According to 27-year-old Maria Ho, the world’s best female poker player, women find men intimidating when facing them across the table. Because of the intimidation factor, Ms. Ho supports ladies-only poker tournaments, so as to prevent women from being frightened away when they are starting out.
While I’m sure Ho is being honest here, she ought to consider that a lot of boys are probably intimidated when they play against men for the first time, and competition is meant to have an element of aggression, because otherwise it really can’t be called competition.
Although she doesn’t come right out and say it, Ho probably knows that women are not as competitive as men in general, so having separate tournaments makes some sense despite the fact that poker is a game of chance and calculation rather than of brawn. I’d be inclined to agree with her that it is a good idea, because whenever women are placed in competitions with men there is invariably a push to handicap male players in one way or another, which detracts from the contest. If the women at least have their own tournaments then there is less pressure to hobble men in their own competitive endeavors.
But then again, if women demand equality in all things, then these women’s tournaments are fair game for male competitors — especially if there is money involved.
{ 52 comments… read them below or add one }
See this is why you need legislation against leering and cat-calling, assuming that first you empowered women to wear whatever they want at the poker table.
When such measures are put in place, a bit of cleavage to distract the men would make the game equal. But no bullying, or the man gets disqualified. (bullying can include stuff such as staring for more than 3 seconds, that is, at the player’s face and not the boobs, unless of course staring at boobs makes her feel unsafe and uncomfortable)
Hot debate. What do you think?
21 
14
Someone with a last name of ‘Ho’ will naturally receive jokes.
Women-only poker will not be very lucrative.
Well-loved. Like or Dislike:
27 
4
Are we really to believe that women have trouble in conflict with men… No, they just don’t want to play when they very well may lose.
So when the competitive game is not about height, speed, or strength women still want their own games. Having a women’s tournament goes against competitive spirit. It just serves as an easier way of calling yourself # 1 and getting attention.
Well-loved. Like or Dislike:
27 
4
This is currently the situation in international chess. Women can play in male events but they also have separate woman-only tournaments. They also have a parallel system of chess titles that have less rigorous requirements than male titles. It is acknowledged by most that men are generally much stronger chessplayers than women—in fact, only two women have ever been in the Top 100 players in the history of the rating list (Judit Polgar and Humpy Koneru, I believe).
Poker won’t be much different, in my view.
Well-loved. Like or Dislike:
36 
1
As a poker player myself, i suggest them play online- you never know who is your opponenent.
Like or Dislike:
12 
3
Once Judit said she does not like to play against women- “they discredit her style”.
Like or Dislike:
11 
2
They’re adaquate enough to be dealers. They can also fetch beverages and tobacco products.
They should have their own league, so when the WNBA is in off-season the bull-dykes have something else to watch. Allow strip poker on pay-per-view and the prize money will compete with the mens.
Well-loved. Like or Dislike:
22 
2
I can help but comment on this article. Apparently Maria Ho is not saying what others had been confirmed men are better in Chess, poker.
Women are sorely lacking one thing.
Poker in the north is a favorite past time for boredom.
Like or Dislike:
8 
3
In the 80s when audio was moving toward digitalizing sound from analog I was involved with learning how to operate professional video equipment. At that studio the females were introduced to the new technology at the same time as the men. And (you guessed it) the girls decided they needed an all female special workshop because the new technology was too intimidating for them.
‘What, US, being in the same room as those stinky awful men?’ This was during a time when “equality” was at its near zenith as the big social parse word.
Some things appear to never go out of fashion.
Well-loved. Like or Dislike:
33 
0
I have a theory. It has been noted that women repeatedly say the are intimidated by men.
Outdoors, indoors, office,home,playground,whatever.
Maybe….it’s because……they feel guilty.
Deep down, they KNOW they have dealt men a raw deal-for at LEAST a century-and are scared of being caught or ……………
Well-loved. Like or Dislike:
24 
3
There is also a visceral reaction that women have if ANY money goes from them to a man. They do not like it, even in the form of poker winnings/losings.
Try to discuss with a woman that a man should get alimony from his ex-wife if he earned a lot less (even, of course, if SHE decided to end the marriage). See their reactions and the unrestrained shaming language.
Alimony is fair only if it goes from men to women, not the other way, even if the woman earns more.
