In a recent PokerOrg interview, legendary multi-decade crusher Kathy Liebert said, "Sure, I'd like to see more women's tournaments. But also give a little more respect and not think that a women’s event is just a social event. That's one of my biggest pet peeves right now."
Kathy knows this world far better than I, but I don't hear anybody saying that women's events aren't competitive. Does "competitive" mean infinite tanking for no reason, surly scowls, Timex-like stare-downs, Kassouf-like insults, headphones, and sunglasses? Just because bottles of wine and baby pictures are being shared doesn't mean the players aren't trying to win all the chips. The same "Let's all have some fun" vibe is present at seniors' events, and I don't think anybody complains about them not being competitive.
Kathy is apparently concerned that (some unknown person or group) think that women's events are just social gatherings. I argue that poker is what the players make it, and just because it doesn't look "normal" (to whatever degree a poker tournament has the vaguest semblance of "normal") doesn't mean that it's not great poker, or extremely competitive.
I worry that there is some de facto definition of what "competitive" looks like, and Kathy feels that women's events don't match that. On that point, last year, Lindsey Rowley-Kludt wrote an op-ed in PokerOrg, decrying a 15-way chop in a women's event at the Wynn. Forgive me, Lindsey, but who are you to tell those women what their utility in a poker tournament should be? To be clear, it's not my place either. Is it not the poker ethos that those 15 women were the only stakeholders in the outcome of the event? I mean, could you tell me what an "appropriate" number of people to chop a tournament is, and what governing body sets that number?
When I looked at the winners' photo for the event, far left, there stood J.J. Liu, in a stunning hat as always, flashing a victory sign to the camera. Do you want to tell J.J. Liu that she's insufficiently competitive?
If you (Kathy Liebert, Lindsey Rowley-Kludt, anybody else) want to lean into the traditional look and feel of competitive tournament poker, great, do that. If somebody wants to suggest a 15- or 5- or 2-way chop, you're welcome to refuse.
But the dozens of women players I know neither ask nor give any quarter at the table. If there's more laughing and a slightly higher average BAC, good on them, I say. Poker, particularly tournament poker, is full of misery and heartbreak – if they can have more laughter and community on the way to busting out, then maybe the poker community as a whole should be learning from them.
And it not be a case of us telling them what competition is supposed to look like.
