Debacle Ensues At WSOP Ladies Event As Men Players Make A Stand

WSOP Event 22: The $1,000 Ladies No-Limit Hold’em Championship, began on Friday with 1,054 players turning out for the three day tournament with a gold bracelet waiting for the lucky lady winner.
Despite attracting some of the best female players in the world, the competition is usually held in a good natured and jovial affair, with a level of respect rarely seen in other competitions.
However, shortly after this year’s tournament began, the atmosphere took a turn for the worse when the ladies noticed six men had decided to try their luck in the ladies event. Included amongst the small group were poker pro Shaun Deeb, and David “Blue Knight1” Sesso.
Shaun Deeb even went to the lengths of dressing up as a woman, apparently with the help of Liv Boeree, and flippantly claimed he had entered the event to help raise money for women’s causes.
Most of the women who had payed their money to enter the competition were not too amused by the men’s antics and expressed their dissatisfaction by raucously applauding each time a male opponent was sent to the rail.
One male player also received a two round penalty from Seth Palansky, the WSOP Communications Director, after he thought it would be amusing to use a tampon as a card protector.
Even though there would appear to be no rules in place stopping men from entering the women’s event, Seth Palansky, frowned upon the whole debacle and threatened:
“We will have our repercussions against any man that entered the ladies tournament. There are consequences for actions, and they’ll pay the price. Players with no class can have their services refused at any time.”
However, it was not all a bad tempered affair and many of the lady players seemed to enjoy the intrusion and took it all in good nature. Poker pro Annie Duke even took an entirely different view of the whole affair, and came to the men’s aid by stating:
“I get that women would be upset, but I think it’s important for men to take that stand and also it’s for charity. It’s also making a point that poker is not like tennis. Men are not mentally stronger than we are, so it makes no sense to separate it out. If there were a men’s only event, people would be encouraging women to play.”