Currently, about 4% of alimony is paid by women and 96% by men. Even in that 4%, I doubt the man initiated divorce.
Well-loved. Like or Dislike:
32 
2
They do it usually, show some skin in effort to distract males.
The problem is, they can not anymore understand if an emotive reaction is due to their show or the card situation.
The more a man is distant, more the woman is upset.
Poker is similar to Game.
Besides this, professional poker players use some sort of probability calculation and future projection. Female brain is not good in math and in abstract thinking.
Well-loved. Like or Dislike:
19 
0
LOL at Maria being the world’s best female. But you couldn’t have known that.
@thehermit, online poker at any reasonable stakes (let’s say greater than $50 buyin) is *highly competitive* and skill driven, at about a factor of 10x the skill level you find in a casino. The only well known significant winner in online games that I know of is Vanessa Selbst. Naturally she is a lesbian lawyer who is also probably really good at softball.
Like or Dislike:
7 
0
Poker its about using your head in a split second, taking risks. Up here in the north, Aboriginal men often play poker from eight pm, to five in the morning. from personal experience, I doubt women can play that long.
Like or Dislike:
11 
2
Terrence Reese, one of the worlds best bridge players, in his day, and a prolific author of bridge titles was also a very good poker player. He once famously said that poker was a game of skill and was much more difficult than bridge. Why? Because you can be a very good bridge player with limited management of the human element. To be a very good poker player you need to be able to not only understand the game, but to both read and play your opponent/s. Staring people out being aggressive, betting confidently, pushing your luck when on a role or when you hold a big chip advantage are the very essence of good poker play. Anyone who says they don’t want to sit at the same table as people who intimidate them at poker may as well be saying they don’t want to sit at the same table as people who are good at poker. Paradoxically it is only by sitting at such a table that you ever learn to be a decent poker player at all.
The problem is not that women don’t potentially have the smarts or the guts it is that their most effective line is victimhood. “Oh poor little me scared by all those bad men staring at me at the poker table”. Faced with a problem their solution is, primarily, to whine about it and hope that as a result of such whining, that someone will a) fix it for them or b) listen to their whine and validate their feelings (a la men are from mars etc…)
Grow up!! All this shit about men never growing up is utter tripe. In fact the opposite is the case. Egocentrism, a primary reality of childhood and adolescence (i.e. the idea that you are the centre of the universe, that peop0le are interested or care that you have spots much more than they really do, the concept that your feelings are just as important for others as they are for you rather than something to be accepted and managed) seems to me to be the primary defining factor of the modern western woman. AKA It’s all about her!
Well-loved. Like or Dislike:
41 
0
Please forgive the thread-hijack gentlemen, but I had to comment on an observation I just had.
I read CNN.com today, and commented on an article I saw over there. The article was tagged, “How to raise boys to be good husbands”, so of course I had to investigate. Turns out this single mother was bragging how well-adjusted her 14-year old son was because she had trained him to be “in touch with his feelings” and sensitive, etc. Well, I posted a comment as follows:
“It’s so ironic the mother in the article is excited about “what a good man” her son is, and “what a catch” he will be and so forth. I’d like to read another article from her in 15 years after her nice son has been hammered in a no-fault divorce by one of the entitled, spoiled, girls being raised in society today. In his inevitable divorce, her son will have lost half his treasure AND his kids despite zero misconduct on his part. Such is society today. Female hypergamy is out of control; girls just want the Ring as a prize in their competition with each other. Girls just want to GET married, not BE married. Some princess will snap up this nice boy, keep him around for 7-10 years, then dump him when she gets bored. And the courts will ensure she gets paid to do so! Marriage is a trap; an absolute disaster for men these days. Don’t do it.”
I sat back and watched the reaction, and I’ll be damned if it didn’t play out just like Welmer and others have previously said. Here came the attacks and the shaming language, stuff like, “you are just bitter”, “NAWALT”, and “I guess you love your right hand.”, etc.
But the proof was in the reviews–I collectively got over twenty hits on “like” or thumbs up, which was well over double what any other comment received. I wonder if more men than we realize are out there with the same misgivings as ours. Anyway though, my main point is I think it was interesting to see the women and manginas come on the attack as soon as the concept of marriage was challenged.
