Women and Worldwide Poker Culture

[Dan Mezick]

I'm beginning to believe that the influence of women may be the most under-recognized trend in poker. Perhaps women are predisposed to playing winning poker. With the cultural obstacles out of the way, we are about to find out pretty quick.

I've written a brief essay (below) that develops this idea further.

Women and the Future of Worldwide Poker Culture (http://www.primatepoker.com/online_poker_article005.asp)

[fat_nutz]

queer

[Dominic]

i'm sorry, that is so profoundly stupid as a reply that it made me laugh like crazy.

how do you even beging to fashion a reply to such a comment, Dan??

/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Interesting article, though.

[poboy]

Very interesting. You hear comments like "Annie Duke is the best woman poker player" or "A woman has never won the main event" . To me this implies that woman are somehow inferior to men when it comes to poker. True a woman has never won the main event , but how many people have? I'm guessing many more men have lost than women. I think woman might even have a little edge over men, as we all know they are much better liars than men(I'm just kidding don't crucify me). Really though they have shown that women are more adept at multi-tasking than men are, and poker is a game where you need to be able to think about several different things at once. With more and more women getting involved in poker I see no reason why we won't soon have a woman as World Champion.

[Jaycie]

/images/graemlins/grin.gif You guys gave me a good laugh. Thanks /images/graemlins/wink.gif

[toots]

I seem to recall that there's some body of psychological research that supports the notion that women are better at reading facial expressions and other social cues than are men. It would seem that this would be a good skill (among many) to have, that could give women the edge.

Then again, there are so many skills involved in winning poker, that I sort of wonder whether the effect due to that is large enough to matter.

It also seems as if so much of poker is a matter of a bunch of guys pounding their dicks on the table - something I think most women would be distinctly disadvantaged at.

[Jaycie]

[ QUOTE ]

It also seems as if so much of poker is a matter of a bunch of guys pounding their dicks on the table - something I think most women would be distinctly disadvantaged at.

[/ QUOTE ]

True, but so it is the same with most male-dominating sports. However, I have seen women who are just as anxious to "pound dick" at the poker table.

[Dan Mezick]

According to Dr. Al, poker is about power. Indirection is a strong and fundamental technique for getting and keeping power. Women certainly have men beat in the "indirect department".

How convenient.

[Blarg]

[ QUOTE ]
I think most people will concede that most men are generally more aggressive and confrontational than most women

[/ QUOTE ]

I think women are just as aggressive as men, in general. It's just that they aggress differently.

They're often not as aggressive toward men as they are toward other women, so it's harder for men to see as much aggression in them as exists. Plus, they often have appeasing behaviors that seem submissive to men, and that can pretty much paint the whole story for men.

Women are far more often passive-aggressive than directly aggressive, yet this can be quite determined and aggressive just the same.

And their aggression can be more indirect, yet at least as damaging as the typical male get right in your face understanding of aggression. They often direct their aggression through social structures, which they tend to have a far finer-grained control over than men do, to achieve via a community at least as much as any single individual in a community might against another community member. The manufacturing and direction of community response to individuals is something women excel at and something at which men are comparative amateurs. Further, men tend to see such direction of aggression and social goals as unmasculine and unfair ways to go about things. This they may be, but in complex human societies, they are often worth far more than direct, aggressive confrontation, being potentially much less dangerous and much more effective at the same time.

A good rumor, a subtle turning away or misdirection of community approval, can be more undoing to someone's power, dignity, and career and sexual aspirations than a simple punch in the face or shouting match can come close to being. And can be far more aggressive.