Women Poker Tournment with Six Men Competing
21st September, 2007
The California State Championships has been running at the Commerce Casino in Los Angeles this September. The ladies event that took off on the 15th September had an interesting line up. Six men insisted on being allowed to play in the event, including former baseball player Jose Canseco. The anti discrimination laws meant that the Commerce Casino had to allow men to register for the tournament. The tournament director Cheri Dokken tried to make it clear that it was a ladies only event but this did not stop the six men taking advantage of the anti discrimination laws.
Card rooms that want to host ladies events face a problem as they can’t turn away men if they wish to enter. Tournament Director Cheri Dokken commented, "The Commerce Casino has supported women's poker for several years. What saddens me the most is how any woman knocked out of the tournament must feel being eliminated by a man that was not supposed to play. We have all taken such long strides in bringing more women into the casinos where they feel comfortable playing and I hate to think that even one avenue may be closed to us."
One player commented at this event that had she known men would be playing she would not have spent the $335 entry fee. Her choice to play in a women's-only event had been taken from her. People have worked hard to offer women only events to the poker market but this effort is disturbed by men wishing to become ladies champions.