VR,
GS Jockey
Well-loved. Like or Dislike:
44 
0
BTW, here’s the link.
http://www.cnn.com/2010/LIVING/11/03/o.raise.good.husband/index.html?hpt=Sbin
Like or Dislike:
13 
0
So much for equality…even when you let them join in the reindeer games it still isn’t fair.
Maybe the Ho should try wearing low cut tops- that should evaporate all of that aggression.
Like or Dislike:
15 
1
“In the 80s when audio was moving toward digitalizing sound from analog I was involved with learning how to operate professional video equipment.”
Your company should be ashamed for that move. Advancing technology is sexist towards women
Well-loved. Like or Dislike:
16 
1
GS Jockey;
Wow! Such comments coming from angry Anglobitches applauding their superior ‘sensitivity’! No wonder Ho feels inimidated during chess matches; the thought of taking men’s money in a fair competion (unlike the way they normally get it from us) probably stirs up some deeply uncomfortable feelings too.
But to your question about other men out there feeling like we do, I did a quick perusal a few days ago of online dating-site forums. The American ones had several men posting topics like “Are there any good women left?” or “Why shouldn’t I give up looking?” &c. In contrast, the fora on the international dating-sites were mostly exchanging tips on more upbeat subjects like trip-planning, cultural topics, foreign marriages, immigration, &c.
Looking at those American sites, BTW, is an excellent reminder of what we’re all missing by abandoning the American dating scene. I feel like I have to take a bath after reading about a dozen profiles; but of course, American women don’t seem turned on by guys who bathe anyway!
Like or Dislike:
14 
3
@GS Jockey:
Thanks for the link.
my comment:
Raise your son to be the man you’d marry?
You’d be better off, if healthy marriages are your true concern, to raise your daughters to be wives once the wedding day bridefest is over.
But, since most of you are incapable of doing that-seeing as how it would require passing along something you discarded long ago, it’s easier to emotionally castrate your son(s), so that Ms Right will have him whipped and in his place, 24-7.
Well-loved. Like or Dislike:
20 
0
One of my girlfriends in Vegas was a semi-pro poker player. She played against a college kid and cleaned him out. When he told her it was his tuition money, she gave it back, but told him if she saw him at any more tables, she’d clean him out all over again. Nice of her, I thought.
We’d occasionally argue over my seeing other women–and I’d say “Oh, but it’s okay for you to fleece strange men every night?” I never knew if she’d end up in the trunk of a car or not. It’s probably for the best that one ran its course.
Like or Dislike:
4 
8
I hate keep going off topic. But here it goes
When dealing with feminists male and female. Never give your enemies ammunition. In an ideological warfare and war against heterosexuality. It is those in the middle who get caught in the long run. The children and defenseless.
For the rest of the men, the regulars who come to this site. You must understand that a large number of men, will never be your friends. they are either enemies of one party or yours.
And don’t come to the defense of what you call a fallen alpha male. Treat him as a fallen foe. Use him as a reminder of how men are treated.
Like or Dislike:
9 
4
to gs jockey
man hood. 1. 0 1 also commented on your cnn article.
It’s always ironic that the FULGIEST women in the world who could never keep a man around are always the first to dole out relationship advice. Delusional MUCH?
isn’t that so cool?
Well-loved. Like or Dislike:
20 
0
Overcoming adversity is a learned trait, and it is learned by constantly testing oneself. Boys learn how to learn from failure pretty early on in life, unless their mother is perhaps smothering. They are treated like boys, so they learn to pick themselves up off the ground, dust themselves off, not take it personally, and try again. They either learn this, or they are one of the many men who end up killing themselves later in life. Think of all the dumb shit boys do to “test” their manhood. These pushing the line type incidents often end up in failure eventually. In general, I attribute much of my awesomeness to having to overcome a lot of personal suckiness, if that makes any sense.
At the same time, women early on learn about social aggression and deception, and boys struggle to catch up later in life.
Like or Dislike:
14 
3
Man-oh-man, I was starting to get intimidated that women might not be intimidated by men anymore. It’s so reassuring to know that they still are.
Of course there should be female-only competitions of every sort AND there should be male-only competitions as well.
Like or Dislike:
9 
2
Women promote all-female collectivism because they know they will lose any contest of brains or brawn with a man. (Unless the rules are heavily skewed in their favor.) Every time I hear a woman say “intimidating” I hear “I know my limitations, but won’t admit it.”
