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Women, Gender and poker

Annie Duke

I found a study on players of poker that includes a section on gender relations. I had never seen analysis on this subject and it is quite relevant as the theme because poker is still a male preserve, despite the breakthrough of women especially at the professional level.

Representations, Patterns and gambling among poker players 16 to 25 years
The Gender Unit and poker p.82-88

Laurence Grondin

Following a request from the Directorate the Montreal Public Health, which focuses on the growing popularity of poker, they have been mandated to investigate the social profile, the gambling, the trajectories and social representations of poker among young people 16 to 25 years. Interviews were conducted with 2 girls and 8 boys. In their work, they became interested in gender relations in the world of poker and the under-representation of women among those who play it.


Some passages are very interesting and revealing ...

"During our interviews, we asked our respondents directly about the low representation of women in the poker world. Their responses helped us since we noticed that they tended to refer to women by referring to the skills necessary to be a good poker player, skills they believe they have not. It seems that the characteristics associated with success are actually very close to the definition of masculinity in our society. Players (and players) believe therefore that there are fewer women who play poker because they are less competitive, have less desire to win, are less interested in taking risks, are less strategic, less rational and more emotional. The players believe they are therefore less attracted to poker because they lack the skills necessary to be successful, that poker would be more masculine than feminine.

[...] Even when we have come into contact with women who were playing poker, they were rather reluctant to participate in our work, saying not to be "real" players. This comment seemed curious since their gambling habits were quite comparable to those of some other players males participated in the study.

[...] Indeed, poker has emerged at a time when deep divisions of gender prevented women from engaging poker with men. The prevailing conditions have thus created a situation that makes poker a game that was first associated with masculinity. This image was perpetuated in popular culture and has always been part of the stereotypes surrounding poker. Even today, we can see this in the publicity generated by industry poker and even in popular films that deal, as Maverick, Rounders, Lucky You. As such, we have already discussed how the abilities considered to be successful at poker by our respondents are actually all characteristics associated with masculinity in our society. The development of poker in recent years does not seem to have ended this situation. There are still predominantly male, and even on the Internet, which allows to play yet disregarding the idea of gender. Indeed, recent figures show that over 70% of players who engage in online poker are men (eCOGRA, 2007, p.8).

[...] Indeed, researchers have highlighted the phenomenon of gender swapping (gender change) where players will deliberately impersonate a person of the opposite sex to change the nature of their relationships with other players. Women will thus be created an account on a gaming website where they identify themselves as man and adopt a male pseudonym resonance while men do the opposite. Women do it mainly because they feel that players who are mostly men, do not treat them the same way that their male opponents.

[...] We can therefore conclude that the culture and image of poker player are marked by a strong masculine identity which is that women are not treated quite equally by the players. This would explain why they are much less likely to play and those who play will not be defined as players to avoid being associated with that image. "

Just to illustrate a little representation of women in this environment here is the cover of a magazine on poker ...



Indeed from 2004 to now, there have been only 3 times (excluding the cover above) that a player is on the cover of this magazine (October 2005, February 2007 and June 2010) Fortunately, these other blankets, they are not in lingerie and seems to appear for their skills and abilities rather than to entertain these gentlemen!

Besides, I could see that tournaments and women's clubs are not mixed in order to try to attract followers and to develop self-confidence of women by offering free medium sexist comments and attitudes macho.

GS