He later lost this lead and became disrespectful towards the dealer, causing his polite facade to crumble. The outcome was not well-received by many in attendance, and unsurprisingly, harsh criticisms surfaced on social media.
The results of the Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown Ladies Event were as follows: David Hughes at 1st place with $5,555, Dayanna Ciabaton at 2nd place with $3,400, Abby Merk at 3rd place with $2,115, and so on down the list until the event’s conclusion. This incident spurred a larger conversation within the poker community about men participating in ladies-only events.
Poker Hall of Famer Linda Johnson expressed her opinion, saying, ‘I love ladies-only poker tournaments. I would have no problem with them having a men’s only event, and I wouldn’t enter it because I wouldn’t qualify.’ She continued, ‘I don’t think men should play in ladies-only tournaments. That said, I think there is a total overreaction to the few men 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.’
Kevin Martin asked his Twitter followers for their thoughts on the matter, and Charlie Carrel, never one to shy away from voicing his opinions, responded by highlighting several key points. He mentioned the humor in Hughes winning, while also discussing the serious issues surrounding people exploiting the ability to identify as women to enter spaces meant for females. Carrel cited sports, prisons, and changing areas as areas where this has led to negative consequences, such as female inmates being assaulted in prison and women suffering injuries in MMA fights against opponents who spent most of their lives as men.
BREAKING: 70 yr old man wins women’s poker tournament. pic.twitter.com/NZKV8gQsNR
— American Principles ?? (@approject) May 1, 2023
However, Carrel acknowledged the need for female-only spaces in poker, as mixed games can often create unwelcoming environments for women. He also noted that trans issues are easier to manage within the poker community, as the stakes are generally lower, and the differences in skill between male and female players are small enough that there is not much incentive for men to enter women’s events.
Poker pro Matt Glantz also commented on the situation, referring to the issue of gender identity. Andy Bloch responded to his remarks, suggesting that Hughes may have genuinely believed he had a good reason to participate in the event, but was unaware that doing so was likely considered offensive.
As the debate continued online, Ebony Kenney sent out another tweet to remind everyone of the true purpose of the event, saying: ‘Had a blast connecting with all the women who played the WPT ladies event yesterday. I met so many Embodied Confidence members and had so many beautiful convos & moments. This is what it’s all about.’
This incident is not the first time a man has entered a women’s poker tournament. In many states, it is against the law to prevent men from participating, including at the World Series of Poker (WSOP) in Nevada. However, in 2013, the WSOP managed to establish a $10,000 buy-in for the Ladies Event, while offering women a 90% discount, making the buy-in only $1,000 for female players. This strategy was legal and discouraged men from entering, as they would have to pay the full $10,000.
Although this tactic has been effective, it has not completely deterred men from attempting to enter women’s events as seen in the past. Six years ago, Tony Roberto participated in a women’s event after losing a prop bet, and more recently, Tom Hammers of Minnesota entered the event to fundraise for charity. Regardless of their intent, men have typically faced criticism when entering ladies-only events, which are designed to provide women with a comfortable and enjoyable space to play poker.
Hughes’s victory is not the first time a man has won a women’s tournament either. In 2009, Abraham Korotki won a $300 Ladies Event at the Borgata Poker Open, besting a field of 269 participants. Korotki won the event with a prize of $20,982 but faced backlash when he refused to split the pot with Nicole Rowe, who had recently been diagnosed with breast cancer and intended to use the winnings for her medical expenses.
On this occasion, Borgata Director of Poker Marketing Ray Stefanelli issued a statement, saying, ‘Borgata offers specialty tournaments, such as the ladies event because these events are favored by certain segments of our customers. In the spirit of this event, it was our hope that only women would seek to participate, which has been the case in the past.’ Stefanelli went on, ‘However, given both legal and regulatory requirements, we must allow anyone who is over the age of 21 the opportunity to participate in all of our events. As such, when Mr. Korotki insisted upon gaining entry into the tournament against our wishes, we had no option but to allow him to participate.’
Despite the efforts of most men to respect these women-centric events, the recent incident in Florida demonstrates that there will always be those who choose to cross the line. On a brighter note, during the tournament, the WPT hosted a social media contest, and one fortunate winner received a passport to the WPT Ladies Championship at Wynn Las Vegas in December.