I, personally, have heard male poker players say that attractive girls with a bit of poker IQ can actually do very well, because of all the desperate betas and older white knights around the table. Probably ugly-ass girls have a harder time pulling this off, so want their own tournament. I don’t play poker, so I can’t confirm the phenomenon personally.
Like or Dislike:
16 
3
Because, as we all know, poker, like math “is hard” for grrls.
Well-loved. Like or Dislike:
19 
0
Of course, if someone suggested men-only poker, that would be considered ‘sexist’.
Well-loved. Like or Dislike:
18 
0
Women weren’t design to think. She was designed to be breeding vessel. Her nature is to manipulate and to deceive.
Well-loved. Like or Dislike:
23 
1
This really is something a fuck you bitch could have handle the first time she said that shit. And then a legal move to bar women from male only poker matches /games to protect women using her statements to back it up should have been made.
Like or Dislike:
7 
0
People just don’t want to say this but men on average are better than females at EVERYTHING.
In the top ranks whether it is IQ or even things we think of as female like clothes designing, cooking, wine making-tasting, decorating etc only about 2% are female.
The female is simply inferior in everything both in the average everyday category and especially at the top grades and should be classed with the child in general
Nature simply did not intend for the female to compete with the male. Of course, Nature provides females with survival tools but these are mostly using subterfuge, trickery and acting in an unpredictable manner so as to confuse the opponent and throw him off guard. Demanding that a female have the same level of responsibility as a man and to work as hard as a man is like asking a 10yo child to compete with a grown man. The kid wouldn’t be able to take it and would crack up just as many females do when required to have too much responsibility. The only way that females can (except for perhaps that 2%) compete in a man’s world is to make laws and rules so that the environment is protected.
The primary job of a female is reproduction and caring for offspring which are easy tasks done within the protected home environment. Females should be educated but the primary purpose for 98% of them is not becoming the CEO of some large co. or Prime Minister. These are the rare females and to lead the average female to believe that she can do these things too will only end in unhappiness and disaster.
Well-loved. Like or Dislike:
24 
1
I am back for tonight.
men-only poker, no women allowed literally. Is a good idea. Considering ms. Ho made a derogatory statement toward men. According to ms. garden Ho, women felt intimidated by men. bah, rubbish.
I figured that giving the middle finger, is a little generous for the woman in question.
And we definitely need to bring back men-only establishment, whether it be a cafe, bar or some other thing. Catering specifically to heterosexual men only!!! A place where heterosexual men can relax, talk shit, make chit chat.
Like or Dislike:
11 
3
@misterb: “Her nature is to manipulate and to deceive.”
Which would make women natural poker players.
Like or Dislike:
4 
0
Hey asshole, that’s MY nickname!
Like or Dislike:
4 
2
That’s not exatly true.
Look at the IQ diagram separeted by sexes: on the top and on the bottom you will find men. Men are on a wider scale, women tend to be…well, average. Average in everything, not only in IQ. The dumbest and the smartest humans are always males.
Once i’ve explained to the feminists, that the most underpayed and unhealthy jobs are also practiced by men, don’t they want a quota there?
There was a big silence after.
Like or Dislike:
13 
0
I think you’ll find IQ can be a bit misleading depending on the value of the language quotient. In math/logic you’ll find men at least on average 5 points higher, language intelligence is weighted specificly to make the male and female average equal.
The problem with this, and this is my personal opinion, is language skill while necessary is secondary to the truth and even there is a point beyond which it is not particularly useful. Furthermore I do not think poor language skills could ever qualify a person as “dumb”, perhaps I am bias.
The “dumbest” people will of course be men due their high variance, but I would still speculate that men are on average about 5 points ahead. Not to mention this high variance sets the standard of “genius” hence female “genius” as a oxy moron (This must really hurt the fems a lot lol).
Like or Dislike:
6 
1
Maybe GS Jockey is already attuned to this, but his link to the CNN article -while not actually within the topic of mixed gender vs. girls only poker- does cause one to draw a parallel.
The idea of a female poker champ wanting “girls only” poker tournaments-because the fellas are just too intimidating- is directly (IMO) analogous to some feminist rag writer recommending that women take a forceful hand in training their sons in dealing with women.
