The Women's Poker Association (WPA) has launched the "Women's Poker Playlist," a comprehensive resource hub offering widespread information on gatherings and organizations promoting women's participation in poker. The Women's Poker Playlist (WPP) will offer many different resources, including guidelines for poker-education providers, an introduction for newer players to ladies tournaments and events, links to various women’s poker groups, and a background on the history and trailblazers of women in poker.
The WPP debuted with six distinct informational categories detailing separate aspects of women in poker:
- Advocacy for Women in Poker
- Education and knowledge
- Ladies poker tournaments and special events
- Success, travel and support groups
- Recognition and history
- International clubs and support groups
The Women's Poker Playlist is available to the public at pokerplaylist.com.
WPP launch coincides with release of women's poker survey results
The Women's Poker Playlist launch comes with some new background information on how and why women play the game. Earlier this year, the WPA and PokerPower teamed up to survey 438 women on why they play. The survey's results have just been released in a visual top-line format.
The results give an overview of how the survey's respondents took up the game, what drives them to compete, and what they find most intriguing about poker. Given women's relatively low participation numbers -- a situation that has plagued poker since the game's creation -- it's not surprising that many respondents declared that finding a "welcoming and positive poker community" is a the key to expanding the presence of women in poker.
According to WPA Vice President Tara Windsor Smith, "Very little data exists on women in poker. Other than having annual stats on the percentage of women who have played in the World Series of Poker every summer, there is not much other concrete data available to the poker community. Of the many things that we learned while conducting this survey, one thing stood out in particular. Having an encouraging, supportive & positive poker community, is truly the key to continuing the growth of women in poker."
Early on, the Women's Poker Playlist is very much an effort in progress. Much of the WPP's early work has involved compiling lists of and links to many of the poker world's women's-related groups and initiatives. From women's poker communities to tours, specialized resources and more, the WPP is designed to fill a longtime need. Its easy-reference format will bring more women into the game, while also pointing players directly to the extra resources they need.
Featured image source: Women's Poker Association
