A landmark event will take place next month, with poker tournaments held simultaneously in 15 cities across 10 countries, as part of an international initiative dedicated to growing female participation in poker.
The WPF Ladies Weekend — the brainchild of the World Poker Federation (WPF), organized through its Women’s Committee — is scheduled for October 24-26, and is expected to feature educational talks, workshops and networking events alongside several women-only poker tournaments at each venue.
In North America events will be held in Canada, California, Kentucky, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Texas and Nevada — the latter taking place at Resorts World in Las Vegas — but these form just part of what will be a truly global event. Venues hosting WPF Ladies Weekend further afield can be found in Brazil, Bulgaria, Colombia, Hong Kong, Nigeria, the Philippines, South Africa and Taiwan.
“We've always been interested in why the participation of women in poker isn’t bigger,” says Roberto Lifschitz of the WPF. “There’s been this issue of the environment not being welcoming, but I think that has changed a lot and I don’t think that’s the main reason. I think in most cases, once they are in women feel comfortable and welcome. But what would make them start playing?
“They need idols and opportunities, but there’s another aspect, which is outreach and communication. We saw this as an opportunity to use the work we’ve been doing with federations and media to help show women the whole picture of poker.
“There’s a whole industry around it that would benefit from their participation, their insight. So we’ve talked with a lot of women in the poker industry, and together came up with the idea of the WPF Ladies Weekend. It felt natural for us.”
‘We don’t want a bunch of guys running the Ladies tournament’
Events on the weekend are being organized at the local level by some of the women involved in those discussions, but women will be fundamental to the running of WPF Ladies Weekend in every country.
“Most national poker federations are run by men,” explains Lifschitz, “and many of those federations are in countries where poker is not as established as in the US, for example, so finding women in these countries to help make this happen was one of the first challenges we faced. But it was important for us that the event should be for women, and by women. We don’t want to interfere in any of it, and we don’t want a bunch of guys running the Ladies tournament.”
Backing up this approach from the top down, the WPF initiative has been led in most part by Karina Bupp, VP of the WPF Women’s Committee. In Brazil, where the event will take place at the H2 Poker Club in São Paulo — in partnership with the Brazilian Confederation of Texas Hold’em — the weekend will be hosted by Luana Borges, President of the Women’s Committee and an influential voice in Latin American poker.
“The WPF Ladies Weekend reflects exactly what we stand for: breaking barriers, creating opportunities, and amplifying the voices of women in poker,” says Borges. “This event is the beginning of a long-term commitment to building a global network where women can lead, inspire, and shape the future of the game.”
“Seeing women from all over the world come together in one weekend to celebrate poker is truly inspiring,” says Lupe Soto, founder of the Women In Poker Hall of Fame and host of the US events. “The WPF Ladies Weekend showcases talent, leadership, and impact, creating connections that will resonate far beyond the tables.”
The European event will fall under the watch of Maureen Bloechlinger, Head of Europe for the WPF Women’s Committee.
More than tournaments
While the weekend will see tournaments held simultaneously, each will run in isolation with its own buy-in, field, prizepool and payouts.
But tournaments are only one part of the schedule, with each stop also running as many panels, workshops and networking events as possible during the three-day event. Given the wide spread of countries and cultures where WPF Ladies Weekend will be present, organizers are also intending to run cultural events to celebrate the unique aspects of each host territory.
While every location will have its own schedule, most are expected to follow the rough outline of that taking place at Resorts World on the Las Vegas Strip:
- Friday, October 24: Satellites, opening tournament and Welcome Mixer
- Saturday, October 25: Main Event Day 1 and cash games
- Sunday, October 26: Main Event Day 2, Coffee Mixer and closing tournament
Larger stops, such as Brazil, may also put on extra tournaments including high rollers, while smaller venues where poker is not as well-established, such as Nigeria, are expected to host dinners where guests can socialize, network and get to know one another away from the tables.
Specific details of each location’s schedule will be available from local venues, with the WPF aiming to share far and wide via its website.
An ambitious first step
It’s difficult to imagine the effort involved in organizing an initiative of this scale, taking in countries on five continents, but nevertheless the inaugural 2025 event is not intended to be the culmination of an idea, but rather the start of something.
And as a fan of tournament poker, it’s easy to envisage an obvious — if even more challenging — next step: joining these tournaments together somehow to form a truly global women’s championship. It’s an idea the WPF is already discussing.
“We want to make it bigger next year,” says Lifschitz, ”so next we want to go to 20 countries, and our obvious progression — which we're hoping to do next year — is to actually combine these tournaments. Maybe the regional winners, or the final three, could go and play together in Las Vegas, or somewhere else around the world?
“We want to keep bringing attention to this, and doing what it takes for things to change.”
The WPF Ladies Weekend takes place October 24-26 at Resorts World Las Vegas (Nevada, USA), Monte Casino Sofia (Bulgaria), the Asia Poker Arena (Taiwan), the CT Poker Room in Cape Town (South Africa), the H2 Poker Club in São Paulo (Brazil) as well as venues in Canada, California, Kentucky, Maryland, Mississippi, Nevada, Pennsylvania, south Texas, Colombia, Hong Kong, Nigeria and the Philippines.
Further information will be made available at the WPF website.
