Poker has pioneers in every area of the game. There are the elite professionals driving on new styles of play that feed down to lower levels.
There are content creators proving thousands of hours of entertainment on a yearly basis that grow the global audience of the world’s most popular card game.
Then there are those developing the game for the fastest-growing group in poker – new players.
Of poker’s growing player base, the greatest untapped market hasn’t changed in over half a century of the game – women.
Adding female players to their site is the aim of every operator in poker and one woman who has become a huge asset in doing so is Kerryjane Craigie.
From WSOP success to being nominated for a Global Poker Award and representing PokerStars, we sat down with Kerryjane to find out what makes her tick and how the development of female poker players is a collective effort she’s a passionate part of.
Wearing the PokerStars Patch with Pride
Over the last decade, a more conscious effort has been made worldwide to raise the percentage of female players taking their seats at the poker felt.
Historically, only 5% of poker players are female, and as part of her ambassadorship for PokerStars, representing Women in Poker, Kerryjane considers it a huge part of her role to improve this statistic.
I still have to pinch myself that I wear the PokerStars patch, but I do so with honour and pride – we have a combined dream to make a difference.
I will never tire of talking about the inaugural Women’s Festival in November last year that hit so many points of achievement, that its memory will forever live on; to have the biggest women’s field in a single event outside of the United States was simply the best feeling in the world.
Not only did last year’s inaugural Women’s Festival feature huge numbers, but it hosted an atmosphere that typifies ladies-only games of poker – more fun, ultra-friendly and more relaxed poker.
It was a testament that there is not only the need for female only events but that there is growth to be tapped into – which is why the need remains for dedicated, and most importantly suitable, tournaments on schedules,” says Kerryjane.
The last evening, we had a freeroll to close the festival out – and there were three women in that room that had never played a hand of poker before! That meant so much to me and the team. We reached new players – and there are so many more out there that wish to join in.
The Growth of the Game
It’s not just about the women’s events to Kerryjane – the growth of the female game impacts poker positively on an overall basis too, in her opinion.
The percentages of women in mixed field events make up a tiny percentage [and] I would obviously like to see that grow but that needs a lot of work from players, poker ambassadors, tournament directors and casinos or cardrooms. I’m not convinced I can influence that wide a field – but I’ll keep shouting and trying.
Kerryjane is clear too, however, that far from diving genders, it’s about building the overall player fields and evolving the game. She believes that can only be achieved when women’s poker is elevated.
The support of PokerStars and their quiet determination is of paramount importance,” she says. “I say quiet because their interest does not lie in self-gain for the brand. Competitiveness is not a factor in this ambassadorship for Women in Poker under their umbrella – they truly strive to make a difference on a global and open field.
The advocacy of PokerStars in this instance is a true dictionary definition moment – they support with no boundary. I’m blessed to have their name behind me.
Directing Poker Traffic
Kerryjane’s role as Director of Poker at the Hippodrome has been so important for the game’s survival in London, especially in years when the UK & Ireland Poker Tour wasn’t in place or during the COVID pandemic.
She’s immensely proud of the casino in Leicester Square, the heart of London, and her role in keeping poker so vibrant.
I love what I do! My passion for poker and my role is as high as it ever was and probably more so. We have a saying – ‘find a way or make a way’ and it was during [COVID] lockdown that we moved the poker operation to a whole new home on the third floor, rebranded, decorated and doubled our capacity.
I can remember when we were the new kids on the block and were excited if we had four tables open at the weekend. I’ve constantly striven to improve our offering and increase the operation and ultimately our market share.
PokerStars at the Hippodrome is one of London’s busiest cardrooms, with the UK’s only streaming studio, hosting live cash games with ‘cards up’ action every week. They host the biggest games in town and Kerryjane sees their biggest current challenge as accommodating everyone who wants to play.
I constantly include my team in decision making – they are the ones that keep the players coming back time and again. Equally, I consult our players, as it’s as much their room as it is ours and that’s the key to success.
PokerStars are heading to Monte Carlo this week and so is Kerryjane. She’s never visited the iconic home of the European Poker Tour Grand Final and can’t wait to get there.
This is my first visit to Monte Carlo, and I couldn’t be more thrilled. Not only is it an iconic stop, but it’s also a true poker players playground. I can’t wait to see some of the big names battle it out.
Kerryjane will be supporting at – and representing – the Women’s Event as her main focus.
If I can grab a tiny bit of that action, I’ll be a very happy bunny. I’ll also be at the PokerStars Open, which is a new tournament that saw over $2.2million in the prizepool for its inaugural outing in Campione. It has a great buy-in, a super structure and it’s the perfect intro into EPT week, though that will totally be determined by my run good!