Unlike in poker tournaments, most women don’t see playing the relationship game opposite another woman as the same. Whether the woman rejects that idea on moral/social/religious grounds, or merely wants her playing partner to fulfill her need for a walking phallus who can endure (or even engage in) endless girl talk, the idea of morphing the competition into something like themselves is exactly the same.
Like or Dislike:
3 
0
Im a big fan of Darts here in the UK, and yes you guessed it the women have there own competitions. But once a year the guys have a special invite only event where the top 2 women compete. I personally have only seen one match where the lady won, but the thing is the crowed.
The crowed always backs the lady, and i ‘really mean’ back the lady, loud shouts and screams of encouragement . Enthusiastic Boo’s and Derision for the guys and you can clearly see the pressure the guy is under, the lady looking embarrassed by it all. If it was 2 guys playing the ref would tell the crowed to SHUT UP and let them play.
Like or Dislike:
11 
2
The only down side to a women’s only poker league is that fewer people will watch and fewer people will sponser and advertise. Just like virtually every other women’s sports league. The truth is that women’s only leagues are considered to be inferior in terms of spectator enjoyment.
Like or Dislike:
11 
0
Testosterone is the fuel for competitions, so is fairly obvious that men do better in a competitive envirmoent, since we have more of it. Duh. Also, from what I’ve seen of women in competitions, I have to wonder if they simply don’t want to sell their Yin for being able to compete (women in there are NOT feminine).
Like or Dislike:
7 
0
Wimbledon tennis match is a great example of treating girls better than men.
They have to have separate girls-only competition, so the girls will have a chance. The girls play best of 3. The men play best of 5.
Yet they recently increased the girls-only winnings so that girls get paid the same for less effort vs weaker competition.
That tells you everything you need to know about “equality” in competition.
Well-loved. Like or Dislike:
17 
0
Poker is a Patriarchal Construct designed by men for the benefit of men.
Just like math.
And gravity.
They must be torn up from their roots and destroyed completely, so that women may achieve liberation.
Like or Dislike:
11 
1
Male-only or female-only poker would be boring, I would think. More variety in players and in playstyle makes for a much more interesting game.
And as far as I’ve seen, women seem to hold their own just fine. I’ve personally played in a tournament where the top 3 consisted of me and 2 women. I didn’t really check the demographics that night, but it definitely wasn’t 2/3 women, as the top 3 results would suggest.
Like or Dislike:
4 
3
I wonder how such a tournament would handle transgenders.
Like or Dislike:
4 
0
Let them have their own tournaments.
It will simply be known, by everyone, that the female tournaments are the kiddie league with second rate competitors, just like with the women’s olympics, women’s chess leagues etc etc. In fact just like it is with literally everything.
Like or Dislike:
8 
1
GS Jockey November 3, 2010 at 14:28
GS My comment was as follows. We shall see if it gets posted.
“As GS Jockey notes. This woman is raising a future victim of the family law courts because she has not taught her boy that western women are now liars and hypocrites in the main. As in my case where 95% of the proceeds of my 25 years of labour went to my ex. I was so shocked at how badly I was treated I have spent 2.5 years, 3,000 hours, and about USD500,000 dealing with and creating the remedy for all men with respect to the criminal ‘Family Courts’. My book will be out soon so keep an eye on http://www.the-spearhead.com because it will be featured over there.”
Like or Dislike:
7 
2
Just copy what has worked for the tennis.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
Maria Ho – Ho! HA!
She is acting like her name sake!
Like or Dislike:
2 
0
“Ho, who describes herself as ‘Pro poker player,full-time knowledge seeker,part-time singer/performer, amazing racer and budding entreprenuer’ told Cardplayer.com that she herself was bullied when she first started playing in 2002, when she was at college in San Diego county.”
HAHAHAHA! Man is she going to come crashing down in 10 or so years when no man want’s to go near this narcissist.
Like or Dislike:
6 
0
I don’t do it pro, but when I play I always bring a hottie wearing what amounts to nothing. I hire her for %35 if I win. No reserve
Like or Dislike:
2 
0
I am all in favour of women only events…
Perhaps they can have women only planets too. With such a clusterfuck of weakness all in one place we can invade it and enslave them all. You know, bring them back to earth with a thump, a hump and a bump.
Do they ever stop whining? Doesn’t sound very professional to me.
They are getting BORING.
Like or Dislike:
1 
0
{ 1 trackback }