Luck Be a Lady

Let’s face it. Poker, like many other things, is a man’s world. When ladies comprise even ten percent of an open tournament field it draws attention and the casino staff is applauded. However, just because women are in the minority doesn’t mean they haven’t seen their fair share of poker success: from Tiffany Michelle’s (she plays at Ultimate Bet) deep run in the Main Event to Vicky Coren’s (she plays at PokerStars) EPT victory to Kathy Leibert’s impressive tournament resume, the girls have shown they have some game as well.

Not only do women have game, but I would argue that, at times, they are playing a completely different game than the guys. In a live setting, women have several factors to contend with that most men never think about. Many are problematic for female players, but some work to their advantage. Here are three things to consider if you are a lady at the table or if you want some more insight into how some women think about the game. Obviously they are generalizations about a rather large group of poker players, but hopefully these stereotypes and preconceptions will be of use to you.

Be prepared to get reraised. A lot. At the heart of this matter is a continuing stereotypical belief that women simply aren’t as strong as men are. Therefore, when women show aggression at the poker table, several guys react by trying to prove they are more aggressive. In my casino experience, I have found that check-raising with a strong hand like a set or a flopped flush can often induce an aggressive male player to move all-in with a marginal holding. While many women are inclined to slow play big hands, sometimes playing them aggressively against an opponent out to prove his “manliness” can prove to be even more profitable.

Most men believe women rarely bluff and will frequently lay down the best hand. In my experience, I have noticed that many women have a resistance to bluffing, myself included. While I do realize this is a leak in my game that needs to be worked on, I also believe some of this unwillingness to bluff stems from the fact that women tend to get called down more than men for reasons mentioned above. Despite this common stereotype, male players still paradoxically try to bluff women off of the best hand. The stereotype has always been that women play conservatively and will fold hands like top pair with a weak kicker.

Now ladies, I am not advocating you call huge bets with bottom pair, but it is something to be aware of and something you can potentially exploit. For example, rather then check-raising a set, try betting out with it if that is the way you would play a hand in which you flopped top pair. Then, the player who is looking to bluff you out of the hand might be more apt to get caught with their hand in the cookie jar.

I have one final note of caution on this subject. Considering the stereotypes I just discussed, I highly, highly advise that you don’t show the table what a big laydown you can make. Don’t show your hands when you fold to prove your discipline as a player—many will take advantage of it and all it does is give them more information about the range of hands you play and what you are capable of folding.

Sometimes feminine wiles can work to your advantage. I am not bragging when I say that I have had my fair share of suitors at the poker table. Trust me, far more often than not, I am not even particularly flattered by someone’s advances. However, a flirtatious friend at the table does have its advantages: if a guy is out to impress and charm you, it is unlikely that he will go out of his way to try and bust you. Here is a story from my own experience to illustrate my point: I was playing $1/$2 No Limit Hold’em at a casino and a young man who had been chatting with me opened for a raise. He had been raising fairly liberally, so when I picked up pocket queens in the cutoff, I reraised. Action folded around to him and, before moving all-in, he apologized.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “But you don’t want to call.”

“Really? Because there are really only two hands that beat me,” I replied.

“Yeah, but there is only one hand that beats me,” he quipped. I reluctantly folded and the player was kind enough to show me his pocket kings.

I’m sure this story and my larger points here may come across as setting back the feminist agenda a couple of decades. I am not advocating that you get your flirt on at the poker table every chance you get. What I will tell you is that, as a woman, I have had many nice guys show me when I make a good fold, inform me when they spot a tell and volunteer information about how they think about poker. Most of the time, I am simply just nice and polite. I don’t flirt back, I don’t flaunt my sexuality, but simply by being friendly I can pick up a tremendous amount of information from a player that they wouldn’t volunteer to the guy sitting on the other side of them. The poker room may be a man’s world, but it is certainly possible for women to thrive in it.