Loving Las Vegas
Nine years ago, Kerryjane flew to Las Vegas to take part in the $500-entry Casino Employees Event, which traditionally opens the World Series of Poker each summer.
She ended up coming second for a record score of $46,420, the only British player to finish inside the top 100.
It’s a memory that is etched into my mind forever,” Kerryjane says. “I had the best time and can remember the range of emotions, the adrenaline rush. People may believe this or not but coming second in a WSOP event that was streamed was enough.
I remain friends with Chris [Sand] who came first, and he was just on form that day with everything falling his way. I’m still super pleased that I played some good poker and I had a blast!”
Each year, Kerryjane hosts a group of Hippodrome players who travel to Las Vegas and take part in WSOP events. It’s one of the highlights of her year on the poker circuit.
It is just the most awesome experience. I make my pilgrimage to Las Vegas every year and this summer, there’s a bumper schedule of tournaments to play. We laugh a lot, we eat a lot, and we play every day. I love it… the countdown is on!
Awards Season
This year, Kerryjane was nominated for a Global Poker Award as Best Director of Poker and while she didn’t end up taking the award home, she enjoyed the experience and the love from her peers meant a huge amount to her.
I was super shocked and intensely delighted to have been nominated. When I hit the final four, my head imploded! I was honoured to be in the mix, and equally with the WSOP second place, I did not need to win to enjoy the moment. I win every day in my line of work and I’m self-motivated. I truly believe I’m blessed in what I get to do.
Awards are commonplace in the gaming industry as a whole and now in poker, as they are in most industries. Kerryjane believes they definitely have their place and not for attention but for definitely for recognition of achievement.
I don’t see them as a distraction at all – I see them as applause, a celebration. Vegas was great – I was only there for four days and made two final tables, one at the Venetian and one at ARIA.
Will a Female Player Win the WSOP Main Event?
Last summer, Kristen Foxen got so close to reaching the final table of the WSOP Main Event, so how soon will a female player win the big one or at least reach the final?
Kerryjane believes that the ‘watershed’ moment in female poker is right around the corner.
If anyone can do it soon, Kristen can – she is a player we can all aspire to, regardless of gender. If you ask me about luck vs skill in poker, I will confidently state that skill outweighs luck in today’s playing arena.
Yes, you need the cards to fall your way, but outplaying your opponents are more vital to success. However, when we discuss a female making the final table of any recognisable event – EPT, WSOP, Irish Open, we also have to factor in the numbers game and statistics.
Kerryjane isn’t wrong. If 100 people sit down to play an event and only two of them are women, they are at a numerical disadvantage. However, as Kerryjane describes, that happens all the time, both online and in the live arena.
I keep mentioning EPT’s great roster of female winners, such as Liv Boeree, Vicky Coren-Mitchell (twice!) and up-and-coming player Rania Nasreddine making it to back-to-back EPT Final tables in 2024.
It will happen and I would like to think soon. What we must not take away from the story when it does, is the outlying capability of winning – not just because they are a woman.
Is the Future Female?
Female-only ladies events are now huge in poker and Kerryjane’s hosting of the Women’s Winter Festival for PokerStars is crucial.
She sees her work as Vice President for international activity as an honor and has a fierce determination to make poker a more inviting space in all card room locations.
It’s so easy to do. It’s time to stamp out poor behaviour at the tables regardless of who it is directed to. It is less common to receive communications from women who have been so badly treated in a game with no appropriate intervention from staff or fellow players. But it does still exist.
Banter is one thing, however, sexist, demeaning or derogatory comments have no space – a bad experience at a table can affect anyone and it’s a complete pathway changer.
As Kerryjane says, women – like anyone – feel more comfortable around like-minded players, frequently being those in the early stages of learning the game.
She knows from personal experience that its vital for the development of the female poker population.
My ladies club is celebrating its 10-year anniversary this year. Over the years I have witnessed novice players that would never dream of playing a mixed field, learn the game in a safe environment, dip their toe in a women’s event and then go on spread their wings and win in an open field.
A women’s only arena is like grass roots poker in a pub, or club or at University. It has its place, and I don’t understand why everyone can’t see that.”
Over the coming years, Kerryjane hopes to get the female poker population up past 5% and raise integrity in the game as a whole. Female players will continue to run deep in massive MTT events, claim major titles and win millions.
By running one of the most successful cardrooms in the world and seeing her own profile so steeply on the rise, Kerryjane Craigie is pushing the game of poker forward, for everyone who plays it.
