Watch Joe Navarro on Russ Hamilton Video on RawVegas.tv

When All In Magazine asked if I wanted the assignment to cover the WSOP Ladies Academy in Vegas this past weekend, it required some consideration. I firmly object to women being separated in the poker community, but I noticed that Annie Duke was the primary instructor for the class. Knowing that we shared the same view about ladies-only tournaments, I decided to accept the assignment and investigate. The comped room at Caesars had something little to do with my decision.

Alex Outhred Instructing Students

Glad I did it.

The two-day course was extremely informative, as Annie covered everything from bluffing to betting amounts to detailed strategy for pre-flop and post-flop play. Joe Navarro spent a few hours discussing tells, which even drew some Vegas pros like Tom McEvoy and JJ Liu to sit in. Alex Outhred also helped with the lectures and the live table demonstrations. There were about 75 ladies enrolled in the $1700 course, and everyone seemed glad to have been there.

The lingering question: Why was it for women only?

My impression was that many of the women felt less intimidated without men in the room. They were open to ask questions without fear of judgment by the opposite sex. For others, it was a chance for groups of friends to attend together or simply meet other female poker players and discuss similar experiences.

Annie explained that she teaches the ladies-only classes because she wants to give women the tools of the game in a comfortable environment, and she hopes those skills will then be used to “kick the boys’ asses.” She only hopes that they will do so in a co-ed environment.

Her objections to the ladies-only tournaments are based on the fact that poker is purely a game of skill, with some luck thrown in, and that skill is not based on gender – or size, race, ethnicity, or physical ability for that matter. In a game where everyone is equal when they sit down at the table, she sees no reason for women to be segregated into smaller buy-in, less meaningful tournaments that don’t get televised and aren’t respected by most members of the poker community.

In a freeroll tournament that was held after the first day of class, the five top finishers received a $1000 buy-in to the WSOP Ladies Championship at the 2008 WSOP. However, the $1000 credit could be used toward the buy-in to any other bracelet event this summer, per Annie’s request. And though all five women claimed they planned to use their prize to play in the ladies tournament, Annie pleaded with them not to. She insisted that the Ladies Championship bracelet is viewed with much less respect by many people, and winning a regular event has so much more prestige and validity. Though the winners may not change their minds, Annie certainly had the students considering what she said.

Personally, I agree 100% with Annie. And I respect her for taking such a hard line on the subject, despite the criticism she has received from some women in poker. Even in our class, only about 50% of the room agreed with her, but she stood her ground.

All in all, it was a good experience. I learned a great deal from the coursework, which may result in a little less donkeyness (not a real word) in my play from here on out. And I realized that a ladies-only class is not objectionable as long as the attendees take those skills and play in more cash games and bigger buy-in tournaments. With the ratio of women in $10k buy-in tournaments remaining at only 3% to 5%, it would be nice to finally see that number rise.